A West Shore lawyer has agreed to a two-week suspension for conduct unbecoming of a lawyer back in 2019 when she shared MDMA with two people at a Halloween party.
Valorie Hemminger Long is the principal lawyer and owner of Pathway Legal Law Corporation in Colwood, and has been a practising lawyer in B.C. since 1996.
According to facts listed in the consent agreement between Hemminger Long and the Law Society of B.C., she had been using non-prescription drugs between 2010 and 2019, but in late 2020 was diagnosed with a mental illness for which she is now in treatment. She told the Society she had not used MDMA since that time.
At the 2019 party, Hemminger Long had 10 tablets of MDMA, consumed half a tablet, and shared two with partygoers. That activity was mutually agreed to be misconduct “unbecoming the profession.”
The lawyer had three sets of recommendations in her professional conduct record in relation to practice management. Details were not made public. This was taken into account by the Discipline Committee in making its decision.
The lawyer is facing a two-week suspension beginning Aug. 28.
READ MORE: Victoria lawyer disbarred for misappropriating client funds
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