A record number of cases has been filed in a disciplinary tribunal for lawyers, as the public becomes more aware of the right to hold dodgy practitioners to account.
The Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal's 2013 annual report stated there has been a 30 per cent increase in the number of proceedings filed with the tribunal from the past financial year.
In the 12 months to June 2013, 39 new cases were filed in the tribunal, up from 30 last year and 19 in 2011.
As a result, 114 penalty orders were made, with most decisions receiving more than one order.
The tribunal ordered 11 lawyers be censured, seven to be struck off, seven to pay compensation and six to be suspended.
Other penalties ordered included fines, restrictions on employment, refunds, apologies and practice inspections.
During the same period, seven appeals and one judicial review application were filed in the High Court.
"This caseload continues an upwards trend, with the filings for the year having increased by more than 100 per cent from two years ago," the report stated.
The majority of hearings were held in Auckland (22), followed by Wellington (7), Christchurch (4), Dunedin (3), Invercargill (1) and Hastings (1).
The tribunal was established in 2008 to hear and determine serious professional disciplinary charges laid against legal and coveyancing practitioners.
Tribunal chair Judge Dale Clarkson said the tribunal was becoming more widely known as an independent statutory tribunal as it became involved in more professional disciplinary cases and applications.
"There could perhaps be better recognition by the news media that it operates as a separate judicial body outside the regulatory organisations it oversees.
"That separation enhances public confidence in the disciplinary regime applicable to lawyers and conveyancers."
The tribunal's workload was expected to increase in the coming year as members of the public increasingly became aware of their rights and the Law Society's own processes continued to identify issues of concern, Judge Clarkson said.
"The focus of the tribunal now will be to ensure that it operates as efficiently as possible, both judically in its public protection role, and as an independent statutory tribunal."
High-profile cases to appear before the tribunal in 2013
* Boon Gunn Hong was allowed to keep his career after he allegedly threatened a colleague with his dogs and the "sorry end of my stick".
* John David Rangitauira was struck off for spending other people's money after being duped by a $27 million email inheritance scam.
* Former Bridgecorp chairman Bruce Davidson was suspended from practicing for nine months after pleading guilty to 10 Securities Act charges.
* Dargaville lawyer Gregory Clarke was struck off after lying to a client about submitting forms for a disputes tribunal case when he had forgotten to do so.
* Sacha Beacham was censured and suspended for two years after bringing the legal profession into disrepute and behaving in an indecent and offensive manner toward police officers during a strip search.
* A hearing is continuing against Eion Castles, who is accused of overcharging a client by nearly $600,000.
