B.C. lawyer Hong Guo disbarred a 2nd time for being 'ungovernable'
CTV
A Richmond lawyer who has been at the centre of Law Society of B.C. discipline proceedings for years has been disbarred for a second time.
A Richmond lawyer who has been at the centre of Law Society of B.C. discipline proceedings for years has been disbarred for a second time.
Hong Guo was deemed "ungovernable" and disbarred last year, with a panel of the law society tribunal citing her lengthy disciplinary history and failure to co-operate with regulators.
"The respondent has sought a review of that decision," reads a new discipline decision issued last week and published online Tuesday.
"As a result, the law society, consistent with past practice, has decided to proceed with this hearing to obtain a second declaration."
The latest decision stems from five allegations of misconduct the law society made against Guo in a citation issued in October 2020.
The panel concluded in July 2023 that those allegations – specifically that Guo had "acted in a conflict of interest," "acted contrary to the trust accounting rules," "permitted her trust account to be misused," "made false or misleading statements to the law society," and "failed to respond to the law society" – had been proven.
In its decision on sanctions in the case, the panel considered not only the specifics of the misconduct itself, but also Guo's "extensive professional conduct record," which dates back to 2012.
