By Law Society of British Columbia
Vancouver lawyer Andrew Yat-Cheung Lau has been disbarred for professional misconduct for misappropriating more than $14,000 in client trust funds between March and November 2018.
The Law Society Tribunal hearing panel found that Lau committed professional misconduct when he took trust funds without providing any, or sufficient, legal services, and that the unauthorized trust withdrawals were akin to theft.
The hearing panel also found that Lau failed to remit GST and PST collected from his clients, failed to report an unsatisfied monetary judgment and failed to remit Trust Administration Fees between 2016 and 2019. In addition, Lau made withdrawals from trust without first delivering a bill to his clients.
The hearing panel concluded that the only appropriate sanction was that Lau be disbarred. Lau must also pay costs in the amount of $5,500 within 60 days.
The panel’s decision on Lau’s disciplinary action is available on the Law Society Tribunal’s website.
