A former lawyer has been barred from practicing law for 15 years in Canada, after admitting multiple instances of professional misconduct to the Law Society of British Columbia.
Amanda Jane Rose’s dubious history as a lawyer was spelled out by the society in a discipline committee ruling on Sept. 23 and summarized by a news release on Oct. 1.
Rose admitted to the committee to misappropriating client trust funds on numerous occasions, with amounts ranging from $8,470.45 to $67,718.25. She deposited the funds into a general account instead of a trust account, transferred trust funds to her personal account, withdrew funds without her client’s consent or knowledge, double billed clients and used trust funds to cover operating expenses. Furthermore, she failed to immediately eliminate 64 trust shortages and did not report them to the society.
Rose became a member of the society in May 2011 and started off at three small law firms in New Westminster, according to the society. In 2017, she failed to complete professional development credits and was issued her first of three administrative suspensions. She was also suspended in 2018 and 2019 for failing to file trust reports. Her last suspension continued until she became a former member of the society on Jan. 1, 2020.
Rose also practiced law while suspended, stated the society, and she made “misrepresentations” to investigators and filed misleading trust reports.
“Rose admitted her conduct constituted professional misconduct. The law society’s discipline committee accepted her admissions subject to her agreement that she would not practise law in Canada for 15 years. A citation authorized against her on Dec. 5, 2019 is now considered resolved, and her admissions have been recorded on her professional conduct record. Should Rose wish to apply for reinstatement to the law society when her undertaking expires on Oct. 1, 2036, she will have to satisfy the law society’s credentials committee that she is of sufficiently good character and repute to practise law in B.C.,” stated the news release.
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