Leonard Marriott forced to resign and barred from practising law for 10 years
A Vernon lawyer who was forced to resign after findings of professional misconduct related to elderly clients has consented to having his law practice seized by the Law Society of British Columbia.
In a related action, Leonard Hil Marriott also agreed to stop acting in fiduciary roles that arose from solicitor client relationships.
The developments are the result of a petition in B.C. Supreme Court brought by the province’s legal regulator after determining Marriott was still controlling solicitor trust accounts associated with his practice, North Valley Law.
Marriott resigned on July 1 and was barred from practising for 10 years after the Law Society of B.C. found him guilty of professional misconduct in dealings with two elderly clients.
Borrowed thousands
Court documents filed by the Law Society also describe “serious concern” relating to a third elderly client, MB, who granted Marriott an enduring power of attorney over her affairs in 2018.
A Law Society investigation found that in the years following, Marriott borrowed thousands of dollars from MB — including $35,000, which he used to buy a condo — caused a 50 per cent interest in MB’s residence to be transferred to his name, and “prepared a will, executed by MB, naming him as executor and leaving him a 75 per cent interest in her estate.”
