The Court of Three Judges said misconduct involving dishonesty will often lead to the errant lawyer being struck off the roll.
A family lawyer who was trying to reach a settlement with opposing counsel on the amendment of a document lied to the court that he had been “unable” to get his client’s confirmation.
Mr Koh Tien Hua then consented to having portions of the document struck out, which was contrary to what his client wanted, and hid this fact from the client.
Last Thursday (April 14), Mr Koh, a partner at Harry Elias Partnership, was suspended for three years for acting against the instructions of his client, Mr Andrew Loh, and for dishonestly concealing this fact from him.
In meting out the suspension, the Court of Three Judges, which has the power to suspend or disbar lawyers, also considered that Mr Koh had made misleading statements to an assistant registrar.
The decision marked the end of a six-year legal fight for Mr Loh, who lodged various complaints against Mr Koh with the Law Society in 2016.
The complaints have been examined and re-examined by an inquiry committee, a disciplinary tribunal, the High Court and Court of Appeal, each arriving at a somewhat different conclusion about the extent and severity of Mr Koh’s misconduct.
In its written judgment, the Court of Three Judges, led by Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, reiterated that misconduct involving dishonesty will often lead to the errant lawyer being struck off the roll.
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