The Law Society chief executive has been found “guilty of gross misconduct” following a character reference he provided to a cousin convicted of serious sexual offences.
David Lavery had provided a character reference to a court after the conviction of former schoolteacher William Lloyd-Lavery.
The Law Society said an independent disciplinary panel “determined that the appropriate sanction that the Chief Executive received a sanction short of dismissal”.
Lavery declined to exercise his right to appeal.
Last month, Lavery was sacked from his role as a human rights commissioner but he remained in post as chief executive of the Law Society of Northern Ireland.
Nicola Bannon – one of four women who were indecently assaulted by Lloyd-Lavery at a Belfast school in the 1970s – called on Lavery to resign.
Lloyd-Lavery was jailed in April for indecent assault
A meeting was due to be held on Wednesday after 50 letters from Law Society members called for a Special General Meeting (SGM).
However, the Law Society said they have decided to “adjourn the Special General Meeting to a date to be fixed as soon as practicable”.
The new meeting has been scheduled for October.
The organisation added that it recognises their membership’s need for further information and said the president Mark Borland has written to members with further information.
It had originally been understood the solicitors wanted to debate and vote on a range of motions, including calling for the resignation of Lavery.
It had also been understood they wanted to know how the decision was made to keep him in post as chief executive, and on what basis.
Mark Borland, the president of the Law Society, previously told the BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme that Lavery had his support to continue as chief executive – but he expressed “regret” over how the society handled the situation and said they “got it wrong”.
In a previous statement, Lavery apologised for a “serious error in judgement” in providing the character reference and “for any hurt and distress” he caused the victims.
“I profoundly regret that and I am committed to doing all I can to address it in the time ahead,” he said.
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