CASE: Victorian Legal Services Board v Berry [2024] VSC 778

There must be some serious misconduct for a solicitor to have their name removed from the Roll of Legal Practitioners held by the Supreme Court.

In this case, Ms Elise Berry's conduct as a family lawyer was so egregious that in 2022 her licence to practice law was cancelled.

She took no notice of that and continued to practice anyway, resulting in proceedings in 2024 to have her name struck from the Roll of Legal Practitioners.

This case looks at only a few examples of Elise Berry's misconduct which included:

a. forging emails, loan agreements, and court orders;

b. lying to her clients and failing to follow instructions; and

c. misappropriating client funds.

Her conduct and commitment to deception was almost too outrageous to believe.

Thank you to Barrister Sarah Carr for this fascinating case recommendation! This case was so mind-blowing to me that I had to share it as soon as I finished editing the episode.