Citation issued: December 20, 2021, Citation Amended: October 17, 2022
Rene Joan Gantzert
Citations are authorized by the Law Society of BC's Discipline Committee and list allegations against a lawyer that will be considered at a discipline hearing. Please note that allegations in a citation are unproven until a discipline hearing panel has determined their validity.
Nature of conduct to be inquired into:
1. Between December 2018 and July 2019, in relation to your client, AC, you misappropriated, or improperly withdrew, some or all of $62,521.58 in client trust funds, by withdrawing funds from trust when you knew or ought to have known you were not entitled to some or all of those funds, contrary to one or more of Rule 3-64 of the Law Society Rules, rule 2.1-3(h) of the Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia, and your fiduciary duties.
This conduct constitutes professional misconduct or a breach of the Act or rules, pursuant to s. 38(4) of the Legal Profession Act.
2. Between approximately May 2021 and December 2021, you failed to cooperate with the Law Society’s investigation of complaint file [number], contrary to one or more of Rules 3-5(7) and (11) of the Law Society Rules, and rule 7.1-1 of the Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia, by failing to respond substantively or at all to one or more of the following correspondence from the Law Society:
(a) email dated May 27, 2021; and
(b) letter dated June 17, 2021.
This conduct constitutes professional misconduct or a breach of the Act or rules, pursuant to s. 38(4) of the Legal Profession Act.