Tribunal opts for rehabilitation over a fine, citing self-report and a clean 20-year disciplinary record
A New Zealand lawyer who lied to her employer about needing bereavement leave and then produced a false obituary to support the claim has been censured by the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal.
The tribunal formally rebuked the lawyer in a decision dated 17 September 2026, which set out its reasons for orders made at a penalty hearing on 31 August. She had admitted misconduct in proceedings brought by Auckland Standards Committee 1.
In its written censure, the tribunal told her that "a lawyer's integrity is a precious commodity."
"You briefly slipped below the required standard when you misled your employer about your absence from work," the censure read.
"This censure serves as a permanent reminder on your professional record of that error, which we are confident you will not repeat."
The misconduct arose after the lawyer lied to her employer about the need for bereavement leave, the tribunal said.
According to the decision, she had just learned that her sister-in-law had died about two years earlier, and that her family, from whom she was estranged, had kept the death from her.
The tribunal said she was "horrified" that her sister-in-law's death had been concealed from her.
"She also felt ashamed to be in such a position, and it was this, and her general state of distress at the news, which prevented her doing what she...
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