On June 3, 2021, the following individuals were appointed to the the Law Society Disciplinary Panel for three-year terms:
- Catherine Anne Barker Pinsent
- Darleen Joyce Kelly
- Matthew Janes
The Law Society Disciplinary Committee is responsible for hearing complaints against members of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador in accordance with Part II of the Law Society Act, and the Law Society’s Rules and the Code of Professional Conduct. Adjudication tribunals are appointed from the Disciplinary Panel by the Chair and decide whether or not a respondent is guilty of conduct deserving of sanction, or whether there has been a failure to comply with a decision or an order. Where a matter is referred to the Disciplinary Panel, the Chair of the Panel is required to appoint three members of the Panel to a tribunal, comprised of two lawyers and one lay representative, and must appoint one member to chair that tribunal. Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador (LSNL) adjudicators work to ensure that hearings are fair, timely, transparent to the public and the profession, and that they are founded on the protection of, and service to, the public. They ensure that the public perspective is represented in the adjudicative decision making process. Adjudicators for the LSNL are responsible and accountable for independently making quasi-judicial decisions in individual cases, deciding all issues of fact and law, while ensuring that the principles of natural justice and procedural fairness are properly applied. Eligible adjudicators will have the competencies and qualifications required to perform their LSNL adjudicative functions at the highest level.