Vernon lawyer Leonard Marriott.
Image Credit: North Valley Law
December 24, 2022 - 12:00 PM
A Vernon lawyer is being investigated by the regulator and he also stands accused of giving false information to a client regarding a will.
According to a Dec. 13 Law Society of B.C. citation, owner of Vernon law firm North Valley Law, Leonard Marriott, is accused of giving false or misleading information in a filing he made to the B.C. Supreme Court and didn't disclose that a deceased person had a will.
The Law Society also says Marriott failed to provide a client with the "quality of service expected of a competent lawyer."
The citation is very vague about the precise circumstances of what took place but said Marriott failed to "adequately investigate" the facts and identify the legal issues of a property transfer matter and an estates matter between May 2019 and Sept. 2020.
The citation said the lawyer failed to "communicate effectively with the client" and "ensure that all steps were attended to within a reasonable time frame."
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The Law Society said Marriott didn't disclose the existence of a will for the deceased person or identify that the deceased person had other potential beneficiaries.
The decision goes on to say that Marriott failed to accurately represent the value of the estate and tell the court that a notice of dispute had been filed by another party.
He also stands accused of submitting evidence to the court that contained false or misleading information.
The decision didn't give a date for the hearing.
None of the allegations have been proven.
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