12 Jun 2014

Tauranga lawyer suspended

6:12 pm on 12 June 2014

A Tauranga lawyer who had a secret sexual relationship with a young client and lied about it will be suspended.

Craig Horsley has admitted to misleading a legal Standards Committee about the relationship.

He was also found guilty of misconduct by acting for a client when he was having a sexual relationship with her.

The Standards Committee had asked for Horsley to be struck off.

But the chair of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal, Judge Dale Clarkson, said the tribunal would not end Horsley's career, but would suspend him.

Judge Clarkson said the tribunal had not yet decided how long the suspension will last, but it would be at the upper end of the terms available.