The case against an Auckland lawyer accused of disgraceful and dishonourable behaviour has been adjourned until 2014.
The Law Society has accused Charl Hirschfeld of charging Legal Aid Services for clients he was not yet assigned to represent and for court appearances he didn't attend, sending another lawyer instead.
The high-profile lawyer represented Te Rangikaiwhiria Kemara in the Urewera raids trial and has also appeared for the East Coast tribe Ngati Oneone at the Waitangi Tribunal.
Mr Hirschfeld is before the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal charged with submitting invoices to legal aid services when he was not the lawyer who appeared.
The society brought a late application to include allegations that Mr Hirschfeld billed Legal Aid Services for appearances when he was not the approved lawyer.
The tribunal has allowed the new allegations to be added but has adjourned the case until next year to allow Mr Hirschfeld's lawyer to prepare his defence to the new allegations.
Mr Hirschfeld is charged with submitting invoices to legal aid services at his hourly rate, which was up to $182 an hour, on 12 occasions in 2009 and 2010.
The Law Society says he admits he did not attend court, instead sending another, less experienced, lawyer in his place but billing Legal Aid Services at his higher rate.
Charl Hirschfeld strenuously denies the charges.
