A Christchurch lawyer has been suspended from legal practice for 18 months for mishandling his clients' money.
The Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal has found Errol Parsons guilty of misconduct for receiving money and not paying it into a trust account, and failing to record where it went.
Any lawyer who receives money in advance has to operate a trust account.
Law Society president Chris Moore says clients need to feel confident their money is safe.
Mr Moore says Mr Parsons deliberately avoided using a trust account and his practice records were in a muddled state.
