Ronald Bower, the former sole principal of Perth-based Corser & Corser Lawyers, has been removed from the roll of legal practitioners, after the Supreme Court of Western Australia upheld the Legal Profession Complaints Committee’s decision.
In May 2017, the Legal Profession Complaints Committee found that Mr Bower engaged in professional misconduct in numerous instances at the commercial law firm.
Among those instances of professional misconduct, it was found that in April 2011 Mr Bower intentionally misled the District Court of Western Australia with an affidavit.
Additionally, between November 2010 and May 2011, he knowingly sent false and misleading emails to a client about the status and progress of proceedings.
In handing down their judgement, a full Supreme Court bench comprising of justices Quinlan, Martin and Smith, said they had come to the view that Mr Bower was not a fit and proper person to practise law.
“Up until he made submissions in mitigation of penalty, Mr Bower continued to deny the gravamen of the most serious charges of dishonest conduct made against him,” the judgement said.
“In these circumstances, the tribunal properly made a finding that Mr Bower was not remorseful for his conduct and plainly lacked insight into his conduct.
“The conduct of Mr Bower was conduct of the most serious kind and was deliberately destructive of the trust and confidence that the court, clients and the public, are entitled to demand from practitioners.”
Mr Bower was admitted to practice in Western Australia in December 1983 and was with Corser & Corser from March 1984 to May 2017.
According to his LinkedIn profile, Mr Bower is currently a policy, compliance and privacy officer for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Sydney.
Chau Huynh is currently the managing director of Corser & Corser.
