A former paralegal who worked at a West Footscray law firm has been disqualified from working for a law practice for five years.
The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal ordered on July 17 that Cheong “Petrus” Tak Chow be blacklisted following a 2014 conviction.
Chow, who completed a law degree but had not been admitted as a lawyer, pleaded guilty in the Melbourne Magistrates Court last year to pretending to be a lawyer.
He consented to the Victorian Legal Services board bringing disqualification proceedings against him after he mishandled trust money in the sale of a small business while passing himself off as a lawyer.
The court was told at the time that Chow accepted $65,000 in cash from a purchaser of the business and issued a receipt on the law firm’s letterhead. The money was then wrapped in paper and kept in a safe.
He accepted a further $9500 deposit from the purchasers and $1720 in legal fees. Both payments were made via cheque to Chow’s own company.
Chow was fined $7500 and was ordered to pay $3972 in costs.
The five-year disqualification period was backdated to commence from September 29 last year.
Chow is banned from working for a law practice until September, 2019.
