A Nanaimo lawyer has been suspended for nine months after the Law Society of BC found he had received and disbursed funds totalling $1.47 million “without making reasonable inquiries in the face of suspicious circumstances.”
The provincial legal profession regulator said in a June 15 that Gregory S. Yanke was suspended after reaching a consent agreement with the society to resolve misconduct involving the misuse of his trust account and his failure to obtain and verify client identification information.
Yanke has also undertaken to not receive or handle trust funds and to not open or operate a trust account until the society determines the condition can be lifted.
“He also admitted he failed to appropriately obtain or verify client identification information in relation to five clients,” the society said. “The law society considered that Yanke does not have a prior professional conduct record and he has accepted responsibility for his misconduct.”
The society said Yanke since completed courses in trust accounting and regulatory requirements as well as anti-money laundering measures.
