Following her self-disclosure of professional misconduct to the Law Society of British Columbia, Vancouver-based lawyer Katrina Sriranpong was placed on a three-month legal practice suspension. It was her negligent management of client funds that resulted in the suspension.
Unsuitable Client Fund Management
Katrina Sriranpong admitted to handling over $70,000 in cash from 17 different clients improperly. She was required by law society accounting laws to deposit the funds into a trust account; but, she chose to deposit them into her personal account.
Nothing bad is occurring
Despite violating accounting standards, Sriranpong’s actions don’t appear to have been malicious. In her consent agreement with the law society, she stated that she did not believe she needed a trust account since she charged clients fixed legal fees for particular services and believed that by doing so, they had granted her permission to treat their fee payments as her own.
Insufficient Dedication and Knowledge of the Trust Account
According to the rules of the legal community, Katrina Sriranpong ought to have kept advance payments from clients in trust accounts or obtained fully informed written consent if she intended to hold them as her own property. Even though Sriranpong explained trust accounts to the clients verbally, it’s conceivable that they didn’t fully understand what they were.
No financial gain or clientele loss
Katrina Sriranpong completed all of the tasks she was assigned, and no clients experienced financial loss. Her actions did not bring her or her clients any financial gain. Positive relationships with clients were maintained, and a number of them sent her letters of support complimenting her work.
The Schedule and Condition of Non-Practicing
The misconduct occurred from 2016 to 2018, at the time Sriranpong was taking on private immigration law clients. She has not been a practicing member of the bar association since her maternity leave in November 2018.
Benefits and extenuating circumstances
Sriranpong’s lack of prior misbehavior, her completion of trust accounting courses, and her outstanding contributions to the legal community and society all served as mitigating factors. Her work with vulnerable groups, refugee resettlement, and anti-human trafficking campaigns have earned her recognition. In British Columbia, she is the only immigration lawyer who speaks Thai.
Duration of Suspension
Because of her bad actions, Katrina Sriranpong The three-month suspension of Katrina Sriranpong will begin on January 17 and expire on April 17.
Anticipated Reply and Volunteering
Because of Sriranpong’s unique skills as an immigration attorney who speaks Thai, other Thai clients are eagerly anticipating her return to work. She has also collaborated with groups that support animal rights, these causes, and the rights of refugees and people who have been trafficked.
Ignorance of Accounting Documents and Status as Non-Practicing
Katrina Sriranpong, a Vancouver-based lawyer, also admitted that she had not maintained some accounting records as required by the law society’s regulations. She has not been a practicing member since November 2018 due to her maternity leave.
Context and environment of the practice
The communications officer for the legal society, Vinnie Yuen, claims that Sriranpong previously practiced immigration law out of a base in Surrey.
Absence of financial benefit or client losses
As per the terms of their partnership agreement, Sriranpong’s mistakes did not cause any financial harm to her or her clients. Her close relationships with her clients were highlighted, and a number of them sent letters of support thanking her for her work and expressing satisfaction. Notably, she has never before participated in professional misconduct.
Collaboration and In-Repair
Sriranpong self-reported her behavior and fully cooperated with the Law Society’s investigation. She realized her mistake early on in the investigation and tried to correct the problem by entering into a consent agreement. The consent accord summary emphasizes her regret and admission that her actions violated the laws and regulations of society.
No prior transgressions
The summary restates Sriranpong’s lack of prior instances of professional misconduct.
The Bottom Line
The importance of moral and ethical behavior in the legal profession is shown by the case of Katrina Sriranpong. She admitted to squandering customer funds and neglecting to keep accounting records, but she didn’t behave deliberately or obtain any financial benefit. Her readiness to assist, own her errors, and self-report demonstrates her commitment to managing the situation properly.
