Law society disbars lawyer found guilty of misappropriating $82K in client funds

A Winnipeg lawyer has been disbarred after he was found guilty of misappropriating more than $80,000 from clients over a four-year period.

The Law Society of Manitoba found James Graeme Earle Young guilty of professional misconduct arising from 10 charges, says a statement dated Sept. 21. He was accused of misappropriating $82,436.57 from three clients from 2011-15.

"When we look at all of the misconduct and Mr. Young's troubling and unsatisfactory explanations for what he did, repeatedly, over the course of four years, we believe that disbarment is the appropriate penalty," the Law Society of Manitoba wrote in its explanation.

The society also said "no penalty short of disbarment provides adequate protection for the public," and it's hoped the penalty in this case sends a message to other lawyers and the public.

Young admitted to most of the charges, but did dispute some. 

Expelled for cheating

Young worked for local firm Restall & Restall LLP from 2011-14. He previously pleaded guilty in July 2015 to 19 charges of professional misconduct. As part of a plea bargain, he was suspended from practising law between July 6, 2015, and March 8, 2016.

The law society also said he was kicked out of University of Calgary Law School for cheating, only to be given a second chance at the University of Manitoba, where he graduated in 2004.

Through his lawyer Gavin Wood, Young declined to comment.