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A summary of recent court decisions involving NSW solicitors.

Court of Appeal

Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Sideris [2025] NSWCA 159

On 18 July 2025, the New South Wales Court of Appeal published its decision in disciplinary proceedings that the Council of the Law Society of New South Wales (Council) commenced against Mr George Sideris.

Following a decision by the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal on 9 August 2024, see (Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Sideris (No 2) [2024] NSWCATOD 121), which recommended that Mr Sideris’ name be removed from the roll maintained by the Supreme Court of New South Wales (Roll) pursuant to section 22 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW), the Council sought:

  1. a declaration that Mr Sideris is not a fit and proper person to remain on the Roll;
  2. an order removing Mr Sideris’s name from the Roll; and
  3. an order requiring Mr Sideris to pay the Council’s costs of the proceedings.

The Court of Appeal made the declaration and orders sought by the Council.

The Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v O’Brien [2025] NSWCA 21

On 22 September 2025, the New South Wales Court of Appeal (Court) published its decision in proceedings that the Council of the Law Society of New South Wales (Council) commenced against Mr Mark Leo O’Brien.

The Council sought:

  1. a declaration that Mr O’Brien is not a fit and proper person to remain on the Roll of Australian lawyers maintained by the Supreme Court of New South Wales (Roll) pursuant to section 22 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) (Roll); and
  2. orders:
    1. removing Mr O’Brien’s name from the Roll; and
    2. requiring Mr O’Brien to pay the Council’s costs of the proceedings.

The Council sought the order removing Mr O’Brien’s name from the Roll on the basis that on 16 March 2021, Mr O’Brien was convicted and sentenced in the District Court of New South Wales of six offences of dishonestly obtaining financial advantage by deception and four offences of knowingly dealing with proceeds of crime, with one further charge being taken into account pursuant to section 32 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 (NSW). Mr O’Brien was sentenced to an aggregate term of imprisonment of ten years, commencing on 16 March 2021 and expiring on 15 March 2031, with a non-parole period of six years.

The Court made the declaration and orders sought by the Council.