Kelowna lawyer suspended for not abiding by prior suspension

Photo: Geord Holland Law Corporation

A Kelowna lawyer has been suspended from practicing law for one month for previously practicing law while under a separate suspension.

George "Geord" Holland was called to the bar in 1980, and in 1993, he opened his own firm in Kelowna, the Geord Holland Law Corporation. He primarily practices in the areas of real estate, business law and land development.

In April 2019, he was suspended by the Law Society of B.C. for about one month for failing to complete his 2018 Continuing Professional Development hours.

The Law Society requires lawyers to complete 12 hours of accredited CPD every year, to ensure lawyers “achieve and maintain high standards of competency and professionalism.”

Despite his suspension, the Law Society found Holland continued to practice law between April 3 and June 11 of 2019.

As a result, Holland consented to another one-month suspension handed down by the Law Society, beginning Oct. 1, 2021.

“The Lawyer acknowledged that he failed to apprehend the serious nature of the suspension, and that this was poor judgment on his part,” the Law Society said in a recently published consent agreement.

Back in 2017, Holland was handed a two-day suspension for failing to complete his 2016 Continuing Professional Development hours.