Former Napier lawyer struck off roll for breach of trust

McKay Hill partner Richard Hill was struck off the roll of barristers and solicitors last week. Photo/File

Seven years after first being charged for criminal breach of trust, Napier lawyer Richard Henry Hill has been struck off the roll of barristers and solicitors.

Mr Hill was found guilty of the charge in the Hastings District Court last year, the offending occurring when he was working as a lawyer and trust account partner in his previous law firm McKay Hill.

He joined four other lawyers in Hawke's Bay who had been struck off the roll in the last five years.

He was sentenced to eight months' home detention and 100 hours of community work, and also faced disciplinary charges laid by the Hawke's Bay Standards Committee of the New Zealand Law Society.

He was suspended by the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal from practising in August 2016.

The Tribunal ordered that Mr Hill be struck off on December 13, with its written reasons still to be released, and it ordered Mr Hill to pay costs to the New Zealand Law Society of $57,050.00.

Mr Hill's strike off concluded a disciplinary process that began seven years ago when the charges were originally filed. They were adjourned pending the criminal charges being concluded, along with an appeal.

New Zealand Law Society President Kathryn Beck said this situation has been a long time coming.

"Although it has taken some time to conclude this matter the Law Society has again ensured that lawyers live up to the ethical standards required of the legal profession," she said.

Last year Mr Hill's former partner at McKay Hill, Gerald George McKay, was given a four and a half year prison sentence after being found guilty of an array of charges including theft, dishonesty and using document for pecuniary advantage.