Mahvash Ikram
A lawyer has pleaded guilty to misconduct after turning up to court so drunk that the judge noticed her impairment and asked for inquiries to be made.
The woman, who has name suppression, admitted she suffered from alcohol addiction.
She had been drinking wine the night before the hearing and consumed more alcohol the following morning before heading to court, where the judge became concerned about her condition and asked another lawyer to investigate, the woman told the Lawyers and Conveyancers Tribunal.
“My colleague… could obviously tell that I was intoxicated or unsteady on my feet… and we went and had a coffee, and I told her that I had been drinking.”
The lawyer, who was visibly upset during the tribunal hearing, admitted her addiction but said she had remained sober for several months before suffering the relapse on the day of the court hearing, which led to the Southland Standards Committee laying the misconduct charge.
It is the lawyer’s sixth formal disciplinary matter since 2011. She told the tribunal the previous issues were unrelated to alcohol but the tribunal said it was concerned that the matters covered a wide spectrum of blunders and asked how she could assure them there would be no further disciplinary issues if she were to continue practising.
The lawyer admitted she had a “shameful” history, but said she had taken steps to improve her work environment, including finding employment in a firm where she was well-supported by her colleagues and a practice manager who checked in with her regularly.
She realised the gravity of the situation immediately after the incident. She went to an AA meeting that evening and has been attending twice a week ever since, she told the tribunal.
The practitioner was remorseful and committed to making a change, her lawyer Jenny Beck told the tribunal.
“She absolutely accepted that this was misconduct, either wilful or reckless, and that it involved a breach of professional obligations… [and] she, as an experienced lawyer, would have known and did know that it was unacceptable and she has expressed her contrition and remorse throughout.”
The relapse
The lawyer told the tribunal she completed a home-based detox program in July 2025 after becoming aware that her drinking was out of control. She said she had remained sober for nine months before she relapsed and drank wine before the court appearance which prompted the misconduct charge.
“I relapsed, believing that once you get control of a problem, you can then continue to engage in a safe and socially acceptable manner. I have discovered that that is not the case for me.”
The lawyer was also undertaking ongoing therapy and had been prescribed medication to deal with her addiction.
But, as per medical advice, she had not stopped drinking abruptly.
“I’m trying to maintain the sobriety now and have been for the last month. The therapist I’ve been meeting with… doesn’t want me to do a complete cold turkey.”
The charges
The committee has charged her with misconduct under s 7 (1) (a) and (b) of the Lawyers and Conveyancers Act – the section dealing with a disgraceful and dishonourable and wilful or reckless breach.
Counsel for the standards committee asked the tribunal to make orders preventing the practitioner from practising on her own without supervision and requiring her to receive alcohol counselling, to undergo random testing and to pay costs.
“It was completely at odds with the role of a lawyer in the court system to appear intoxicated before the courts for clients. It’s a breach of the obligation to the clients, to protect the court processes and to maintain professional standards and it is very much conduct which erodes trust and confidence in the profession and would cause the public to think less of the profession,” the committee’s lawyer said.
The tribunal indicated it was considering a regime where the practitioner would be allowed to practise only as an employee under the supervision of her employer who could also be asked to carry out random drug testing during work hours. The practitioner would have to pay any costs.
The tribunal has reserved its decision.
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