Attorney Bryan Neal Found Guilty of Professional Misconduct by General Legal Council

Attorney Bryan Neal has been found guilty of professional misconduct by the General Legal Council.  The council is a body headed by Justice Rajiv |Goonetilleke, mandated to uphold the professional standards of practicing attorneys in Belize.  In this matter, Neal found himself in problems when he failed to maintain communication with a client by ignoring emails, and not updating the client on the status of her matter.  Neal told the council that he had decided to refund the five thousand dollars paid by the client, but the council was not satisfied that the lawyer did enough to have the refund made.  The client, Juyue Young, had used an intermediary to contract Neal to bring a case against his tenant for outstanding rent and damages to the property.  In the judgment document, the council concluded that Neal breached Rules 28 and 69 of the Legal Profession.  Neal is expected to reappear before the council on March 22.