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Controversial firm asks for $1m to take on Law Society ahead of hearing
G&B Lawyers partner Nathan Buckley has asked his supporters for $1 million to fund his “legal costs and disbursements” for taking on the NSW Law Society in supposed judicial review proceedings. The new GoFundMe page comes days before he is due to face the Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a disciplinary hearing.
Naomi Neilson
Mr Buckley will face the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) on Monday, 25 October, over allegations made by the state’s Law Society that he encouraged his supporters to breach laws by “deliberately providing false information”. His many Facebook posts were made during the COVID-19 pandemic and included advice such as contesting fines in court and attending protests in Victoria.
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In documents shared to Mr Buckley’s Facebook page, the Law Society is alleging that he is unable to fulfil the relevant requirements of a legal practitioner “as he does not have the ability to discharge his paramount duty to the administration of justice”. The Law Society is seeking to suspend his practising certificate on this ground.
Along with the documents, Mr Buckley shared a GoFundMe link where he has requested $1,000,000 from his supporters to fight the Law Society. He claimed that all funds would go towards the proceedings, including to pay for barristers and court filing fees. Mr Buckley added that “no refunds are possible”.
“They want to silence me,” Mr Buckley argued in GoFundMe description. “They don’t want to challenge the unlawful public health orders and directions. They don’t want me acting for individuals who have lost their livelihoods and their careers.
“They don’t want me acting for people who have been fired from their jobs for not submitting to a COVID-19 jab. They are scared of the truth coming out and all the main characters being found out for what they are.”
At the time of writing, Mr Buckley had raised just over $16,000 from 258 donors. The comments on the GoFundMe page – as well as those across his public Facebook page – are ones of encouragement. As alleged by the Law Society, Mr Buckley has occasionally responded to comments with similar advice to his controversial posts.
In January this year, Mr Buckley shared an email he sent to the Law Society with links to two articles reporting on Victoria Police’s decision to drop unpaid COVID infringement fines. He said the articles “means I was right all along” in telling his supporters in Melbourne to challenge fines if they are caught without their masks.
“I expect that you will now drop all allegations against me and write a written apology,” Mr Buckley requested from the Law Society at the time.
In September 2020, Mr Buckley posted another letter from the Law Society that stated posts he made about mask mandates had likely brought the profession into disrepute and breached his ethical duties and obligations. In the letter, the Law Society alleged that this would justify a finding that he is not a fit and proper person.
He then wrote back to the Law Society that the allegations were “baseless” and claimed his followers would “give support as to why I am a fit and proper person”.
Lawyers Weekly will provide more information after Monday’s disciplinary hearing.
