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An ACT lawyer who waged a 20-year war with the Law Society, including over claims of racial discrimination and human rights breaches, has had his name removed from the roll.
Chief Justice Lucy McCallum, together with Justices David Mossop and Berna Collier, have struck Emmanuel Ezekiel-Hart’s name from the roll of practitioners maintained by the ACT Supreme Court.
It follows the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) decision in January 2025 that Ezekiel-Hart engaged in professional misconduct by making serious misconduct allegations against a number of people, including a former Law Society president.
“A lawyer who consistently demonstrates an inability to appreciate the distinction between genuine belief and a proper evidentiary basis for serious allegations presents a significant risk to the administration of justice,” the Supreme Court bench said.
“The findings made by the ACAT reveal a profound deficiency in the judgement required of a legal practitioner entrusted with the power and privilege of invoking court processes.”
The court considered character references that painted Ezekiel-Hart as “honest, courteous, calm, non-violent, caring, generous, community-minded, hardworking, respectful and committed to assisting others”, but said they were only of limited assistance.
“The positive qualities of the lawyer cannot overcome concerns arising from the findings of professional misconduct, the absence of insight and the lack of evidence demonstrating rehabilitation.
“The protective purposes of the court’s disciplinary jurisdiction therefore require that the lawyer’s name be removed from the roll.”
Between June 2003 and May 2023, Ezekiel-Hart has brought various proceedings against the Law Society’s Council and others, resulting in well over 30 published and unpublished decisions.
In the years after the council filed an application for disciplinary action, Ezekiel-Hart commenced a number of other claims, including those intended to reverse a vexatious litigant declaration.
Along with the strike-off decision, Chief Justice McCallum and Justices Mossop and Collier dealt with an originating application for a grant of leave to appeal ACAT decisions, and a notice of appeal of an interlocutory order to dismiss a strike-out application.
Ezekiel-Hart failed in both applications.
Citation: Ezekiel-Hart v Law Society (ACT) [2026] ACTSCFC 3.
