A former employee of a law firm has admitted a charge of misconduct before the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal.

Barbara Ann Dobson was employed as a credit controller at the firm. It was at this firm that she misappropriated $49,059 over four years by drawing cheques on the firm’s float account.

To cover up the misappropriations she created false credit balances on a client ledger in the practice management system.

The Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal accepted that if Ms Dobson had been a practising lawyer, she would have been struck off for her conduct.

The Tribunal made an order that no practitioner or incorporated firm employ Ms Dobson in connection with the practitioner’s or incorporated firm’s practice, so long as the order remains in force.

Ms Dobson was ordered to pay $4,000 in costs to the New Zealand Law Society and to reimburse hearing costs of $692.