Wellington lawyer Keith Ian Jefferies has appealed the six-month suspension imposed by the New Zealand Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal in [2016] NZLCDT 29.

Mr Jefferies has been granted a stay of the suspension, pending the hearing of his appeal by the High Court.

The Tribunal suspended Mr Jefferies after he admitted having been convicted of offences punishable by imprisonment which tend to bring the legal profession into disrepute.

He was convicted on two counts of possessing Class A drug methamphetamine, one count of possessing Class C drug bk-MDMA, and one count of possessing utensils. The District Court fined Mr Jefferies $1,300, declining to discharge him without conviction.