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Man who falsely claimed to be a legal practitioner loses appeal
By Naomi Neilson|23 May 2021
A Western Australian man who dispensed “free legal advice” via a Facebook page despite not ever being registered as an Australian legal practitioner has lost his appeal to have his conviction and sentence overturned.
In April 2020, Ryan Michael Upton was found guilty of having represented that he was entitled to engage in legal practice despite not being a practitioner. In the former proceedings and in the recent appeal in the Western Australian Supreme Court, Mr Upton represented himself to have his conviction and sentence overturned.
The chief executive at one of Australia’s largest law firms has left by “mutual agreement” after a firestorm erupted about representing Christian Porter.
Without a living person to provide evidence, the very low prospect of a conviction evaporates. The police discontinued their investigation into the allegations against Porter largely because of this. Is that then the end of all possible legal or institutional responses as Morrison is suggesting?
The answer is no: alleged sexual violence can be investigated without police or criminal proceedings. There are a range of legal responses available to victims and their families, including a civil action in battery, a sexual harassment claim, or pursuing compensation under other statutes. In each of these instances, victims do not have to rely on police to bring their claim, and the standard of proof required is lower.