A British Columbia real estate lawyer was declared “ungovernable” and disbarred for a third time by a Law Society of B.C. panel.
The CBC reported the Law Society found the Richmond-based Hong Guo engaged in “repetitive, protracted and serious” misconduct, and “cannot be trusted to be accurate or show any insight into her behavior.” The finding concluded, “After more than a decade of misconduct and wasted opportunities to illustrate reform, it is clear that the Law Society cannot fulfil its statutory mandate to uphold and protect the administration of justice while also maintaining [Guo] as a member.”
Guo started her own law firm in Richmond in 2010, with a focus on real estate and immigration clients. The law society stated her professional conduct problems can be traced back to 2012 and included numerous citations and disciplinary actions. In 2021, a panel found Guo enabled a bookkeeper to steal $7.5 million in client trust funds. It was also determined that Guo misappropriated other clients’ money to replace the missing funds that were used for real estate transactions. Guo was fined $13,000 – two earlier fines levied by the Law Society for professional misconduct totaled $93,000.
In May, an arrest warrant was issued for Guo when she failed to appear for a contempt of court sentencing hearing related to a real estate lawsuit in which she was named defendant. Guo’s son claimed she left Canada for Beijing sometime in 2023 to handle “business opportunities.”
Guo, who ran for mayor of Richmond in 2018, was previously disbarred in November 2023 after the law society determined she incapable of rehabilitating her professional conduct. She was disbarred again last February.
Photo courtesy of Hong Guo for Mayor 2018 Facebook page
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