A former Qantas pilot pretended to be a lawyer because he wanted to change the direction of his life, a court has heard.
Nathaniel Whitehall, 55, pleaded guilty to five counts of being an unqualified entity advertising they can engage in legal practice, and three counts of engaging in legal practice when not a qualified entity, at Downing Centre Local Court in May this year.
The 55-year-old had previously pleaded not guilty to the charges.
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On Wednesday, he was fined $4500 and given a one-year good behaviour order.
“Unqualified people practising as solicitors place their clients in very difficult positions,” prosecutor David Viney said.
“If any of these matters caused harm or damages to clients then they would be in the position of not having insurance coverage.”
After flying Qantas planes for more than 20 years, Whitehall took early retirement in 2020 seeking to “move in a new direction”.
He began working for a Newcastle conveyancing company, and prepared and witnessed the signing of multiple family wills while pretending to be a lawyer.
He also represented a woman for a traffic infringement in Belmont Local Court in late 2020, and signed a water access licence.
Whitehall represented himself throughout his proceedings and told the court he did not gain or benefit anything from his legal sham.
“I was, in some cases, just simply helping out a friend or a colleague,” he said on Wednesday.
Magistrate Juliana Crofts said the offences were below the mid-range but she was concerned about his lack of remorse.
“The way the matter was run before the court does seem to indicate a lack of understanding as to the seriousness of the offending,” she said during sentencing.
Whitehall has 28 days to pay his fine and will be released from his community order in July next year.
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