In the matter of an application for admission as a legal practitioner by MCF

The applicant, MCF, sought admission as a legal practitioner in Queensland. The Legal Practitioners Admissions Board opposed the application due to MCF's past convictions for using a carriage service to transmit, access, and make child exploitation material available, and possession of such material. MCF had also been entered on the child protection register under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting) Act 2004 and had ongoing reporting obligations until 7 October 2016. The Court needed to decide if MCF was a fit and proper person to be admitted to the legal profession in Queensland.

The Court considered MCF's rehabilitation, which was deemed complete, and the fact that MCF had been employed as a graduate lawyer since April 2014, fully disclosing his convictions to his employers. The Court held that the applicant's conduct, while serious, was at the lower end of the scale and was explained by psychiatric opinion. The Court also noted that MCF had no other adverse history with authorities. The Board's argument that MCF should wait until his child protection register details were removed was rejected, as the public does not have access to the register and the ongoing obligations were not sufficient grounds to refuse admission.

The Court concluded that MCF was a fit and proper person to be admitted as a legal practitioner, and the application was granted. The Court reasoned that requiring MCF to wait longer would not achieve any further rehabilitation, and there was no basis to prevent admission solely due to his continued obligations under the Child Protection (Offender Reporting) Act 2004.

ORDERS:
The application for admission as a legal practitioner was granted on 1 June 2015.