For Immediate Release 12 October 2023 AirTasker unlawful operator jailed
The Legal Services Commissioner has successfully prosecuted unlawful operator, Mr Stephen Arulogun resulting in his incarceration.
Mr Arulogun explicitly and publicly misrepresented himself as a lawyer. He regularly advertised legal services online to unsuspecting victims, via AirTasker, providing advice in relation to wide variety of legal matters varying in complexity, including but not limited to matters regarding corporate and commercial law, contract law, family law and employment law.
Using online platforms or purporting to provide legal services by any manner, when not a practising lawyer, poses a great threat to the public given the advice is not only unqualified but usually poor advice. Unlawful operators also do not have the appropriate indemnity insurance, leaving people exposed should things not go well.
The Commissioner will reach out to AirTasker to inform them of the outcome and suggest ways to improve services and limit unlawful activity on their platform.
Mr Arulogun was sentenced in the Brisbane Magistrates Court yesterday and the following convictions and orders were made:
Mr Arulogun entered pleas of guilty to 65 offences to charges brought by the Legal Services Commissioner under the Legal Profession Act 2007. Mr Arulogun represented that he was entitled to engage in legal practice and subsequently did engage in legal practice when he was not entitled to using the internet platform AirTasker to seek legal work. He engaged in this course of conduct over a significant period, some fourteen months, in relation to a total of thirty-three clients.
Mr Arulogun has never been admitted to the legal profession in any jurisdiction within Australia nor has he ever held a practising certificate in Australia. The defendant is therefore not entitled to engage in legal practice in Queensland nor make any representations that he may do so.
Legal Services Commissioner, Megan Mahon, said that “Mr Arulogun’s conviction and incarceration for unlawfully providing legal services is a clear warning for any person offering legal services, when they are not entitled to do so under the law. The Commission will ensure that offenders are appropriately dealt with and, as can be seen from Mr Arulogun’s sentence, the consequences can be severe.
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“Anyone seeking assistance or advice in any legal matter should make sure that the provider of that advice is a qualified legal practitioner. Only then are they protected by the significant regulation and safeguards put in place by the operation of the Legal Profession Act in Queensland”.
In December 2021, Commissioner Megan Mahon obtained a Supreme Court order against Stephen Arulogun and his company, Talus Services Pty Ltd, trading as PEF Capital and IR Advocates, restraining the type of conduct for which Mr Arulogun was convicted of yesterday.
Unqualified providers of legal services are typically individuals who are engaging in the practice of law without holding a practising certificate, and more often, without any qualifications. They can be the subject of criminal conviction as an ‘unlawful operator’ under the Legal Profession Act 2007.
Any suspected offences of the Legal Profession Act 2007, including unlawful operators, should be referred to the Legal Services Commission, further information can be found at lsc.qld.gov.au
The Legal Services Commission is the independent regulator of the legal profession in Queensland, including receiving and, where appropriate, investigating complaints. Where lawyers or other parties have engaged in conduct that breaches their ethical obligations or the law, we will act in line with our regulatory responsibilities and use our powers to address those breaches as appropriate.
ENDS
Media contact: Anya van Hunnik, Legal Services Commission, 07 3564 7708
