00:02Norman O'Brien was a top Melbourne barrister.
00:05That was, until he was caught trying to rip off his clients.
00:09Norman, have you got anything to say to the banks here investors?
00:13Today he was ordered to complete 600 hours of community work,
00:17a judge sparing him jail because of his early guilty plea
00:21and previous work in the community.
00:23How he could escape a jail term or a prison sentence
00:27defies logic and belief.
00:30In 2012, O'Brien and a team of lawyers started a class action
00:34on behalf of investors who'd lost their life savings
00:38following the collapse of Banksia Securities.
00:41After a $64 million settlement was reached,
00:44O'Brien inflated his legal fees from around $1 million to $2.35 million.
00:50An investigation found he doctored invoices
00:53and charged for days he didn't work.
00:55This was not a subtle crossing of the line, the judge said.
00:59The actions of the corrupt lawyers adding extra stress for investors
01:03who'd already been through so much.
01:06No one could have even anticipated a man of his, this ilk,
01:11could defraud pensioners, farmers, workers, sporting organisations
01:16at a level that he set about doing.
01:18Norman O'Brien wasn't the only culprit involved in this scandal,
01:22which has been described as one of the darkest chapters
01:25in Victorian legal history.
01:27Two others involved took their own lives
01:30after their offending came to light.
01:32O'Brien had been a leader in the legal field for decades
01:36and hails from a family that's produced several judges.
01:40In recent years, he's handed back his Order of Australia medal,
01:43declared himself bankrupt and has been struck off the bar role.
01:48the
01:48a
01:49the
01:49You
Comments