attorney fiduciary duty breach Jamaica

Attorneys who act in conveyancing transactions hold client funds on trust and owe strict fiduciary duties to their clients. In Jamaica, as in other jurisdictions, attorneys who misapply client funds — whether by using completion money to settle personal debts, delaying remittance of funds received on a client’s behalf, or acting in situations of undisclosed conflict of interest — cause serious financial harm and undermine public confidence in the property transfer system.

Attorneys-at-law are gatekeepers of the Jamaican conveyancing system, but a pattern of professional misconduct — from misappropriated deposits to facilitated fraud — has caused significant losses to property buyers and sellers. This report examines the GLC’s oversight role, the disciplinary process, and what clients should do when things go wrong.