West Vancouver mayor banned from practising law for 2 years
West Vancouver Mayor Mark Sager has been suspended from practising law for two years after agreeing that he committed three instances of professional misconduct while handling a friend's estate, says a Wednesday release from the Law Society of B.C.
The society says Sager admitted to acting in a conflict of interest by failing to ensure his client had received independent legal advice over the arrangement.
He also admitted to withdrawing $44,800 in executor's fees and $26,790,81 in care and management fees from the estate funds before receiving approval to do so.
Sager further admitted that he failed to maintain proper records and did not make contact with four charities that were listed as beneficiaries on the will for approximately nine years.
Sager was issued a citation by the law society listing these allegations in September 2022, a month before being elected mayor.
The agreement between the lawyer and Sager says he invoiced the estate and reimbursed himself more than $162,800 in travel expenses, visiting the sister of his client in England at least 18 times until she passed away in 2019, without getting approval from the beneficiaries or the court.
It also says he mistakenly billed the estate for several personal purchases, including from clothing store AllSaints Jacks Place, department store Harrods, leather goods store Smythson, and a stay at a hotel in France.
It says he withdrew $2,954.80 from separate bank accounts belonging to the client for "funeral costs," mistakenly reimbursing himself twice for the same expense.
He also issued a cheque for $2,000 to the Kay Meek Arts Centre, despite the centre not being listed as a beneficiary of the will.
The agreement notes that in addition to the suspension, Sager volunteered to repay to the estate a total of $40,857.66, which consists of the mistaken expenses, as well as half the executor's fees and care and management fees.
Sager told CBC News he is glad the issue is resolved, noting "it's been a distraction" and the discrepancies he admitted to are "minor."
"When I was elected mayor, I committed to leaving my legal practice to devote all of my time to the important issues facing West Vancouver. Unfortunately, complaints to the law society delayed my resignation [from the society]," reads a statement from Sager.
"As of April 1, I will resign from membership with the law society and refocus my complete attention on our community."
Past controversies
Sager faced controversy in 2018 when allegations surfaced that he improperly accepted a $75,000 gift from his godmother while writing her will.
The Law Society of B.C. later fined him $20,000 for his actions.
He is currently the subject of an Elections B.C. investigation into his campaign spending, after the organization announced it had identified possible irregularities "during a compliance review of Mark Sager's campaign financing disclosure report for the 2022 General Local Elections."
Sager declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.
