Drug Use Common Amongst Lawyers

Lawyers who work for the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) are often called upon to prosecute serious drug offences, but a new investigation suggests that the organisation is plagued by a culture of drug use.

Police officers attached to the Redfern Region Enforcement Squad have reportedly launched an investigation into lawyers from the DPP, which has already seen one senior lawyer charged with drug possession, and others linked to the body fearing arrest in the near future.

High-Flyer Facing Possession Charges

DPP lawyer Lisa Munro was at the peak of her career: she was a part of the prestigious ODPP ‘Group 6,’ which is tasked with investigating high-profile cases and matters referred from the ICAC.

But her world came crashing down on the 10th of July after police observed her in a taxi which stopped briefly in Macleay Street in Potts Point.

Police allege that Ms Munro briefly exited the cab and spoke to an unknown person, before getting back in and continuing her journey.

Police stopped the taxi a short time later and allegedly found 0.5g of cocaine in Ms Munro’s possession.

She has been charged with drug possession and is required to attend the Downing Centre Local Court on the 17th of August. She has since resigned from her position at the DPP.

According to media reports, police launched the investigation after the Director of Public Prosecutions, Lloyd Babb, raised concerns about the extent of drug use amongst staff.

The Extent of Drug Use in the Legal Profession

Sadly, studies have found that lawyers are more likely to abuse drugs than other professions, with experts suggesting that lawyers often use drugs to deal with the high rates of depression and mental health issues within the profession.

Cocaine appears to be the drug of choice amongst legal practitioners: Prominent Melbourne-based criminal lawyer Andrew Fraser penned a book several years ago describing his crippling cocaine addiction and his attendance with other lawyers at various ‘cocaine parties.’

But Fraser’s addiction soon got the better of him, and in 1999 he was charged with importing a commercial quantity of cocaine. He pleaded and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, with a non-parole period of five years.

Since his release in 2006, Fraser has written a number of memoirs describing the extent to which members of the legal profession abuse cocaine.

The prevalence of drug use by lawyers was thrown into the spotlight following the death of Melbourne silk Peter Hayes QC. Hayes died after suffering a drug overdose in a hotel room in 2007, with toxicology reports showing that he had consumed a lethal cocktail of heroin and cocaine.

Following the incident, then-Australian Government Solicitor-General David Bennett QC was questioned about drug use in the legal profession.

Mr Bennett expressed the view that ‘barristers as a group would use illegal drugs less than the general community because they are likely to be concerned about breaking the law.’

But Mr Bennett’s claims are easily disputed by statistics which suggest that between 18-20% of lawyers abuse drugs, compared to just 8-10% of the general population.

Melbourne QC Peter Faris has also refuted Mr Bennett’s claims, slamming the widespread abuse of cocaine in the profession.

The Ethics of Drug Use by Lawyers

The suggestion that high-profile DPP lawyers may be using and abusing illegal drugs has reignited calls for lawyers to be subjected to stricter ethical standards and harsher penalties if they are found to have broken the law.

The case is particularly strong when it comes to prosecutors, who are funded by taxpayers to prosecute crime.

Obviously, any allegations of criminal dealings by prosecutors could give the appearance of bias when it comes to prosecuting those accused of criminal offences, which is particularly concerning because prosecutors are entrusted to ‘ensure a high degree of independence’ in carrying out their duties.

As the police investigation continues, it is possible that more legal practitioners will have their drug habits revealed.

But, as Mr Faris has argued for years, perhaps the time is finally ripe to openly address the issue of drug use amongst lawyers.