The New South Wales Court of Appeal has expelled solicitor George Xaralambos Sideris from the jam roll as a result of him sending insulting and expletive laded correspondence to other lawyers, contacting the client from the other side of a dispute, and describing NCAT as a “bunch of clowns”.
First admitted to practice in 1987 Sideris was reprimanded by NCAT in disciplinary proceedings last August and found guilty of several counts of professional misconduct.
He was acting for his elderly mother-in-law during dealings with the Salvation Army, which provided her aged care accommodation, and with the Salvos’ solicitor, Luke Geary of Mills Oakley.
The dispute concerned a refundable accommodation deposit, and his mother-in-law’s liability to pay the balance of that deposit.
After making its findings of professional misconduct, NCAT recommended that Sideris be derolled.
He was found to have breached the “no contact rule” (rule 33 of the Solicitors’ Conduct Rules 2015) with repeated attempts to communicate by email several senior and executive officers of the Salvos.
Sideris claimed that he was acting not as a solicitor, but in his personal capacity for his mother-in-law, and therefore he was not subject to the provisions of rule 33).
Both NCAT and the Court of Appeal didn’t think much of this argument.
Luke Geary requested that Sideris cease communicating directly with his client, and things slid downhill from there.
Geary warned that a professional conduct complaint may be made, to which Sideris responded:
“Further you or the Salvation Army do anything at all to hurt the nice 91-year-old lady that is in the home and you will deal with me personally … Luke please do not treat me like peasant …
Me at my age could not give a stuff about the legal services Commissioner or the Law Society … I had a practising certificate when you were not even in diapers and I am a scientist, engineer and lawyer and the most successful of seven children who came out after the war in Europe with only a pair of underpants and no shoes.”
During NCAT’s review of the complaints, Sideris sent over 400 pages of emails to the Law Society, its external lawyers (Hicksons) and the Tribunal itself, sprinkled with salty language:
“FUCK off the lot of you you bunch of idiots … Let me be a littler nicer – FUCK OFF.”
Other messages included images of the middle finger, and in one spray Sideris wrote:
“… you can play your childish games but remember we are both lawyers and your senior partners will soon hear about your antics to really crucify an old lad. I suggest you look at yourself and grow up rather than pretend you are independent where really you have a major conflict. You want to complain to the law Society, well let’s see who wins here you pathetic human. Mate I was a lawyer when you were in nappies so I suggest you grow up or we can really have a fight … Grow up, that is what I say to you. In short I could say f– –k off but I am too much of a gentleman trying to protect a 91 year old that needs help.”
The court – Chief Justice Andrew Bell, Justice Jeremy Kirk and Justice John Griffiths – said Sideris’ communications with the Salvation Army were “extremely unprofessional”.
The aged solicitor also attempted to evade service for the proceedings by claiming that he was living in Filia, Greece, and demanded receipt of paper service there.
“Finally I will not accept service of any document by email. So simply put – piss off all of you.”
He later told Bell CJ that he was born there, but hasn’t lived at Filia as it is a “deserted” place.
“It’s not a place that people live there anymore.”
Sideris, self-represented, was found to have no contrition for his actions. In no way could he be seen to be a fit and proper person, and that a fine would be insufficient to enhance public confidence in the profession.
Council of the Law Society of New South Wales v Sideris [2025] NSWCA 159