Wellington Lawyer Suspended After Hiring Serial Conman Who Stole $333k from Ministry of Justice

A Costly Act of Trust

Wellington lawyer Chris Tennet hired serial fraudster Brian Hunter, who stole $333,000 from the Ministry of Justice through the legal aid system. As a result, the Lawyers and Conveyancers Disciplinary Tribunal suspended Tennet from legal practice for two years. The tribunal found that Tennet failed to supervise Hunter adequately, despite knowing about Hunter’s nearly 200 prior convictions for fraud and impersonation.

Conman Brian Hunter leaving court in 2015.

Hunter’s Checkered Past

Brian Hunter, known for impersonating lawyers and even a pilot, began working at Tennet’s law firm, Justice Chambers, in 2016. Although Hunter volunteered without pay, Tennet gave him responsibility for revamping IT systems and processing legal aid applications.

Tennet admitted he knew about Hunter’s criminal history but trusted that Hunter had changed.

“I genuinely thought he’d changed,” Tennet told the tribunal.
“While I could never ignore [his convictions], he was trustworthy enough to be in the office.”

The Scam: A Six-Year Scheme

Soon after starting at the firm, Hunter began to manipulate legal aid invoices and steal funds intended for service providers such as psychologists and report writers.

How the fraud worked:

• Hunter applied for legal aid funding on behalf of clients.

• He submitted inflated or fake invoices from service providers.

• Payments went directly into Hunter’s personal bank accounts.

• Sometimes, he paid the providers part of the money but kept the rest.

• Other times, he submitted invoices for services that were never delivered.

Between 2016 and 2022, Justice Chambers submitted 124 invoices to legal aid. However, only six payments reached the correct providers.

The numbers:

• Total paid into Hunter’s accounts: $456,000

• Amount paid to actual providers: $122,000

• Amount Hunter stole: $333,000

Tennet Discovers the Fraud

In 2022, during an unrelated tribunal hearing, Tennet began to notice irregularities in the firm’s charges. After comparing what report writers usually charged, he audited his firm’s accounts and uncovered Hunter’s scam.

Immediately, Tennet fired Hunter and reported the fraud to the New Zealand Law Society.

Before authorities could charge Hunter, he died in 2023.

Tribunal Verdict: Misconduct and Suspension

In March 2024, the tribunal ruled that Tennet had been “asleep at the wheel.” Although he did not commit fraud himself, his failure to supervise Hunter made him responsible for the misconduct.

“Mr Hunter’s fraud could have been reasonably foreseen,” said Sam McMullan, counsel for the Law Society’s Standards Committee.

Tennet’s lawyer, Warren Pyke, argued that Tennet acted transparently once he discovered the fraud.

“He made no attempt to hide it. He let the light shine on it.”

The tribunal imposed a two-year suspension, a penalty reserved for serious misconduct but short of striking him off the roll.

Future Practice Restrictions

If Tennet returns to legal practice, he must work as an employee of a law firm rather than managing his own practice.

System Reforms After the Fraud

After Hunter’s scam came to light, the Ministry of Justice implemented changes to improve legal aid’s checks and balances. These reforms aim to prevent similar fraud in the future.

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