A former Nanaimo lawyer has been disbarred for a second time by the Law Society of BC for professional misconduct.
Marc Andre Eckardt, who changed his last name from Scheirer, is disbarred from practicing law in BC. The decision was published on December 23, one year after his previous disbarment.
The society says it made the decision because of “the extremely serious nature of the conduct, his lack of remorse and his lengthy professional conduct record.”
In February, 2018, Eckardt sexually assaulted a female client who was looking for legal help for her husband. According to the original decision against him by the Law Society, after he rested his head on her chest and rubbed her leg, “She tried to stand up; he pushed her down and said, ‘Nicer you are to me now, the sooner we get your husband home.’ The assault lasted approximately 60 seconds.”
In November that same year, he acted inappropriately with a different female client in his office, offering to make her a martini while drinking one himself. He then changed into shorts and unbuttoned his shirt. He sat next to her on the couch and put his arm behind her, leaving her “uncomfortable and offended,” according to the decision. He received a six-month suspension from practicing law and was ordered to pay more than $24,000 in costs to the law society.
He was criminally convicted for the first incident in 2021, receiving a suspended sentence and two years’ probation. It also led to his first disbarment in December 2023, making him a former member of the society.
“The Respondent’s misconduct has harmed the reputation of the profession and must be strongly denounced, and that a second disbarment will send a strong message of deterrence towards this type of misconduct and is necessary to maintain public confidence in the integrity of the legal profession,” reads the latest decision.
The latest decision orders Eckardt to pay nearly $10,000 in costs to the society.
