Alexander Pinnock, Alec Stuart: Man who impersonated lawyer to be sentenced

A man who posed as a lawyer in court and online – then falsified a NSW practising certificate – has learned his fate for falsely representing himself as a qualified solicitor.

Alexander Pinnock, aka Alec Stuart, at Downing Centre Local Court.

A man who posed as a lawyer for a client in a northern NSW court has apologised for his actions as he avoided a potential prison sentence.

Alexander Pinnock – also known as Alec Stuart – has pleaded guilty to five counts of being an unqualified person advertising they could engage in legal practice and one count of engaging in legal practice when he was not qualified.

A court heard Pinnock had appeared for a client at Coffs Harbour Local Court in May 2022 and entered a not guilty plea in a criminal matter on their behalf, and handed a police prosecutor a business card identifying him as a lawyer.

Pinnock also used a Facebook page called Sydney Lawyers and a website – alecstuart.law – to represent himself as a qualified solicitor who could appear in criminal and civil matters.

The Nowra man also submitted a falsified NSW practising certificate and certificate of fitness and good standing to the Queensland Law Society in his efforts to obtain associate membership.

Pinnock at Coffs Harbour Local Court the day he posed as a lawyer.

At Downing Centre Local Court on April 3, Mr Williams – a barrister acting for the Law Society of NSW – emphasised Pinnock had never been admitted and never had a practising certificate.

“He’s not a naive person, clearly, in many ways he’s quite a sophisticated person,” Mr Williams told the court.

“It’s a shame his energies and abilities have not been put to better use.”

Pinnock submitted he held a Bachelor of Laws from Charleston Stuart University in South Carolina in the United States, granted in recognition of prior learning pertaining to several TAFE certificates and diplomas.

Mr Williams said a word that might apply to the university in question was “degree mill” – where people can effectively pay to obtain a university degree.

“You wouldn’t treat this as a matter of honest mistake,” Mr Williams told the court.

“Applying for a practising certificate in Queensland, he sent a declaration that he had been admitted to practise on January 5, 2020, in NSW – he’s never been admitted anywhere.

“It’s not a mistake, it’s a deliberate misrepresentation of the position.”

Alexander Pinnock – aka Alec Stuart.

The court has now heard Pinnock has been on the disability support pension since 2007 due to suffering chronic cluster headaches and was homeless in recent weeks before obtaining emergency housing in Nowra in the state’s Shoalhaven region.

Pinnock also tendered a medical document to the court in which his long-term psychiatrist referred to him being hospitalised for an ongoing schizophrenic disorder with “delusional ideations”.

Outside court, Pinnock apologised for his actions.

“I sincerely apologise for my actions, I feel a deep sense of regret for everybody involved,” Pinnock said.

Magistrate Christine Haskett convicted Pinnock of engaging in legal practice when he was not qualified and sentenced him to an 18-month supervised community correction order.

For the five instances of being an unqualified person representing he could engage in legal practice, he was fined a total of $3500.