capt_staunch
Bluelighter
- Joined
- Aug 25, 2004
- Messages
- 32
Lawyer stole for lifestyle
By Chee Chee Leung
August 26, 2004
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/25/1093246618179.html?oneclick=true
A successful young lawyer stole more than $80,000 from a leading city law firm to fund an extravagant lifestyle that included a city apartment and party drugs.
Donna-Marie Field was 25 years old and earning $90,000 a year as a senior associate at Blake Dawson Waldron when she was caught claiming reimbursements for false expenses.
Investigations revealed that between June 1998 and September 2000, Field received petty cash payments for bogus expenses without providing invoices.
She also submitted reimbursement claims using copies of invoices that had already been paid. The total amount stolen was $81,946.60.
Prosecutor Lydia Ruschena said Field had a decent salary and there was an element of greed behind the thefts. "She clearly abused the trust that was placed in her, and she did it quite magnificently."
Field, of Bayview Heights, Cairns, yesterday pleaded guilty in the County Court to three charges of obtaining property by deception and one charge of false accounting.
When interviewed by police, she described her actions as "beyond belief". "I think it was just a combination of an issue with drugs and a lifestyle to which I'd become accustomed," Field said.
Defence counsel Andrew Tinney said his client had developed a "hard-working, hard-living" routine while at the law firm, which involved 14-hour work days followed by rave parties on the weekend.
The court heard she spent up to $700 a week on drugs and would sniff amphetamines at work two to three times a day "just to keep going". She also paid $1500 a month to rent a city apartment on Spring Street.
Mr Tinney said at the time of the offences, Field had been "unduly impressed" with the trappings and lifestyle of a solicitor but was unable to cope with the demands of her job.
Field graduated in law with honours when she was 20, and was later headhunted by Blakes and promoted to a senior associate in commercial litigation at 25. She has since been disbarred until at least 2008.
Mr Tinney said Field - now a 29-year-old consultant - had already destroyed her legal career and called on the judge to consider a wholly suspended jail term, saying his client was unlikely to reoffend. Judge Tim Wood extended bail and will sentence Field today.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my first post so hiya to everyone. After reading that it really makes me stop and look at myself.
I've started eating pills on weekend about 3-4 months ago, and so far have only missed 1 or 2 weekends, not by choice but due to circumstances. The woman in the news story sounded exactly like me, a young professional with the whole future in front of her, works hard during the week and plays hard come the weekends.
At this point I don't believe I could do what she did, nor do I think that drugs is interfering with my career, but after reading the above it starts to make me think whether she thought the same when she was going through her honeymoon period.
I'm sure there are thousands of you forum users out there who holds a 9 to 5 job in a professional field and uses party drugs regularly on weekends, to "let off steam" as I like to call it.
I can't even begin to think what I would do with my life nor forgive myself if my career/reputation is ruined due to drug usage.
If there's anyone out there reading this that can relate to what I'm going through I would like to hear about your experiences, and how things panned out in the end.
Thank you for your time.
By Chee Chee Leung
August 26, 2004
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/08/25/1093246618179.html?oneclick=true
A successful young lawyer stole more than $80,000 from a leading city law firm to fund an extravagant lifestyle that included a city apartment and party drugs.
Donna-Marie Field was 25 years old and earning $90,000 a year as a senior associate at Blake Dawson Waldron when she was caught claiming reimbursements for false expenses.
Investigations revealed that between June 1998 and September 2000, Field received petty cash payments for bogus expenses without providing invoices.
She also submitted reimbursement claims using copies of invoices that had already been paid. The total amount stolen was $81,946.60.
Prosecutor Lydia Ruschena said Field had a decent salary and there was an element of greed behind the thefts. "She clearly abused the trust that was placed in her, and she did it quite magnificently."
Field, of Bayview Heights, Cairns, yesterday pleaded guilty in the County Court to three charges of obtaining property by deception and one charge of false accounting.
When interviewed by police, she described her actions as "beyond belief". "I think it was just a combination of an issue with drugs and a lifestyle to which I'd become accustomed," Field said.
Defence counsel Andrew Tinney said his client had developed a "hard-working, hard-living" routine while at the law firm, which involved 14-hour work days followed by rave parties on the weekend.
The court heard she spent up to $700 a week on drugs and would sniff amphetamines at work two to three times a day "just to keep going". She also paid $1500 a month to rent a city apartment on Spring Street.
Mr Tinney said at the time of the offences, Field had been "unduly impressed" with the trappings and lifestyle of a solicitor but was unable to cope with the demands of her job.
Field graduated in law with honours when she was 20, and was later headhunted by Blakes and promoted to a senior associate in commercial litigation at 25. She has since been disbarred until at least 2008.
Mr Tinney said Field - now a 29-year-old consultant - had already destroyed her legal career and called on the judge to consider a wholly suspended jail term, saying his client was unlikely to reoffend. Judge Tim Wood extended bail and will sentence Field today.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is my first post so hiya to everyone. After reading that it really makes me stop and look at myself.
I've started eating pills on weekend about 3-4 months ago, and so far have only missed 1 or 2 weekends, not by choice but due to circumstances. The woman in the news story sounded exactly like me, a young professional with the whole future in front of her, works hard during the week and plays hard come the weekends.
At this point I don't believe I could do what she did, nor do I think that drugs is interfering with my career, but after reading the above it starts to make me think whether she thought the same when she was going through her honeymoon period.
I'm sure there are thousands of you forum users out there who holds a 9 to 5 job in a professional field and uses party drugs regularly on weekends, to "let off steam" as I like to call it.
I can't even begin to think what I would do with my life nor forgive myself if my career/reputation is ruined due to drug usage.
If there's anyone out there reading this that can relate to what I'm going through I would like to hear about your experiences, and how things panned out in the end.
Thank you for your time.
