A Surrey lawyer has been suspended for a month following a 2023 impaired driving stop where he allegedly attempted to use his status as a lawyer to "avoid an immediate roadside prohibition."
The decision of the hearing panel issued on May 28, 2025, from the Law Society of British Columbia stated that on May 29, 2023, Manpreet Singh Bains was pulled over by the Surrey RCMP.
The officer asked him if he had anything to drink that day, and Bains claimed he had not.
The agreed-upon facts noted that earlier on May 29, Bains had been visiting with friends and family and had "consumed three to five alcoholic beverages" and had become intoxicated.
The police officer then performed the first breathalyzer test, which Bains failed.
"Shortly after failing the first Breathalyzer, the Respondent (Bains) exited his vehicle at the request of the peace officer. He had a conversation with the peace officer, during which he attempted to persuade the officer not to proceed with impaired driving measures against him. The Respondent removed his Law Society membership card from his wallet and handed it to the peace officer, who looked at the card and handed it back to the Respondent. He then placed it back in his wallet," noted the decision.
The officer then performed a second breathalyzer test, using a different screening device, which Bains failed. "Shortly after failing the second Breathalyzer, the Respondent again removed his Law Society membership card from his wallet and gestured with it in his hand while in conversation with the peace officer," noted the decision.
The police officer gave Bains a 90-day immediate roadside driving prohibition and a $500 ticket. His car was also towed and impounded for 30 days.
Bains asked the officer at some point before being issued the prohibition, "We work in the same field, does this not account to something?"
The police officer filed a complaint with the Law Society on the same day regarding Bains and his actions during the traffic stop.
The Law Society's discipline committee issued a citation to Bains on October 2, 2024.
Bains and the Law Society agreed to a statement of facts on April 29, 2025. The disciplinary panel found that Bains' conduct "constituted conduct unbecoming the profession." Bains also acknowledged this. The Legal Profession Act defines this as "to be contrary to the best interest of the public or of the legal profession, or to harm the standing of the legal profession."
The panel noted that Bains did not argue the results of the breathalyzer tests. "However, his conduct with the peace officer at the scene gives rise to the perception that special treatment was being sought. Such conduct could erode public confidence in the administration of justice and the legal profession."
Bains was issued a one-month suspension and is required to pay $1,000 for the costs of the hearing.
This is not the first time that Bains has failed a breathalyzer test during a traffic stop. In 2019, he was given a 90-day driving prohibition after failing two breathalyzers, and in 2021, he received a three-day immediate roadside driving prohibition after receiving a "WARN" result from a breathalyzer.
He was required to take "a mandatory course regarding the effects and impacts of drinking and driving" after the 2019 and 2021 incidents, which he completed.
