In a landmark ruling delivered on Friday, Belize’s Court of Appeal has unanimously rejected an appeal brought by 78-year-old Senior Counsel Hubert Elrington, upholding a six-month suspension of his law license and confirming a finding of “grave professional misconduct” against the veteran legal figure.
The disciplinary action against Elrington originated from a complaint filed by former client Orpha Martinez, who hired the senior lawyer back in 2018 to file a civil property dispute lawsuit in Benque Viejo Town. Martinez paid Elrington a $6,000 retainer fee for the work, but more than seven years passed without the attorney submitting the required court documents on her behalf. In her original complaint, Martinez alleged that Elrington provided repeated unfulfilled excuses for the delay, failed to update her on the status of her case, and refused to refund the retainer after the months-long delay.
In November 2025, Belize’s General Legal Council imposed the six-month suspension and ordered Elrington to repay the full $6,000 to Martinez. The suspension remains active until the full restitution amount is paid to the former client. Elrington, who was represented in the appeal by his son, local attorney O.J. Elrington, sought to have the council’s ruling overturned. The appellate court rejected every ground of the challenge, dismissed the appeal in full, and additionally ordered Elrington to cover all of Martinez’s court costs arising from the appeal process.
Friday’s ruling marks the latest in a growing series of professional and legal troubles for the senior barrister. Earlier this year in January 2026, the Belize High Court ruled that Elrington breached his fiduciary obligations while serving as the executor of the estate of the late James Lightburn. That ruling ordered Elrington to repay more than $337,000 plus accumulated interest dating back to 2019. Multiple court sources familiar with the case have confirmed that this outstanding payment remains unpaid months after the court-ordered deadline for repayment passed.