Melbourne lawyer obtained more than $250,000 from will he urged cognitively impaired 91-year-old to sign, tribunal finds

John O'Brien received 15% of former client's estate after encouraging her to sign will he drafted months before her death, Vcat finds

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A Melbourne lawyer urged an elderly former client to sign a will while in hospital that made him the beneficiary of 15% of her estate and later made threats of physical violence to the state's Legal Services Commissioner, a tribunal has found.

John O'Brien, obtained more than $250,000 in 2019 from the estate of a 91-year-old widow who had a cognitive impairment when she signed the will drafted by her former lawyer, findings handed down in the Victorian civil and administrative tribunal (Vcat) last week found. The woman, referred to as M", died in October 2017 after being admitted to hospital months before.

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