A suspended lawyer is under investigation over claims he misled a client who says she spent almost three years waiting ‘in agony’ for her workers’ compensation claim to advance, an ordeal she described as ‘psychological torture’.
Meanwhile, it can also be revealed a second client has lodged a complaint with the legal watchdog.
Last month, Michael Inger of Sydney Lawyers Direct had his practising certificate suspended by the Law Society of New South Wales until June 30, 2027. The suspension was for non-compliance with a notice issued by the Legal Services Commissioner regarding its investigation into a former client’s complaint.
The suspension is separate to the substantive allegations contained in the complaint which remain under investigation with a determination yet to be made.
The client, who cannot be named for legal reasons, engaged Mr Inger in May 2022 to assist with her workers’ compensation claim for which she was recommended for neck surgery.
The woman alleges that, in January 2023, after her insurer first declined her surgery, she asked Mr Inger to lodge a dispute with the Personal Injury Commission.
In May, her insurer rejected the procedure for a second time, citing independent medical records.
She then says she waited nearly two years for an update, during which time she was in ‘absolute agony’ and a state of uncertainty akin to ‘psychological torture’.
Last month, Michael Inger of Sydney Lawyers Direct had his practising certificate suspended by the Law Society of New South Wales until June 30, 2027
The woman told the Daily Mail she was constantly waiting for updates about her claim
The client texted her solicitor ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore, I don’t have any more fight left in me. Let them win, I can’t take it anymore.’
The woman also claims appointments booked by Mr Inger were repeatedly cancelled or delayed, with the lawyer allegedly insisting the clinics had double-booked.
On one occasion, in May 2024, she claims she turned up for her appointment with the surgeon, which had already been rescheduled twice, only to be told by the receptionist that there was no history of an appointment being booked in her name.
In text messages from July 2024, seen by the Mail, the woman tells Mr Inger: ‘I don’t think I can do this anymore, I don’t have any more fight left in me. Let them win, I can’t take it anymore.’
Mr Inger responded: ‘We will get them. You go to my appointments, we can use the evidence we have. You are doing very well.’
She responded: ‘It’ll take too long to get any appointments, and wait for commission. I wait and wait and wait but nothing seems to happen but cancellations.’
Two weeks later, in an email chain seen by the Mail, Mr Inger told his client he had ‘some good and positive news’ and had arranged an informal settlement conference with her insurer in six weeks’ time.
The client replied that she hoped this would be the end to a ‘long, dark tunnel’.
The day before the conference, Mr Inger emailed a detailed plan of action, outlining the main issues up for discussion.
The next day he emailed back, stating the insurer had offered just $150,000 which he then counter-offered with $1.25million. He explained the insurer was waiting for further legal advice before making a decision. In the same email, seen by the Mail, Mr Inger also stated that a tribunal hearing had been scheduled for November 7.
However, two days before that hearing, Mr Inger said it had been called off because the dispute would instead proceed ‘on the papers’, with a decision to be handed down shortly. After more follow-up, Mr Inger informed her on December 16 that the outcome was due that week.
Another month passed without any update on either the tribunal decision or the settlement conference, prompting the exhausted client to seek new lawyers.
She told the Daily Mail that within nine months of changing lawyers, she finally received the surgery she had been waiting for the entire time.
A mock-up of the email from the Personal Injury Commission stating no dispute application had been lodged for the woman
However, when she sought her tribunal files to pass them on to her new legal team, she says she was devastated to learn there was no record of a dispute application ever being lodged in her name.
An email sent by the tribunal to the client and seen by the Mail states: ‘The Personal Injury Commission can confirm there is no record of any workers compensation dispute application registered with you as an applicant that was filed by Mr M. Inger’.
Furthermore, an email from an officer at iCare stated they had ‘no knowledge of an informal settlement conference which Mr Inger of Sydney Lawyers Direct informed you occurred on or around 29 August 2024’.
The same email also stated that iCare had ‘no knowledge… of any legal action purported to be filed by Michael Inger of Sydney Lawyers Direct in the Personal Injury Commission’.
It is further alleged that Mr Inger did not obtain grant funding which would help cover the woman’s medical costs through the Independent Legal Assistance and Review Service.
An email from the Independent Review Office informed the woman that Mr Inger ‘has neither sought, nor been provided with, a grant of ILARS funding for your claim’.
The woman claims she was left nearly $8,000 out of pocket after paying for specialist appointments, telling the Mail: ‘I thought I’d have to sell my car.’
After being made aware of the alleged discrepancies, the woman lodged a formal complaint with the Legal Services Commissioner in June 2025.
The second complaint from a former client is being considered by the Law Society of NSW, as part of a preliminary assessment
She told the Mail that the uncertainty, stalling and delays had left her suicidal. ‘I cried like I’d never ever cried in my life – this whole time he was [allegedly] stringing me along,’ she said.
We can also reveal that another former client of Mr Inger lodged a complaint to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner in July, raising concerns about her own experience.
The second client was referred to Mr Inger by a free legal service that assists survivors of childhood sexual abuse in receiving compensation.
In her complaint, the client alleged her case languished for six years without ever progressing beyond the pre-litigation stage.
The woman claimed she was so desperate for answers about her case that she resorted to asking the defendant’s solicitors.
The woman told the Mail she was concerned that other ‘vulnerable and injured people’ had also been referred to Mr Inger, adding that the drawn-out nature of her proceedings ‘added a whole other layer of injury’ to an already lengthy and difficult process.
‘I’ve had to sit in the process for a lot longer. The amount of times I broke down with him over the phone is too much,’ she said.
In her complaint to the OLSC, the woman said that rather than being able to ‘focus solely on seeking justice’ for herself, ‘I now find myself asking the Commissioner to investigate the conduct of the solicitor who represented me’.
This second complaint is being considered by the Law Society of NSW as part of a preliminary assessment.
When approached, a spokesperson for the legal service declined to comment on the record, but said they were not making referrals to Mr Inger or his firm while the matters were being considered by the regulatory authorities.
The OLSC would not comment on whether Mr Inger had since complied with its notice since the suspension of his practising certificate.
A spokesperson for the NSW Law Society said: ‘The Law Society takes action under the legal profession legislation where it is necessary in the interests of protecting the public and maintaining public confidence in the integrity of the legal profession.
‘The Law Society of NSW acts to protect clients of legal practices, and takes appropriate action under the Legal Profession Uniform Law and Rules. There will be no further comment at this time.’
Michael Inger and Sydney Lawyers Direct did not respond to requests for comment.
