The Victorian Legal Services Board welcomes the Supreme Court of Victoria’s decision to remove suspended lawyer Glenn Thexton, also known as Mikel Alessio, from the roll of Australian lawyers.

The Board issued an application recommending that the Court make a strike-off order on the basis that Mr Thexton was not a fit and proper person to remain on the roll.

Following serious concerns raised with our office, the Board suspended Mr Thexton from legal practice in 2020 and appointed a manager to run his law practice, Thexton Lawyers.

Mr Thexton then engaged a locksmith to change the locks at his office to prevent the manager from accessing client files and other law practice records. This conduct led to the Supreme Court finding him guilty of contempt of court and handing down a 30-day suspended prison sentence.

We also commenced disciplinary proceedings in VCAT against Mr Thexton alleging several charges of professional misconduct and unsatisfactory professional conduct.  The Supreme Court agreed with the Board’s submissions that Mr Thexton’s conduct during the disciplinary proceedings was “persistent and vexatious, the purpose of which clearly was to frustrate the Board and the Commissioner in exercising their important protective regulatory functions”. This conduct was highly relevant to the Court’s decision to strike Mr Thexton off the roll.

In a separate matter, in the Magistrates' Court in August 2025, Mr Thexton was fined, convicted and placed on the Sex Offenders Register for sexually assaulting a teenager in Melbourne's CBD in September 2019. While the Supreme Court didn’t take this matter directly into account in its strike-off decision given it is subject to appeal, it did consider the circumstances of the allegation and Mr Thexton’s conduct in the criminal proceedings, including the use of “improper tactics to improperly influence the criminal justice process”. The Court considered his conduct strongly supported a finding of unfitness.

In summarising the broader conduct that supported the strike-off matter, Her Honour Justice Quigley said: “The persistent threatening, harassing, manipulative conduct over the past six years is conduct which can only be described as embarrassing and scandalous to the profession. It is behaviour which is inconsistent with the privileges associated with being a legal practitioner in Victoria”.

Read the full judgment: Victorian Legal Services Board v Thexton [2026] VSC 545 (21 August 2026) 

Quote attributable to Victorian Legal Services Board CEO and Commissioner Fiona McLeay:

“The disciplinary action we take against lawyers is for the clear purpose of safeguarding consumers of legal services, and maintaining the trust and faith they have in the legal profession.”

“Lawyers have a professional obligation to engage openly and appropriately with regulatory processes. Conduct that undermines or obstructs those processes is incompatible with the standards expected of members of the profession and may result in the loss of the right to practise law.”

“Our decision to recommend striking off Mr Thexton sends a strong message that lawyers must abide by the law, and we will take action against those who fail to do so.”