Law Times

Page 16 July 9, 2018 • law Times www.lawtimesnews.com u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "Nice work if you can get it." EGG THROWING AT A NATIONAL SOCCER TEAM = TROUBLE SEOUL — The Korea Football Association has decided not to pursue charges against people who threw eggs at the national team after they arrived home from the World Cup, reports Re- uters. South Korea lost its first two games in Rus- sia, to Sweden and Mexico, and exited the tournament in the group stage with not even a shocking 2-0 win over Germany in their final match enough to see the team through to the knockout stages. While that win over the defending champi- ons salved some of the wounds from a second consecutive early exit at a World Cup, some fans were furious with the team's showing and threw eggs at the players as they were lining up for a photograph at Incheon International Air- port. Yonhap News quoted Incheon airport po- lice as saying the KFA had decided not to pur- sue punishment for the egg throwers. "We first checked the KFA's intention whether it wants to punish the offenders before we launch our investigation," an Incheon air- port police official said. "Throwing eggs is considered an assault, but it's also an offence [that] can't be prosecuted without the victim's objection." Four years ago, the South Korean team was pelted with toffees — an insult in Korea — when the players returned home from Brazil after a miserable World Cup campaign. GOING ONTO AIRPORT RUNWAY WITHOUT PERMISSION = TROUBLE ATLANTA — A teenager has been criminally charged after running half-naked across an Atlanta airport runway and jumping on to the wing of a Delta Air Lines plane that had just landed, reports Reuters. Officials said Jhyrin Jones, 19, conducted his escapade after scaling a fence topped with barbed wire at Hartsfield-Jackson Internation- al Airport. Police took about five minutes to apprehend Jones, who had been barefoot and wearing only underwear, after being alerted by an airport employee, police told reporters. Jones was charged with criminal trespass- ing, public indecency, causing damage and ob- struction of law enforcement officers. Bond was set at US$18,000 by a magistrate court in Clayton County, Ga., court docu- ments showed. Jones' lawyer did not immedi- ately respond to a request for comment. BREAKING INTO WALMART AND INHALING AIR FRESHENER = TROUBLE TRIANGLE, Va. — A man broke into a Walmart, inhaled from cans of air freshener, left the store and promptly passed out early on the morning of July 2, according to Prince Wil- liam County Police, reports the Woodbridge Patch. Logan Vinton Epperly, 27, of Woodland Drive in Triangle, Va., was charged with bur- glary and inhaling drugs or other noxious chemical substances. Shortly after 4 a.m., police responded to a burglary at a Walmart. Overnight employees said an unknown man was seen walking around the business af- ter closing hours, and police found him "inca- pacitated" outside the store. The police investigation found that he had entered the store through a narrow opening and stole several cans of air freshener and then inhaled from them, presumably for a buzz. After he was found, Epperly was taken to a local hospital as a precaution and then taken to jail. LT MERCER NEW TREASURER OF LSO Malcolm Mercer was elected as the Law Society of Ontario's 67th treasurer. Mercer defeated Jacqueline Horvat, founding partner of Spark LLP, in a second round of voting. Ross Earnshaw, partner at Gowling WLG, also ran for the position. Regulation of paralegal licens- ing, as well as evolving views around inclusion, advertising and technology will be part of Mercer's focus going forward. "The traditional and still cen- trally important role of a self- regulator of professions to ensure entry-level competence is assured. When people come into practice, to ensure professional competence is maintained and developed and ensure professional conduct is maintained is not a small challenge. It's a central challenge," says Mer- cer, who will serve in the role for a two-year term. "We are considering how to deal with the reality that many lawyers and paralegals don't practise by themselves but practise in groups, and we are working to address how to take that reality into account in regulation." OBA EXECUTIVE CHANGES Charlene Theodore was elect- ed second vice president of the Ontario Bar Association, putting her in line to be the first black woman at the helm of the organization. Board execu- tives get elected to the one-year second vice president position, then serve as first vice president and, finally, as president. Quinn Ross, managing partner of The Ross Firm PC, will end his term as president on Sept. 1. He will be succeeded by Lynne Vicars, senior legal counsel at Scotiabank. Since it was founded in 1907, the OBA has had only eight women serve as president; Vicars will become the ninth when she assumes the role. "Equality, diversity and in- clusion are a top priority for the organization, and I am looking forward to serving the OBA as the first black female president in its history," says Theodore. DANEF JOINS DLA PIPER (CANADA) LLP Ilia Danef has been named a partner at DLA Piper (Cana- da) LLP, where he is lead coun- sel for lenders and borrowers in financing matters, the firm has announced. Danef joined the firm from Baker McKenzie LLP and has previously worked in both international law firms and as in-house counsel at a Dutch fi- nancial services firm. "Ilia's international experi- ence and familiarity with bank- ing and finance across multiple jurisdictions is an ideal fit for our global platform," said Rob- ert Seidel, managing partner of DLA Piper (Canada), in a state- ment. YES, I AGREE 36 % 64 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE LAW TIMES POLL Lawyers told Law Times that changes to the federal Criminal Code could negatively affect im- migrants who are convicted of impaired driving offences inside or outside Canada. We asked readers if they agreed with the changes. About 64 per cent said no, while impaired driving is not to be taken lightly, deportation and inadmissibility appear to be out of proportion with the level of the crime. About 36 per cent said yes, impaired driving is a serious offence and consequences of the new laws are justified. LT Genuine © 2017 Stewart. All rights reserved. See policies for full terms and conditions. At Stewart Title, we've worked hard to build a company where integrity is the keystone in all our dealings. With us what you see is what you get — comprehensive title insurance coverage, experienced underwriters and support for your practice. Learn more about our level of support, call (888) 667-5151 or visit stewart.ca. Untitled-3 1 2018-07-04 10:44 AM Malcolm Mercer is the new treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario.

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