Law Times

December 3, 2018

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Page 20 December 3, 2018 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "We insure against statutory, insurance award deductions and arbitrary, insurance benefit caps." 'JAMES BOND' CHARGED MIAMI — It was like something out of an old James Bond movie. Florida Highway Patrol officers arrested Robert Craig Davis, 70, after he repeatedly used a remote-control device to raise and lower a black cloth shield over his licence plate so toll cameras couldn't read his plate and charge him for using a toll road, reports FLKEYS News. Davis first came to the attention of the Florida Highway Patrol this summer. Motor- ists Sammy and Mayte Salinas shot video of the cloaking device when they saw a black cover roll down over the plate obscuring the numbers as the minivan sailed through a toll on the Dol- phin Expressway and then rise again to reveal the plate once it cleared the plaza. FHP Lt. Alejandro Camacho, who was off- duty on Nov. 17, spotted Davis' Chrysler Paci- fica outfitted with the remote-controlled licence plate cover as the minivan travelled southbound on Florida's Turnpike. He followed the minivan in his own car and alerted fellow FHP troopers. Sgt. Carlos Vanegas stopped Davis and he and trooper Dennis Gallo searched his vehicle and found a remote-control device that was used to raise and lower the licence plate "cur- tain." Davis was charged with organized fraud and petit theft, booked into jail on Nov. 17 and re- leased the same day. OLIVE OIL RAISES SUSPICION LISBON — Who would bring a suitcase full of olive oil to Portugal, one of the world's biggest producers of the stuff? Police at Lisbon Airport were already suspi- cious of one passenger before they discovered 24 bottles of extra virgin olive oil marked as Ar- gentinian-made in his luggage, reports Reuters. "We had information that the man could be a trafficker, so he was stopped for checks, but the fact that he was coming to Portugal with a bunch of olive oil definitely reinforced our sus- picions, which proved to be right," a police of- ficial said. The oil was found to be mixed with cocaine. "We've had seizures of drugs hidden in ba- nanas, pineapples, but this is unusual because it begs the question why," the official told Re- uters. The amount of the drug suspended in the oil would be enough for 33,000 individual doses, he said. The man was arrested. HARD DAY AT THE OFFICE? PRAGUE — Forget the days of nursing a drink at the bar while pouring out your woes to the bartender — at least if a new establishment in Prague is a sign of the future. The Cyberdog in the Czech capital features a robotic bartender who serves drinks ordered through a phone app, reports Reuters. Opened recently by real estate developer Tri- gema, its two-level steel structure looks rather like a space station, with 40 seats and a small upper deck. In the Cyberdog, after the customers have ordered their tipple via an app, a red robotic arm picks among seven wines on offer in a cool box. It then opens the bottle and pours up to four glasses at a time. Next it lifts the glasses on a tray that travels overhead to the customers' table, then lowers the load so people can pick up their glasses. Trigema owner Marcel Soural said he was sure the service sector would follow manufac- turing in replacing expensive labour with ma- chines. "I am deeply convinced that, in some time, when you will be served in a restaurant by a real person, it will be a terribly expensive restaurant because it will be unique," he said. The bar, created by artist David Cerny and architect Tomas Cisar, also serves food meant to resemble astronauts' diets. That is prepared by people, at least for now. LT FEDERAL FUNDING FOR PRO BONO CENTRES Three legal help centres in To- ronto and Ottawa will remain open throughout 2019, thanks to $250,000 in funding from the federal government and about $275,000 in donations from pri- vate donors. Pro Bono Ontario an- nounced at the end of Novem- ber that it will receive a one-time funding contribution through the federal government's Jus- tice Innovation and Partnership Program. The funding is welcome news for the non-profit organization, which had said it would have to shut down the three centres on Dec. 14 due to lack of stable funding. Lynn Burns, executive director of Pro Bono Ontario, says federal Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould reached out after hear- ing about the financial challenges the centres were facing and encour- aged the organization to submit an application. The outcry over the closures of the centres also shows the depth of the access-to-justice issues in Ontario, says Burns. Prospective benchers at the Law Society of Ontario have al- ready weighed in about whether or not the non-profit organization should be funded by the regulator. Meanwhile, the province has emphatically stated it would not be assisting with the funding shortfall. "Now, we have to turn our attention to what's next, so we're going to be spending the next year trying to secure the resources required to provide stable institutional funding," says Burns. SABA PRESIDENT APPOINTED Aarondeep Singh Bains, an associate at Aird & Berlis LLP, was appointed president of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto, the organization has announced. He tells Law Times that the most pressing issue facing his members is the lack of a level playing field and that SABA of- fers resources and opportuni- ties such as interview training for students and NCA candi- dates. EX-LAWYER ORDERED TO PAY LSO COSTS A panel of judges for the On- tario Superior Court of Jus- tice Divisional Court said on Nov. 22 that Aliamisse Mun- dulai must pay $5,000 to the Law Society of Ontario. Mundulai had asked the court to compel the LSO to issue an L1 licence after the law society revoked the licence in 2012. The Divisional Court said the law society fulfilled its duty to consider Mundulai's 2015 re-application. 22 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE YES, I AGREE 78 % LAW TIMES POLL Ontario's provincial govern- ment said last month that it would not approve Ryerson University's submission to cre- ate a new juris doctor program in Toronto. Law Times asked readers if they agreed with the province's decision to deny the program approval. About 78 per cent of respondents said they agreed with the province's move, saying that given the challenges that graduates from existing law schools are facing, it makes sense to hold off on the new school. Another 22 per cent said they disagreed with the province's decision and they believe that creating a new law school would assist with different issues and improve access to justice in On- tario. LT Visit www.store.thomsonreuters.ca or call 1-800-387-5164 for a 30-day, no risk evaluation ONTARIO LAWYER'S PHONE BOOK 2019 Ontario Lawyer's Phone Book is your best connection to legal services in Ontario with more than 1,400 pages of essential legal references. More detail and a wider scope of legal contact information for Ontario: • Over 26,600 lawyers listed • Over 8,700 law firms and corporate offices listed • Telephone numbers, e-mail addresses, office locations and postal codes Perfectbound Published December each year On subscription $87.50* One time purchase $91* Order No. L7798-8405 ISBN 978-0-7798-8405-6 Multiple copy discounts available Plus applicable taxes and shipping & handling. (prices subject to change without notice) CONNECT INSTANTLY TO ONTARIO'S LEGAL COMMUNITY Untitled-4 1 2018-11-28 8:53 AM Lynn Burns says Pro Bono Ontario is relieved that legal help centres in Toronto and Ottawa will remain open next year.

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