Law Times

www.lawtimesnews.com Page 16 February 11/18, 2008 / Law Times GIRL SERVED DETERGENT COCKTAIL LIMASSOL, Cyprus — A bar- tender faces negligence charges after mistakenly serving a two- year-old girl a glass of orange juice mixed with detergent. The victim, Annabel Rhodes, is expected to make a full recovery, reports the London Telegraph. The girl's mouth and throat were burned when she drank the cocktail that may have contained nitric acid, an odour- less and colourless substance. The 43-year-old bartend- er, who may face the charge of "committing a negligent and thoughtless deed," apparently unknowingly combined orange juice with a dishwasher detergent that was kept in a small bottle at the bar. The girl didn't know there was anything wrong with the toxic beverage and continued to sip it from a straw. PANCAKE RACE DEEMED TOO RISKY RIPON, England — Health and safety rules turned off the griddle for a pancake race dating back over 600 years in a British town. The race was traditionally held on Shrove Tuesday but was shut down this year, because a series of risk assessments weren't completed in time for children to participate, reports the Times. Local schools and businesses his- torically entered teams to race while tossing pancakes. The event's co-organizer, Rev. Keith Jukes, said costs had con- tinued to rise in recent years, with policing fees and road clo- sures adding to the problem. "Sadly, the big reason it won't take place this year is health and safety," said a dejected Jukes. "We have to go through a number of risk assessments. The insurance companies demand it." Event co-organizer, Bernard Bateman, said the insurance measures were far too onerous. "The main issue is the cobbled street, that people could slip on," he said. "This stupidity never happened previously." CO-OPERATIVE ROBBER YORK, Pa. — Police are investi- gating a strange bank robbery in which the culprit may have been too generous for his own good. A man dressed in a hood entered a bank and gave a teller a note demanding cash, reports abc2news.com. The bold teller asked the robber to remove his hood, which gave security cam- eras a lovely snapshot of his face. Officers reviewing the tape recognized the man's face and arrested him. He's currently being held on $50,000 bail. DOG RETRIEVES SCALP PASCO, Wash. — A four- month-old puppy retrieved what police believe is a scalp, setting off a mad search to find who it belongs to. "At this point it appears to be human," said police Capt. James Raymond. "We're taking a leap that the person it belongs to probably is not alive." The pup's owner Eriberta Salinas, said the dog found the scalp with reddish hair in a nearby backyard, reports the Associated Press. Police have since scoured the neighbourhood to see if anyone has seen a red- haired stranger lately. Investigators first believed the scalp was stolen as part of a kit containing body parts used to train cadaver dogs, but that the- ory has since been abandoned. It is being analyzed in a crime lab. "Someone out there is proba- bly not living, and so that's really what the priority is: where is this person?" said Raymond. BROKEN GETAWAY LEBANON, Pa. — A thief was airlifted to hospital after leap- ing from a two-storey building after a prolonged negotiation with cops. The incident occurred after a convenience store robbery, reports WGAL.com. The robber targeted a Turkey Hill store a little after 5:30 a.m. No one was injured and the thief got away. Shortly after that, police rec- ognized a man matching the thief 's description running along a nearby street. He ran to a rooftop and threatened to jump. Police tried to talk him down, but he jumped and injured him- self in the fall. The thief 's identity has not been released. LEGAL AID STATS RELEASED Legal aid plans across Canada spent $659 million delivering services in 2006-2007, according to a Statistics Canada report re- leased last week. The number represents $20 for each Canadian, the agency notes, adding the total doesn't include legal aid spending in Newfoundland/Labrador and P.E.I. Countrywide, overall legal aid spending dropped four per cent from the year before, but followed a nine per cent increase in 2004-2005. The 11 of Canada's 13 legal aid plans that offered data re- ceived 761,000 applications for legal assistance in both criminal and civil matters. That's a two per cent decrease from the prior year, and a five per cent decrease in applications for civil matters. Nunavut and Manitoba ex- perienced the largest declines in applications for full legal aid ser- vice last year, with decreases of 37 per cent and 10 per cent, respect- ively. The countrywide total was about 472,000 applications. The Northwest Territories and Yukon, with 20 per cent and 12 per cent, led the way with in- creases in approved applications. With Quebec (42 per cent) and Ontario (47 per cent) as ex- ceptions, the majority of legal aid funds are apportioned to criminal matters. Nova Scotia spent 55 per cent of direct expenditures on criminal matters, while Nunavut spent 83 per cent. Here are some other findings: • Provincial governments spent $474 million, up two per cent from the previous year. • Federal government contribu- tions remained at $92 million for the past five years. • A little over 11,000 lawyers provided legal aid assist- ance last year, a nine per cent decline from the year before. NEW PARTNERS FOR BLAKES Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP announced it has added 19 new partners to its complement. "Every one of these lawyers has shown a real commitment and has worked extremely hard to meet the needs of their clients," says Rob Granatstein, national managing partner of Blakes. "We welcome each of them into the Blakes partnership and wish them all the best in this important next step of their career." The firm's Montreal office adds Alfred Buggé, who prac- tises securities, corporate, and business law, and John Leop- ardi, whose practice focuses on domestic and international cor- porate taxation. The Toronto office added Jason Beeho, who concentrates on workplace law; Shlomi Feiner, a securities group member who practises mergers and acquisi- tions, securities, and corporate law; Abdul-Basit Khan, who prac- tises in all areas of management- side labour and employment law; Kate McGilvray, who focuses on mergers and acquisitions; Parna Sabet-Stephenson, a lawyer who concentrates on technology law; Cheryl Satin, who advises on corporate and commercial law; Julie Soloway, whose practice concentrates on competition law and foreign investment review; tax group member Paul Stepak, who practises mainly in corporate, partnership, and personal income taxation; and Michael Stevenson, who provides corporate and com- mercial advice. Garth Anderson, a real estate and infrastructure lawyer, has joined the partnership in Calgary. The Vancouver office partnership now includes corporate lawyer Francis Chang, business and regulatory lawyer Caroline Find- lay, multi-faceted lawyer Roy Millen, financial services lawyer Neal B. Wang, and Kevin Zim- ka, who practises taxation and business law. The New York office's cor- porate lawyer Mark Adkins is now a partner, as is the Lon- don office's corporate lawyer Markus Viirland. The Inside Story Confidential Bizarre Briefs By Viola James Enabling Lawyers through Technology Tel: 416.322.6111 Toll-free: 1.866.367.7648 www doprocess com LT ". . .and if this isn't a genuine picasso, you'll be hearing from our lawyer." At Stewart Title, it's how we work that sets us apart. We deal in title insurance and related products, undertaking no part of the transaction that has traditionally fallen to legal professionals. Since our inception into the Canadian market, you will find that we have consistently combined comprehensive coverage with unparalleled support for legal professionals. We are dedicated to streamlining your practice and increasing your revenue through our programs and innovative technology solutions. At Stewart Title, we know it's our relationship with our customers that determines our success. That's why service is the foundation of our business and integrity, the keystone in all our dealings. Contact us today at (888) 667-5151 or visit www.stewart.ca. STG_05_LT_BaseBar 8/16/06 8:52 AM Page 1 For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com LT *Pages 1-16.indd 16 7/18/08 12:45:44 PM

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