Law Times

Page 16 March 23, 2015 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com LSUC SEEKS $400K IN COSTS FROM KOPYTO The Law Society of Upper Canada is seeking costs of $400,000 from Harry Kopyto in relation to his unsuccessful bid for a paralegal licence. Calling it "the longest licensing hear- ing ever held," the law society wants Kopyto to shoulder the costs of the 51- day proceeding. "The 51 days of hearing on the merits were almost all consumed by the candi- date's daily and meritless complaints and attacks on the law society, his disrespectful refusal to comply with the panel's rulings, and his general lack of respect for the law society's process," the law society argued in its cost submission. "Particularly during the 18 days when he gave direct evidence, the candidate came to the hearing without any notes or any plan for the day. His evidence was rambling, unfocused, and repetitive," accord- ing to the law society. Following his disbarment in 1989, Kopyto continued to provide paralegal services and, when the Law Society of Upper Canada began regulating paralegals in 2007, he applied to continue practising under the grandparented provisions included in the new rules. The law soci- ety then brought good-character proceedings to determine whether he could practise as a paralegal. In a ruling last month, the Law Society Tribunal denied his application for a paralegal licence, a decision Kopy- to has vowed to appeal. THREE JUDGES REMOVED FOR VIEWING PORN AT WORK LONDON, England — You'd think judges would know to stay away from pornography at work. But according to the Guardian, a disciplin- ary inquiry has led to the removal of three judges and a fourth has resigned after find- ing "inexcusable misuse" of their information technology accounts. The three judges removed from office in- cluded district judge Timothy Bowles, im- migration judge Warren Grant, and deputy district judge and recorder Peter Bullock, ac- cording to a statement from the Judicial Con- duct Investigations Office that referenced an investigation into allegations they had viewed pornographic material on judicial equipment in their offices. It noted the lord chancellor and lord chief justice had "concluded that this was an inexcusable misuse of their judicial IT ac- counts and wholly unacceptable conduct for a judicial office holder." The judges weren't exchanging images, ac- cording to the Guardian. THAIS WARNED ABOUT 'UNDERBOOB SELFIES' BANGKOK — Thailand's military government has warned women against posting selfie photos of the lower half of their breasts — a social media trend that has gone viral — saying their actions could violate the country's computer crime laws. Thailand's 2007 Computer Crimes Act bans any material that causes "damage to the country's security or causes public panic" or "any obscene computer data which is accessible to the public." The culture ministry said offenders faced up to five years in jail but didn't say how au- thorities would identify the culprits. "When people take these underboob selfies, no one can see their faces," ministry spokes- man Anandha Chouchoti told Reuters. "So it's like, we don't know who these belong to, and it encourages others to do the same." COMPANIES CREATIVELY SKIRTING MINIMUM WAGE BERLIN — NDP Leader Tom Mulcair may want to take a look at Germany to see what a national minimum wage can do. According to Reuters, German employers are coming up with creative ways to avoid paying a new minimum wage, including charging slaugh- terhouse workers for their knives and compensat- ing staff with tanning salon vouchers. Chancellor Angela Merkel's government introduced Germany's first nationwide wage f loor of 8.50 euros per hour early this year. The law was the brainchild of the Social Democrats who made it a condition of joining Merkel's co- alition in 2013. But in the months since it went into effect, it has become clear that not everyone is taking home more pay. The NGG food and catering union is fielding up to 400 calls a day from people who say their employers are finding ways to circumvent the law. "We're seeing some employers display an awful lot of creativity to get round paying the minimum wage," said Burkhard Siebert of the NGG. Butchers have complained that they must pay a fee of up to 100 euros per month to use knives they need to cut meat. Bakers say employers are paying them in buns and bread instead of cash. Among the workers affected is 66-year-old Juergen Schluens, who used to earn around 6.30 euros per hour delivering papers in the village of Witzwort close to the North Sea. Once the new wage law took effect, he says his boss reduced the premium he received for starting work at 4:45 a.m. and demanded he get the job done in half the time. "The minimum wage of 8.50 euros per hour was paid on paper, but my boss said I could only take 52 minutes to do my round," he told Reuters. "I needed about 94 minutes and I should know as I've been doing the job for nearly 11 years." LT CANADIAN LAW LIST 2015 This is more than a phone book. It is your instant connection to Canada's legal network. ȕ aOVQUPEBUFBMQIBCFUJDBMMJTUJOH ȕ DPOUBDUJOGPSNBUJPO ȕ MFHBMBOEHPWFSONFOUDPOUBDUJOGPSNBUJPO )BSECPVOEȕ1VCMJTIFE'FCSVBSZ FBDIZFBS ȕ- ȕ0OTVCTDSJQUJPO ȕ0OFUJNFQVSDIBTF .VMUJQMFDPQZEJTDPVOUTBWBJMBCMF 1MVTTIJQQJOHIBOEMJOHBOE BQQMJDBCMFUBYFT ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY! CBMM1.800.387.5164 PS WJTJUwww.carswell.com Untitled-2 1 2015-03-17 10:21 AM u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story LAWYER TO SERVE AS PARAPAN OMBUD A B.C. Ministry of Justice litigator will serve as the om- budsman for Team Canada dur- ing the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Peter Lawless, currently a litigator in the health and social services group of the Ministry of Justice, will provide guidance and counsel to Canadian Para- pan and Paralympic team mem- bers in order "to quickly and ef- fectively resolve disputes and is- sues," according to the Canadian Paralympic committee. Lawless, a chartered profes- sional coach, teaches sports and law courses at Camosun College and the University of Victoria Faculty of Law. "I'm incredibly proud to have been selected as part of the lead- ership team for the Canadian paralympic team as we look to deliver more amazing athletic performances in our home games in Toronto this summer and beyond," said Lawless. CHERNIAK, LEM HONOURED BY TLA The Toronto Lawyers Associ- ation presented its 2015 awards to lawyers Earl Cherniak and Jeffrey Lem last month. Cherniak, a prominent litiga- tor and senior partner at Lerners LLP, received the association's award of distinction in recognition of "his contributions to the legal profession and to the Toronto legal community over the course of his long and distinguished career." Lem, a real estate lawyer and director of titles for the Ontario government, received the Hons- berger award in recognition, ac- cording to the association, "of his selfless support of his colleagues through decades of mentoring countless young lawyers, his ded- ication to the legal profession, and leadership as a diverse lawyer." POLL RESULTS The results of the latest Law Times online poll are in. According to the poll, 58 per cent of respondents agree with Ontario's plan to address sexual violence and harassment through an enhanced prosecu- tion model, independent legal advice for victims, and changes to limitation periods. Premier Kathleen Wynne's three-year action plan, dubbed It's Never Okay, includes a proposal that would see Crown counsel and police receive mentorship and training on how to deal with cases of sexual violence. In ad- dition, the scheme would see an amendment to rental-housing legislation to allow victims of sexual assault to break their lease if they're fleeing violence. LT "I believe we did advise you that online dispute resolutions are not without their occasional problematic outcomes." Harry Kopyto

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