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PAGE 20 The Inside Story NEW HEAD AT CCCA Catherine Cummings is the new executive director of the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association. Cummings takes over from Canadian Bar Association CEO John Hoyles. He had been doing the job on an in- terim basis since January's cull at the CBA's in-house wing, which resulted in the removal of the CCCA's entire board of directors following a dispute over funding. "Cathy brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the position," said Robert Pat- zelt, chairman of the CCCA's executive committee. "She is a skilled leader, strong com- municator, and well-versed in change management and pro- cess improvement." Cummings spent the last four months as interim associ- ate executive director. Before that, she was vice president of certifi cation at the Canadian Payroll Association. "I look forward to close and eff ective collaboration with my CBA colleagues in order to deliver the best programs and services to our 10,000-member- strong association," she said. MCCARTHYS SHOWS ITS PRIDE McCarthy Tétrault LLP has launched a national network for its lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender personnel at offi ces across Canada. McCarthys claims the McCa- rthy Tétrault Pride Network is the fi rst such eff ort at a national law fi rm in Canada. Th e move aims to increase awareness of lesbian and gay issues, promote profes- sional development and men- toring, and encourage network- ing and business development. "We are proud to be taking this important step to support our current and future LGBT per- sonnel," said Paul Boniferro, McCarthys' national leader for practices and people. "Promoting diversity is a key priority at McCarthy Tétrault, and we are pleased to be taking a leadership role among Cana- dian law fi rms on LGBT issues. Our LGBT personnel are, and will continue to be, an impor- tant part of our team, and we want to ensure that we attract and retain the best talent so that we can continue to deliver ex- cellent results for our clients." Orysia Semotiuk, a partner in the fi rm's business law group in Toronto, will chair the pride network. Earlier this year, McCarthys also became the second law fi rm in Canada to join Pride at Work Canada, an organization that promotes inclusiveness at workplaces across the country. MACLEOD DIXON LAUDED Macleod Dixon LLP was named law fi rm of the year at the World National Oil Com- panies Congress. Th e event took place over fi ve days at the Grange St. Paul's Hotel in London, England. Th e World National Oil Companies Congress brings together the senior executives from national oil companies and their partners. LAWYERS TAKE STAGE THIS WEEK Lawyer band Just Some Guys will perform at the Blue Moon Pub in Toronto on July 16 to raise money for breast cancer research at the Canadian Can- cer Society. Guitarists Bill Evans and Jon O'Brien, as well as bassist Leonard Wilgus and Richard Dakin on the drums, are all card-carrying members of the Law Society of Upper Cana- da. For $5 at the door, you can see them strut their stuff on stage. Th e Blue Moon Pub is at 725 Queen St. E. in Toronto. OBA GIVES $10K TO FELLOWSHIP Th e Ontario Bar Association is donating $10,000 towards a new legal ethics fellowship. Th e Chief Justice of Ontario Fellowship in Legal Ethics and Professionalism Research aims to encourage scholarship and the development of Canadian materials in the fi eld of legal ethics. Brothers Brian and Ed- ward Greenspan have pledged $5,000 for a companion study fellowship. "Th e OBA is pleased to sup- port this initiative, which will provide important insight and advice on how we can continue to promote the highest level of ethics and professionalism in Ontario's justice system," said OBA president Lee Akazaki. Th e fellowship is accepting applications for 2011-12 until Aug. 15. For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. BIG WIN FOR GUN OWNERS COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich has signed into law a bill that al- lows gun owners in the state to carry concealed weapons into bars and other places where al- cohol is served. Businesses can still ban concealed weapons on their premises for safety reasons if they want to and some, like the Cincinnati Bengals foot- ball team, have indicated they will continue to bar gun owners from bringing fi re- arms into the stadium. Th e law also prohibits gun owners from consuming alcohol or being under the infl uence of alcohol or drugs when they carry their weap- ons into bars. Th e new laws allow residents to carry concealed handguns into licensed establishments in the state, including shopping malls and sporting venues. — Reuters FAKE ARMY UNIT NETS 3-YEAR TERM LOS ANGELES — A Cali- fornia man who conned Chi- nese immigrants into joining his fake U.S. army unit has been sentenced to three years in prison after he pleaded guilty to counterfeiting and other charges. Yupeng Deng gave him- self the title "Supreme July 11, 2011 • law Times Bizarre Briefs By Viola James Commander" when he was running his fi ctitious unit and he promised recruits their time in his squad was a path to U.S. citizenship. A Chinese national from the Los Angeles suburb of El Monte, Deng convinced more than 200 Chinese na- tionals from around the Unit- ed States to join and charged them initiation fees ranging from $300 to $450. Deng, 51, pleaded guilty to charges of theft by false pre- tenses, manufacturing decep- tive government documents, and counterfeit of an offi cial government seal. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jack Hunt sentenced Deng to three years in prison. Deng gave his recruits mili- tary uniforms, had them parade in a Los Angeles suburb, and took them to the decommis- sioned USS Midway aircraft carrier, which is a museum in San Diego, authorities said. — Reuters GURU GUILTY OF EMOTIONAL HARM PHOENIX — A jury has found self-help guru James Ray guilty of causing emo- tional harm to the families of three people who died follow- ing a sweat lodge ceremony in Arizona nearly two years ago. Ray had already been found guilty of negligent ho- micide in the deaths of James Shore, Liz Neuman, and Kirby Brown, who attended a personal growth seminar near Sedona, Ariz., in 2009. But the jury at Yavapai County Superior Court had been weighing aggravating factors expected to help de- termine sentencing, including whether Ray caused emotion- al harm to the families of the victims, held a unique posi- tion of trust with the victims or expected to benefi t fi nan- cially from their deaths. Th e dead were among 56 participants who paid nearly $10,000 each to take part in Ray's spiritual warrior retreat and were crammed into a sweat lodge packed with superheated rocks at the ceremony. Shore, 40, and Brown, 38, were pronounced dead at the scene. Neuman, 49, died sev- eral days later at a hospital in Flagstaff . Th e jurors found Ray had caused emotional harm to the families of all three who died and had violated a unique posi- tion of trust with Neuman. Ray remains free on a $525,000 bond pending sen- tencing set for July 25. Th e fatal sweat lodge cer- emony cut short Ray's meteoric rise in the personal develop- ment industry. Th is had includ- ed appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show and CNN's Larry King Live, according to Ray's web site. Th e day after the deaths, television news images of the sweat dome showed a low, win- dowless structure covered in black roofi ng material, a far cry from the aura of glamour and wealth portrayed by the lucra- tive industry. — Reuters "Now imagine, if you will, the distinction between extrinsic and intrinsic litigation fraud and its effects on contemporary post-judgment relief practice." Recruiting? Post your position on GREAT RATES. GREAT REACH. GREAT RESULTS. Contact Sandy Shutt at sandra.shutt@thomsonreuters.com for details. www.lawtimesnews.com JobsInLaw 1-8 pg 5X.indd 1 2/15/11 4:12:27 PM