Law Times

PAGE 16 OcTOber 4, 2010 • Law Times Bizarre #1 Power House application for real estate. www.doprocess.com ntitled-2 1 The BENNETT JONES OPENS BEIJING OFFICE Bennett Jones LLP has an- nounced the opening of a Beijing representative office. Senior adviser Margaret Cor- nish, a former executive director of the Canada China Business Council, will help serve both existing and prospective clients in investment, trade, and other transactions. "We are excited to add Bei- jing to our platform," said Ben- nett Jones' chairman and CEO Hugh MacKinnon. "Our new office will build on Bennett Jones' commitment to serve cli- ents engaged in building Cana- da-China trade, investment, and financial relationships." TORONTO LAWYER DISBARRED Toronto lawyer Karim Nurdin Mohamed has been disbarred for his role in a number of fraudulent mortgage deals. A Law Society of Upper Can- ada panel found he had know- ingly assisted vendor or purchaser clients to obtain mortgage funds under false pretences in transac- tions on eight properties. It also found he had paid out the proceeds from sales to parties with no interest in the transac- tions and acted for multiple par- ties despite a conflict of interest. The decision released last week also ordered Mohamed to pay $15,000 in costs to the LSUC. ZENITH AWARDS HONOUR DAVID SCOTT Dozens of awards were handed out last week at Lexpert's Zenith Awards celebrating pro bono legal work, but Borden Ladner Ger- vais LLP's David Scott was the man of the night. The firm's Ottawa-based co- chairman and past president of Pro Bono Law Ontario was handed the Lifetime Achieve- ment in Pro Bono Award. He was recognized for his work with PBLO, including giving his time freely as duty counsel through the Law Help Ontario project. Scott also serves as co-chair- man of BLG's national pro bono committee and helped usher in 9/22/10 10:12:01 AM Inside Story a policy at the firm that counts pro bono time as billable. Other top honourees in- cluded: • Torys LLP's Patricia Jackson, Andrew Bernstein, and Jen- nifer Conroy (now with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada) received the platinum award for civil liberties work on behalf of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. • Mena Bellofiore, Kim Harle, Peter MacGowan, Lauren Temple, and Larry Winton of Blake Cassels & Gray- don LLP were recognized in the environmental category for their work on behalf of Evergreen Brick Works. • Brian Segal and Randall Schwartz of Baker & McK- enzie LLP received the top nod for their international human rights work on the German Ghetto Work Pay- ment Program. The gala dinner and awards presentation were held at Toron- to's Fairmont Royal York Hotel and included a keynote address by Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder and executive director of War Child Canada. She spoke pas- sionately about the need for better human rights protections in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Check out canadianlawyermag. com to watch video content from the 2010 Lexpert Zenith Awards. U OF T PROF AWARDED TRUDEAU PRIZE University of Toronto Faculty of Law professor Sujit Choudhry has won the $225,000 Trudeau Foundation fellowship prize for his contributions to Canadian and international public policy. Choudhry, an expert in com- parative constitutional law, has provided advice to post-conflict constitutional processes in Ne- pal, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. He's also on the United Nations mediation roster, a global panel of advisers the world body turns to for rapid deployment during ceasefire, peace, and constitu- tional negotiations. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. 'YOU NEVER LOSE THAT COP IN YOU': JUDGE LEBANON, Pa. — For a judge, the job of upholding the law is never over, even when it involves chasing a criminal down the street. That notion is especially true for Lebanon District Judge Tom Capello, who's also a former central Pennsylvania police officer. Capello helped an officer nab a young burglary suspect after noticing suspicious activ- ity at a home near his office, The Associated Press reported. The youth was looking into windows and climbing inside, which prompted the judge and Const. Jack Shirk to go to the house. After the teen, who gave a lame reason for being at the house, allegedly came out with two laptops, the pair chased him for eight blocks. Capello, an elected judge since 1991, then helped wres- tle the computer equipment from the youth. "You never lose that cop in you. It is just always there," he told the Leb- anon Daily News afterwards. CLERK NOT FOOLED BY TOY GUN DUNCANSVILLE, Pa. — If you're going to rob a store with a fake gun, it's probably best to get one that at least has a chance of passing for the real thing. Two women learned that Briefs By Viola James lesson when they allegedly tried to put one over on an adult bookstore clerk, who didn't buy into the ruse when faced with a fake gun. "First, if you're going to rob someone, get a real gun," police report- ed the clerk as telling the two robbers. "Second off, you're not getting any money." According to The Associat- ed Press, the clerk chased the women away before officers in a nearby town arrested them. HANDCUFFED WOMAN FLEES IN COP CAR PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Not even handcuffs could stop a detained woman from stealing a cop car and lead- ing officers on a chase at more than 150 kilometres an hour. According to KFDM News, police had detained Candace Broussard, 28, at the Lamar State College Port Ar- thur campus for allegedly tres- passing. But after putting her in the back seat of the police car in handcuffs, officer Max Wolgast remained outside to investigate. In the meantime, the woman managed to crawl to the front by sliding the prisoner screen and then took off with the car. Police then laid spikes on the road to stop the speed- ing car, a tactic that worked on the second attempt. The woman gave up after pulling into a nearby gas station. She's now facing charges of escape, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, evading detention, and trespassing. The trespassing charge relates to the woman's entry into a nursing classroom at the college. She's not a stu- dent, and while the teacher asked the woman to leave, she allegedly refused. Security on campus then called police, af- ter which the remarkable cop chase took place. $12K BANK OVERDRAFT FEE OK, COURT RULES FINGAL, N.D. — Canadians like to complain about exces- sive bank fees, but how about $12,000 in overdraft charges? That's what a bank charged Lynette Cavett, and now the North Dakota Supreme Court says that's OK. According to court records, the Quality Bank of Fingal charged Cavett 842 overdraft fees between January 2004 and June 2008. She then challenged them when the bank sued her in November 2008 in order to collect on a $76,000 debt and foreclose on her farm, The Associated Press reported. But while Cavett called the overdraft amount "unconscio- nable," a judge ruled she had paid them for years without complaint and that the bank had disclosed them to her. According to The Associ- ated Press, the bank charged $100 a day for carrying an overdraft valued at more than $10,000. LT Seen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at viola.james@gmail. com. "Comply with the provisions of the anti-spam act and authorize Universal Solicitation Services to send you unlimited e-mails and telemarketing calls or kiss your leaf pile goodbye!" 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