Law Times

PAGE 20 The Inside Story TORONTO LAWYER DISBARRED Toronto lawyer Marcia Alexia Barrett has had her licence re- voked for her part in a mortgage fraud scheme. Law Society of Upper Cana- da proceedings found her guilty of misconduct for "participat- ing or knowingly assisting" in fraudulent conduct by clients in relation to transactions on nine properties. A panel found she had failed to disclose material facts to lender clients and that she continued to act for more than one party in a transaction when she knew a conflicting interest was likely. According to the LSUC, Barrett paid out more than $70,000 to a third party with no legitimate in- terest in one transaction. Barrett was also ordered to pay the law society $143,000 in costs as well as a further $28,000 to its com- pensation fund. DAVIS EXPANDS JAPAN OFFICE Davis LLP has boosted its To- kyo presence with the addition of seven Japanese lawyers to the firm's office there. Hiroaki Takahashi, one of Japan's leading commercial law- yers, heads the group of new hires, who will focus their prac- tice on domestic and interna- tional finance. "The addition of the Taka- hashi group and the ability to give leading-edge advice on Japanese domestic law mat- ters will dramatically enhance our effectiveness in advising not just our Canadian or Japa- nese clients but any corpora- tion wishing to do business in and with Japan," said Robert Seidel, Davis' national manag- ing partner. Davis has had a Tokyo office since 1997, and the firm's rela- tionship with Japan goes back even further. The firm success- fully defended Japanese-Cana- dians who were interned during the Second World War or who received deportation orders fol- lowing its conclusion. Since then, it has acted for a num- ber of Japanese corporations in cross-border transactions. Takahashi, who graduated from Harvard University as well as the University of To- kyo, has had previous stints at New York firms Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP and Orrick Herrington & Sut- cliffe LLP. MILLAR, CAMPBELL HONOURED The Toronto Lawyers Asso- ciation will recognize Ontario Superior Court Justice Colin Campbell and former Law So- ciety of Upper Canada treasur- er Derry Millar at its Awards of Distinction for 2011. The awards honour outstand- ing contributions to law and the legal profession and will be held on Feb. 10. Millar, a partner at Weir- Foulds LLP, was first elected as a bencher of the law society in 1995 and served as treasurer from 2008 to 2010. He was also chairman of the LSUC's finance committee and its in- terjurisdictional mobility com- mittee. He was lead commis- sion counsel for the Ipperwash Inquiry and is a fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Campbell was appointed to the bench in 1998 following a ca- reer in commercial litigation and competition law. He led the task force on the discovery process in Ontario that resulted in the development of guidelines for e-discovery and sits on the advisory board of the Sedona Conference. MILLER THOMSON CHAIR RE-ELECTED Gerald Courage has been elected by acclaim as the chairman of Miller Thomson LLP for a sec- ond three-year term. "This renewed mandate comes at a time when Miller Thomson is poised to enter what we see as the next phase in the firm's evolution," Courage said. "We have achieved a clear, na- tional consensus on who we are, where we want to go, and what our clients want most from us — added experience, added clar- ity, added value." It has been a busy year for Mill- er Thomson, which announced its merger with Balfour Moss LLP in December to become the only national firm with a pres- ence in Saskatchewan. There was also a national brand launch de- signed to communicate the firm's approach to the practices of busi- ness law and litigation. "We are continuing to pursue leadership opportunities in Can- ada and abroad," said Courage, who was first elected chairman in 2008. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. "It's his favourite part of the day — reading the accused their s. 10 Charter rights." FEEDS LEGAL LegalFeeds_Cl_Jan_11.indd 1 A daily blog of visit www.lawtimesnews.com SMUGGLERS CATAPULT DRUGS OVER BORDER MEXICO CITY, Mexico — I've got to say, at least they're being creative. A few entrepreneurial Mexicans were spotted trying to smuggle drugs across the Mexico-Arizona border using a rather unique method, Agence France-Presse reported. Surveillance video caught several men loading and pre- paring a catapult. The con- traption is said to be approxi- mately three metres high and was towed on a flatbed truck pulled by an SUV. The scheme came to an end after National Guard troops witnessed sev- eral men attempting to fling marijuana over the fenced border into Arizona. While the men escaped, the flatbed, SUV, and cata- pult, which can toss ap- proximately two kilograms of marijuana at a time, were seized along with almost 16 kilograms of the drug. WOMAN CHARGED OVER LIBRARY BOOKS CONCORD, Vt. — A Vermont woman will have her day in court after being charged for stealing hundreds of dollars worth of library books and videos. The woman is accused of borrowing more than 40 books and videos from the library and not returning them for more February 7, 2011 • Law Times Bizarre Briefs By Viola James than a year. According to me- dia reports, the 35-year-old woman's late fees have rung up to more than $460. As a result, the woman has been charged with theft of rent- ed property. She's due in court in March. POLITICIAN FAKES ILLNESS TO BUY POT DES MOINES, Iowa — State representative Clel Baudler went to California and faked having hemorrhoids and de- pression to obtain a licence for medical marijuana, the Des Moines Register reported. But Baudler claims he was proving a point that it would be "asinine" to legalize the drug for medical purposes. According to the paper, after having faked the illness, Baudler returned to Iowa and openly confessed to his crime in a newsletter. Medical mari- juana advocates are now call- ing for the former state troop- er to be impeached. ANGRY DRIVER SETS FIRE TO OWN CAR DEVON, U.K. — A man, angry that his car had been clamped, attempted to remove the tire clamp with an axe. But when he couldn't remove it, he set fire to his vehicle. The man, a 27-year-old with a drinking problem and a history of arson, claims to have been drunk during the alterca- tion with his car, according to This is Devon. He turned him- self in to police the following day after he had sobered up. This is Devon reported that the vehicle had been clamped due to more than 20 penalties against the man that hadn't been paid. The man has been ordered into three years' probation and a rehabilitation program. SUSPECT HAD BLOOD ON HANDS SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — A strange set of events has left one man in hospital and another in custody after a trail of blood led police to a key suspect. According to the Springfield News-Leader, police responded to a 911 call and found a man badly beaten and bleeding at a trailer park. The man was taken to hospital, uttering the word "Dave." The man, who was beaten with a flashlight and nunchuk, was joined by three women. The women were hesitant to speak to police and seemed incoherent. The women also claimed that "Dave" was in- volved in the man's beating. At the park, investigators followed the man's trail of blood to another trailer. The News-Leader reported that the man who answered the trailer door allegedly had blood on his arms and hands. The man was arrested and allegedly told police, 'He stole my gun' be- fore requesting an attorney. The man has now been charged with first-degree ag- gravated assault. LT Seen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at viola.james@gmail. com. Canadian Legal News 1/6/11 11:44:49 AM canadianlaw yermag.com/ legalfeeds

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