Law Times

PAGE 16 February 6, 2012 • Law Times u BIZARRE BRIEFS By Viola James BOY, 4, BRINGS POT TO KINDERGARTEN MERIDEN, Conn. — Kids are growing up so quickly that they're now bringing drugs to kin- dergarten. That appears to be the case after a four-year-old boy who announced to his teacher at school snack time that he wanted to share pulled nine bags of marijuana out of his jacket pocket. Police in Meriden were called to Hanover Elementary School last month after the young special needs student displayed the drugs, authorities said. Meriden police said the nine individually wrapped bags of marijuana appeared prepared for sale. According to Reuters, Hanover Elementary School principal Miguel Cardona called it an "extremely unfortunate" and "isolated" incident that was not witnessed by any other students. "What's so disheartening is this is really an adult issue and problem and adult behaviour put a student at risk," Meriden schools superinten- dent Mark Benigni told Reuters. "This student had no idea what he brought to school or what the substance was," he added. Authorities aren't releasing the names of the student or parents and police said there's a possibility for arrests pending the outcome of the investigation. PARKING-FINE SALE MAKES DRIVERS HAPPY POTSDAM, Germany — A German city is showing another side of a culture known for its strict tenden- cies by giving parking violators an unexpected break on their parking fines. According to Reuters, the tickets, put on care- lessly parked cars in Potsdam, include a fine of zero euros and the message "Glueck gehabt!!!" (Lucky you!!!). The new approach is designed to admonish motorists without hitting them in the wallet. "The tickets Potsdam, the state capital of Brandenburg, earned around 1.2 million euros from parking fines in 2011, she said. Around 120,000 parking fines were issued last year, Reuters reported. In Germany, a country known for its fond- ness for obeying the rules and punishing offenders, Potsdam's fine-free tickets have caught the attention of the national media. One recipient, Kathrin Bach, said her initial reaction to finding a note on her windscreen was one of annoyance until she read the message. "I thought, 'Oh no, got another ticket,'" she told Germany's Bild newspaper. "I've paid loads of park- ing fines before because there are so few parking spaces in the area," she added. SCHOOL BANS BOOTS DURING WINTER PHILADELPHIA — Students at Pottstown Middle School are lucky it's been a mild winter given the boot ban imposed by officials there. As Reuters reported, the Philadelphia suburban district has begun banning the wearing of fuzzy open-top boots, including the popular Ugg brand, to middle-school classes because students have been stashing cellphones in the loose footwear. "Cellphones are a problem for obvious reasons," said district director of community relations John Armato. Superintendent Reed Lindley said the school principal asked for the boot ban "because of the classroom disruptions that are resulting from ringing cellphones." Students at the school can avoid going toe-to- toe with school officials by wearing boots that lace up and usually have a snugger fit, Reuters reported. First-time offenders will get detention, and sub- sequent violations include two detentions, followed by confiscation of the phone, Armato said. Middle-school parent Adrienne Beyer said she serve as a warning to park- ing offenders," said Regina Thielemann, a city of Potsdam spokeswoman. "They're issued when the driver isn't around. So they're given written notice when they'd ordinarily only get a verbal warning." thinks the ban is extreme. "I understand there may be a handful of kids that shove cellphones down their boots, but why does the handful have to ruin it for the other 600 students? But I said to my daughter, 'It's a rule and we're going to follow it,'" Beyer said. LT Eli Lederman NEW PARTNERS AT LENCZNER SLAGHT Toronto litigators Eli Lederman and Matthew Sammon have joined Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP as partners. Lederman focuses on com- plex commercial litigation, pro- fessional liability, securities and class action matters and acts as counsel in commercial arbitra- tions. He has regularly appeared be- fore the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. Sammon focuses on corpo- rate-commercial litigation, pro- fessional liability, and employ- ment law. He has frequently acted as a prosecutor for the College of Nurses of Ontario and defend- ed physicians, individuals, and corporations in employment and commercial matters prior to join- ing Lenczner Slaght. "Eli and Matthew are fine litigators who are the future faces of our firm," said Peter Griffin, managing partner of Lenczner Slaght. "We are pleased and proud to welcome them as partners." LAWYERS SOUGHT FOR 100-KILOMETRE WALK Oxfam Canada is continuing to accept teams to compete in the upcoming Lawyers' Cup. The Lawyers' Cup is a friendly competition involving teams of four people aiming to finish a 100-kilometre walk in 48 hours. The competition is for who can finish in the fastest time. Teams participating must start the walk as a group, stick together during it, and finish at the same time. The money raised goes to Oxfam's humanitarian and devel- opment work around the globe. "I've been involved with Ox- "Hey, everybody! Oooog's invented provincial jurisdiction!" fam Trailwalker since its early days in Hong Kong and I've seen it grow into a global movement," said Randy Pepper of ADR Chambers in Toronto. u The INSIDE STORY "The team challenge aspect is unique to be sure, but the knowl- edge that all around the world, people are literally taking steps to end global poverty — and you are a tangible part of that — is really something to be proud of." To date, the fastest law firm in Canada reached 100 kilometres in less than 26 hours. This year, the walk will begin in Wasaga Beach, Ont., and fin- ish in Midland, Ont. It takes place July 13-15. The next information sessions for the walk will take place at 2 p.m. on March 24 at the North Toronto Community Cen- tre at 200 Eglinton Ave. W. For more information, visit oxfam.ca. LSUC RELEASES NEW GUIDES FOR LAWYERS The Law Society of Upper Canada has developed two new practice guides for law firms and legal organizations. The first deals with preventing harassment, discrimination, and violence in the legal workplace. It includes sample harassment, dis- crimination, and workplace vio- lence policies and procedures. The second guide relates to the provision of legal services in cases involving claims of sexual abuse. It aims to assist lawyers and para- legals in providing legal services to claimants in cases of sexual abuse who are pursuing compensation. The LSUC introduced the guides at Convocation on Jan. 26. They'll be available on the equity and diversity resources section of the law society's web site as of this month. HEENAN BLAIKIE TAKES ON 10 ONT. PARTNERS Ten Ontario lawyers have joined Heenan Blaikie LLP as partners. The new partners include To- ronto lawyers Neil Fineberg, Marco Gammone, Sarah Graves, Martha Harrison, Mi- chael Hollinger, Matt Link, Co- rey MacKinnon, and Rhonda Shirreff. In Ottawa, Louis-Pierre Grégoire and Sébastien Lor- quet have joined Heenan Blaikie's roster of partners. It total, the firm took on 14 new partners in Ontario and Que- bec last month. Besides the On- tario additions, Heenan Blaikie also took on three new partners in Montreal and one in Quebec City. In Montreal, the new partners are Marie Cousineau, Simon La- berge, and Jeremy Wisniewsky. Gilles Rancourt is the new part- ner in Quebec City. LT The title insurer that puts you front row, centre Putting the legal community front and centre has made us the #1 choice with Canadian lawyers for over a decade. Stewart Title does not support programs that reduce or eliminate the lawyer's role in real estate transactions. For more information call (888) 667-5151 or visit www.stewart.ca. Untitled-2 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 7/19/11 12:31:45 PM

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