Law Times

Page 16 august 10, 2015 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com ROBERT BELL JOINS LERNERS Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's Robert Bell has left the firm to join Lerners LLP as a partner. "Rob is a highly respected senior litigation counsel. We are honoured to have him join Lerners and add strength and depth to many of our practice ar- eas," says Brian Grant, managing part- ner of Lerners in Toronto. "Rob brings a diverse practice and a solid reputation for collegiality and professionalism. In addition to his reputation for legal excellence, he is known as a trusted adviser and mentor to many." A civil litigator, Bell has expertise in product liability cases, class pro- ceedings, and complex commercial and defamation matters, according to Lerners. "I'm joining a terrific group of litigation counsel," said Bell. "I am looking forward to contributing at a senior level on a wide range of mandates including class action defence and commercial cases." COPS LED TO FUGITIVE BY ARTICLE ABOUT MOVIE OLYMPIA, Wash. — Appearing in a movie isn't a good idea if you're on the lam, a fugitive recently found out. Authorities have arrested a fugitive bank- robber-turned-actor in Washington state after U.S. agents spotted his picture in a newspaper article about a low-budget horror film in which he plays an evil doctor, an official said. Officers on a U.S. Marshals Service fugi- tive task force saw Jason Stange's picture in the Olympian newspaper's feature last week on the horror movie Marla Mae, said Jack Williams, chief deputy for the agency's western district of Washington state. The officers, who had been tracking his dis- appearance for several months, identified him by the photo and a unique forearm tattoo, said Williams. Marshals tracked him from a filming location to a store in Olympia, where they ar- rested him without incident, he said. Stange received a sentence of almost 10 years in prison and five years of supervised release in 2006 after pleading guilty to armed bank rob- bery, said Williams. He had been free on super- vised release since 2014, but officials had been looking for him after he walked away from a halfway house in Spokane, Wash. Brandon Roberts, the film's producer, said he didn't know Stange was a fugitive and that he wouldn't have cast him if he had known about his past. "This is a small-budget movie," he said. The filming process is "a short blast of work, 12 hours a day, every single day. You get to know people well in a professional sense — what is their work ethic, do they show up on time — but beyond that, we didn't know anything about his background." Roberts added: "He did a good job. He was friendly. Well liked. We didn't know he was a criminal or anything like that." Stange plays the role of Dr. Lourdes, an evil physician who targets the protagonist, in the film slated for release in 2016, said Roberts. TOWN OFFICIAL CHARGED FOR PAINTING CROSSWALKS BILLERICA, Mass. — Was it an act of public service or an example of improperly taking the law into your own hands? That's the question as a Massachusetts town selectman who painted over fading crosswalks in his town in response to complaints from constituents faces criminal charges for his ef- forts. George Simolaris, a selectman in Billerica, said he fixed the problem himself after he grew tired of constituents asking when the town would freshen up the white paint. He said he bought cans of green paint, ref lecting the town's official colour, and spent the weekend painting over six faded crosswalks. "All I've heard for months is: 'When is this go- ing to get done?'" said Simolaris. "I got sick of it." Police and town officials said painting the street without authorization was illegal and charged him with two counts of destruction of property, according to Billerica police spokes- man Roy Frost. Town manager John Curran said the town was in the midst of a $400,000 pedestrian safety project that requires digging up the street and includes some of the crosswalks in question. He added that Simolaris would have to repay the $4,000 cost of cleaning up the paint, which he said had chipped and smeared. "His job is to uphold laws, not break them," said Curran. "He has no respect for the governmental process." Simolaris defended his actions. "I'm just trying to do right by the people in my town," he said. "I didn't think I was intervening in other people's day-to-day activities or doing any- thing wrong." LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story SUDBURY LAWYER DISBARRED The Law Society Tribunal has disbarred Sudbury, Ont., lawyer Helen Florentis. Florentis' acts of misconduct include failing to serve five clients; misleading and failing to account to a client; practising while a sus- pension order was in effect during July and August 2011; and advis- ing parties and counsel that she had obtained an order to transfer a matter to Sudbury when that wasn't the case. According to a summary of the July 21 order, Florentis also failed to co-operate with two in- vestigations by the Law Society of Upper Canada. POLL RESULTS The results of the latest Law Times online poll are in. According to the poll, 49 per cent of respondents believe a re- cent constitutional challenge of Bill C-51 is likely to succeed. The poll follows a July 27 story about the challenge brought be- fore the Ontario Superior Court of Justice by the Canadian Civil Liberties Association and Cana- dian Journalists for Free Expres- sion. The challenge targets five components of Bill C-51: three sets of amendments to existing laws — the Canadian Security Intelligence Service Act, the Im- migration and Refugee Protection Act, and the Criminal Code — and two new pieces of legislation — the Secure Air Travel Act and the Security of Canada Informa- tion Sharing Act. Only 10 per cent of respon- dents felt the challenge is likely to fail while the remaining par- ticipants in the poll believe the courts will uphold some aspects of the law and reject others. CLINIC FUNDING ANNOUNCED Legal Aid Ontario has an- nounced new funding for legal clinics based on the needs of the particular areas they serve. Last month, LAO announced it would provide $1.5 million in funding to support legal clin- ics serving areas with the high- est number of people living in poverty. The need-based allocation of funds means that, so far, clinics such as Kensington-Bellwoods Community Legal Services in Toronto have seen no increase in funding while the Community Legal Clinic of York Region is getting a 65-per-cent boost in fi- nancial support. The allocation strategy recog- nizes the inequalities in funding that have developed as poverty has shifted, said Cynthia Harper, LAO's director general for the To- ronto central district. "Poverty has moved," said Harper. "The money is being al- located where the greatest need is." In the Greater Toronto Area, that means funding will follow poverty in areas such as Scar- borough, Brampton, Etobicoke, North York, and Mississauga, ac- cording to Harper. "Some clinics were finding that they had to serve this great num- ber of people but they didn't have the same financial resources per low-income person," said LAO spokeswoman Genevieve Oger. "So legal aid has opted to in- crease the financial resources of clinics that have the fewest resourc- es per low-income person." LT Robert Bell "So I told them, 'Just put it here! We'll avoid any lawsuits and I'll still get home delivery.'" 2015 ONTARIO LAWYER'S PHONE BOOK THE MOST COMPLETE DIRECTORY OF ONTARIO LAWYERS, LAW FIRMS, JUDGES AND COURTS Perfectbound Published December each year On subscription $77 One time purchase $80 L88804-677 Multiple copy discounts available . Plus applicable taxes and shipping & handling. (prices subject to change without notice) With more than 1,400 pages of essential legal references, Ontario Lawyer's Phone Book is your best connection to legal services in Ontario. Subscribers can depend on the credibility, accuracy and currency of this directory year after year. 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