Law Times

PAGE 16 WillBuilder Tel: 416.322.6111 Toll-free: 1.866.367.7648 doprocess com ntitled-2 1 The LAWYER GETS 30 DAYS TO SURRENDER LICENCE A Law Society of Upper Canada disciplinary panel has given a Cincinnati lawyer 30 days to turn in his licence or be disbarred. Th e decision comes after the panel found Steven Randy Solway to have engaged in professional misconduct. In particular, it sanctioned him for "acting in a way that failed to maintain the integrity of the profession when he directed that a portion of legal fees paid by a client, properly belonging to his employer, be diverted and paid directly to him be- tween October 2002 and April 2005." 'DEFEAT COULD HURT ALL PARALEGALS': YARMUS A paralegal proposing a con- troversial motion at the Law Society of Upper Canada's annual general meeting last week says he was erring on the side of caution when he with- drew the idea just before the vote. "A number of people were concerned that if this motion was brought forward and was defeated, the paralegal stand- ing committee in the law soci- ety would have diffi culty get- ting these items on the agenda in the foreseeable future," says Marshall Yarmus, adding he believes defeat was inevitable given the ratio of lawyers to paralegals eligible to vote on the motion. Th ere are 40,000 licensed lawyers in Ontario compared to a few thousand paralegals. "Defeat could hurt all the paralegals we're trying to help, so I decided to err on the side of caution," Yarmus adds. Th e motion called on the law society to look into ex- tending paralegal practice into family law matters. It was due to go to a vote at the law so- ciety event in Toronto last Wednesday, but Yarmus says he changed course after con- sulting with his colleagues at the Paralegal Society of On- tario's own annual general meeting last weekend. A legislated Reinventing the Will www 2/2/09 10:53:45 AM Inside Story review of the 2006 Access to Justice Act, which brought paralegals un- der the regulatory authority of the law society, is due to take place in 2012, but Yarmus says members of the paralegal standing committee have as- sured him they will tackle the scope of paralegal practice be- fore that date. LSUC GOES SOLO THIS WEEK Th e Law Society of Upper Canada plays host to its fi fth annual Solo and Small Firm Conference and Expo this Friday. Th e event, presented jointly with the Ontario Bar Asso- ciation, will for the fi rst time be available live via webcast, allowing solo practice lawyers the chance to view the opening plenary and fi ve other key ses- sions from the comfort of their own offi ces. All of the remain- ing sessions will be recorded and made available after the conference. Th e event will feature ses- sions on current trends, includ- ing smartphones and virtual offi ces as well as social media. HEENAN BLAIKIE TEAMS UP WITH STRONACH Heenan Blaikie LLP hosted a fundraiser last week to sup- port the work of the Belinda Stronach Foundation, a chari- table organization founded by the former MP. Stronach and Dragons' Den star Brett Wilson spoke at the event, which raised funds to address social, economic, and political challenges. "Th e [foundation] does important work, and Heenan Blaikie is honoured to be able to contribute to the founda- tion's endeavours to benefi t the lives of marginalized people, not only in Canada but around the world," said Norman Bacal, Heenan Blaikie's co-managing partner. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. "Ms. Jenson! There's no excuse for neglecting our responsibilities in the matter of Unicorp Industries v. Transcan Financial Services merely because it's springtime!" Visit us online! canadianlawyermag.com & lawtimesnews.com Fresh content delivered weekly. Canadian Lawyer | Law Times | 4Students | InHouse www.lawtimesnews.com Online Ad 1/8 5X.indd 1 12/16/09 9:59:00 AM NOW GIVE HIM A HAND, FOLKS! DALLAS, Texas — A teen "fascinated by death" has started his adult life on the wrong foot — literally. Daniel Wayne Staley, 18, is accused of breaking into a private Jewish cemetery, dig- ging up a grave, and using a hatchet to remove the foot from a corpse simply because he's "infatuated with death," according to Sgt. Bruce Mc- Donald of the homicide unit. At around 3:30 a.m. on April 30, police offi cers were approached by Staley, who al- legedly informed them he had a human foot in his bag. He said he had gotten the foot from a "Jew girl" in a grave he had dug up. After searching the bag and fi nding a small hatchet along with some fragments from the foot, the offi cers followed Staley to the cemetery, where he allegedly showed them the desecrated grave. Th e offi cers didn't have to go out on a limb to realize what was going on. Th ey ar- rested Staley on the spot. Perhaps not surprisingly, even Staley's own mother is disgusted by the alleged acts of her son, who suff ers from sev- eral mental illnesses, including schizophrenia. He refuses to take his medication regularly and, according to his mother, thinks his actions are "funny." "He's ready to get out [of ™ May 10, 2010 • Law TiMes Bizarre Briefs By Viola James prison] so he can do some- thing worse," she told the Dallas Morning News. Staley remains in custody, far away from cemeteries. GRANNY JAILED FOR OLD-TIME DISCIPLINE LARGO, Fla. — Let this story be a lesson to all grandparents out there: if your 18-year-old granddaughter is an abusive, spoiled brat, she may call the cops on you if you try to dis- cipline her. Th eresa Collier was just trying to help her grand- daughter, Felicia, when she invited her over to her house to use her computer for homework. It should be noted that Felicia is currently fi nishing her senior year of high school online because she was expelled from her Catholic school for telling a nun to "F-off ," 73-year-old Th eresa told Tampa Bay news channel 10 Connects. Th e f-word seems to be Fe- licia's favourite word, and she said it repeatedly to her grand- mother over the course of her visit. Finally, Th eresa had had enough. "She just went on and on, and I just got so upset, I got up and slapped her across the face," she said. Felicia responded by punching her granny in the face and then called the cops. When police arrived, they handcuff ed Th eresa and took her to the local jail, where she was processed like any other common criminal. According to Largo police Lt. Mike Loux, the force has a "mandatory arrest policy" for domestic violence calls, which is why Th eresa was forced to spend 24 hours in jail. SON STEALS PILLS, GETS MORE THAN SPANKING MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Wak- ing up to fi nd your grown son going through your un- derwear drawer would be creepy. But when Charlie Boyd's mom woke up during the early hours of April 28, that's exactly what she saw. Th e 28-year-old was alleg- edly trying to score himself some of his mom's Xanax, which she keeps hidden in her bra, according to the Com- mercial Appeal. When she confronted Boyd and tried to restrain him, he allegedly snatched the pills and ran off . She quickly called police, who found the suspect hid- ing under a neighbour's SUV when they arrived. A search of Boyd's bedroom allegedly turned up crack pipes, a needle, methamphet- amine on a spoon, and other drug paraphernalia. He also had another 22 Xanax pills, including 15 he had tried to hide in his sock wrapped in toilet paper. As a result, the apple of his mother's eye was charged with possession of a con- trolled substance with intent to sell and possession of drug paraphernalia. LT Seen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at viola.james@gmail. com.

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