Law Times

PAGE 20 WillBuilder Tel: 416.322.6111 Toll-free: 1.866.367.7648 doprocess com ntitled-2 1 The Reinventing the Will www Inside Story FMC BAILS BIG APPLE Almost seven years after open- ing its New York office, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP has given up its prestigious digs at One Rockefeller Plaza. "We kind of came to the conclusion that we weren't using that office space to the point where it was worth carry- ing on paying for it," says Mi- chel Brunet, FMC's chairman and chief executive officer. FMC left the space it had been subletting from a larger firm in March, a move prompt- ed in part by the need to cut costs as the recession takes a heavy toll on corporate work in places like New York. But as Brunet points out, the move won't mean layoffs of any law- yers since none of them actu- ally lived there. "We had a rep- resentative office there and one person that was permanently based in New York who was a business development person." Instead, Brunet says firm lawyers will continue to do much of their cross-border work virtually through what he calls a continental strat- egy. That means, for example, that FMC's Vancouver office handles clients in California mainly in the entertainment industry, while its Calgary of- fice heads up the firm's energy business in Texas. In Eastern Canada, meanwhile, Canadian lawyers take charge of business in the financial sector stem- ming from places like New York and Chicago. "They're still doing the same thing ex- cept they don't go to the office anymore," Brunet says. Jeff Barnes, the former FMC managing partner in New York now with Heenan Blai- kie LLP in Toronto, says the U.S. office was primarily about increasing the firm's presence in order to attract more cross- border work. "You need some regularity and some visibility," he notes, adding that the vir- tual model can still accomplish that goal. "Really, you can go down and see the same people by flying down and having a hotel room." 2/2/09 10:53:45 AM NEW BLOOD AT CBA Nova Scotia lawyer Trinda Ernst has been elected second vice president of the Canadian Bar Association, putting her on track to assuming the presiden- cy of the CBA in 2011. "I offer my congratula- UK JUDGE SACKED FOR RUDENESS TO LAWYERS LONDON, England — "Inap- propriate, petulant, and rude" behaviour to lawyers in her court resulted in Judge Marga- ret Short getting the boot from the bench. It's the first judicial sacking in decades, according to The Times, and comes on the heels of an investigation launched in 2006. Short was removed last week tions to Trinda on her suc- cessful campaign," said CBA president Guy Joubert, in a release. "She brings not only excellent skills but also exten- sive experience with the CBA to the association's leadership. She will be invited to attend meetings of the executive offi- cers and the national board so that she is fully briefed when she takes office." The news means that Ernst will become the fifth woman to act as president of the CBA. Ernst was called to the bar in 1984 and has been a member of the CBA for 28 years. Since 1992, she has been a partner in the 10-lawyer firm Waterbury Newton, where she practises wills and estates, elder law, cor- porate/commercial law, and real estate law. She currently is vice chair- woman of the CBA's women lawyers forum and a member of the elder law section execu- tive committee. She was branch president of CBA Nova Scotia in 1999-2000. STIKEMANS CALGARY GIVES AWAY SAPLINGS The Calgary office of Stikeman Elliott LLP has marked its ac- complishment of becoming the first national law firm to have its Canadian offices certi- fied carbon neutral by handing out 2,500 tree saplings. "We are excited that we have taken this on as a long-term commitment and challenge to reduce the environmental im- pact of our operations," said managing partner Lou Cusa- no regarding the firm's Going- Green Program, in a release. "We are proud to do our part in addressing this important en- vironmental issue." LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com "It was your idea to try no-alternative dispute resolution! You'll hear from my lawyer!" WHICH DIRECTION IS BEST FOR YOU? RainMaker Group 110 Yonge Street, Suite 1101 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1T4 Untitled-7 1 Tel: 416-863-9543 Fax: 416-863-9757 www.rainmakergroup.ca www.lawtimesnews.com 5/29/08 1:05:49 PM by the Lord Chancellor and the Lord Chief Justice after a "his- tory of complaints." The investigation found the judge also had taken annual va- cation when told not to, refused to hand over papers to assist the investigation into her behaviour, and made serious "untrue" alle- gations against support staff. In a statement, a spokesman for the Office for Judicial Com- plaints said: "This investigation looked at various complaints and found that her behaviour had been inappropriate, petu- lant, and rude with regard to one incident, and intemperate and ill-judged with regard to another." JAILBIRD IS TWEETING DETROIT — A man who spent five months in Michi- gan's Washtenaw County Jail in 2008 is now out and sharing his experiences on Twitter. "I had never been in trouble with the law before. Here's what I experienced — 140 characters ™ Bizarre May 4, 2009 • Law TiMes Briefs By Viola James at a time," he says in his profile. The unnamed convict start- ed tweeting on April 27 and as of this writing it's unclear what his crime was. He does note that he felt his lawyer put the nail in the coffin through comments made to the judge, who then put the man on suicide watch before send- ing him to prison. "I was to learn what Washt- enaw County Jail's 'suicide watch' is. Inmates call it 'Bam Bam.' And it's a human rights violation," he writes in one of his early posts. throw me a Velcro 'Bam-Bam' suit, slippers, and I say so long to street clothes for five months. "My cellmates were wearing Later on, he says: "They 'Bam-Bam' suits. One of them was a muscular, older black man, the other a young white kid detoxing from heroin." He assures followers his story is not fiction. "I will only change names of inmates. I haven't decided if I should name officers. Lawyers? Advice?" Follow him at twitter.com/ washtenawjail. DON'T PUT YOUR ZIP CODE IN THE AMOUNT BOX SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — It took Tom and Mar- guerite Nunn seven years to sort out a mistake they made when making a donation to a local animal sanctuary. The couple claimed they meant only to donate $130 to the Zoo to You sanctuary but their computer accidentally put their zip code, 93447, in the spot where the dollar amount was supposed to be. The case was settled for an undisclosed amount just days before it was set to go to trial. Marguerite Nunn told The Tribune of San Luis Obispo that she does not believe either she and her husband or Zoo to You president David Jackson were happy with the settlement. Early on, Jackson acknowl- edged the mistake and returned $30,000 to the couple, accord- ing to court records. But he claimed the rest of the $93,447 had already been spent. He eventually returned an additional $12,000 in in- stallments, but then the pay- ments stopped, according to the court filings. So the Nunns decided to sue. SINNER BY DEED NOT NAME LINCOLN, Neb. — Jonathan L. Thomas may have committed sins, but a judge won' change his name to "Sinner." Court documents show the t let him 23-year-old cited his Norse re- ligion in seeking to change his name to Sinner Lawrence Bil- skirnir. He says he "is a heathen and Thor is his 'High God.'" But Lancaster County Dis- trict Judge Steve Burns denied the request. He said government agencies will need to closely track Thomas because of his criminal record and three child- support cases against him. Thomas is serving time in jail for burglary, receiving stolen property, and drug possession. LT

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