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December 15, 2008

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PAGE 16 Enabling Lawyers through Technology Tel: 416.322.6111 Toll-free: 1.866.367.7648 Real Estate • Corporate • Estates www doprocess com The Inside Story AUDITOR TARGETS COURT SERVICES Ontario's Ministry of the Attor- ney General needs to put a stop to the increasing backlog in the prov- ince's courts, Auditor General Jim McCarter reported last week. "Despite increasing funding and initiatives by the Ministry of the Attorney General, the backlog in Ontario courts continues to grow and now stands at its highest level in 15 years, with some 106,000 criminal charges pending for more than eight months," read a release from the auditor general. McCarter said, "In a number of our value-for-money audits, we concluded there was insufficient oversight to ensure that Ontarians were getting the public services they need and value for their tax dollars." • for the Ontario Court of Jus- tice's judicial complement to compare to other provinces, "significantly more judges and justices of the peace" would have to be hired. New court fa- cilities and staff also need to be added; include: • In the past five years, criminal charges pending in the Ontario Court of Justice grew 17 per cent to over 275,000; The auditor general's findings • the ministry hasn't identified why it costs up to 43 per cent more to dispose of a case in the Toronto region versus other ar- eas of the province. The auditor general's report is online at www.auditor.on.ca. • the ministry hasn't adequately used technology to improve court efficiency; and • the ministry doesn't have enough information on why, in the past decade, the number of court appearances before a case goes to trial is up over 40 per cent; and McDougall, of Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP, will continue their North American practices with their respective firms here. Cherniak, a trial and appel- late counsel, is a member of the London Court of International Arbitration, the Canadian roster of arbitrators of the International Chamber of Commerce, and the ADR Institute of Canada, along with various other groups. McDougall, a civil litigator, is a member of the panel of Interna- tional Centre for Dispute Reso- lution, is immediate past chairman of the Canadian national arbitra- tion committee of the Interna- tional Chamber of Commerce, and is a Canadian representative to the International Chamber of Commerce Commission on Ar- bitration in Paris, as well as other organizations. from chambers," said Christopher Symons of 3 Verulam Buildings, the chamber the lawyers partnered with. "Having potential arbitrators from different jurisdictions gives parties a wider range of choice for the resolution of their disputes. Their addition will enhance the reputation of chambers, and we are looking forward to seeing more of them in London." 3 Verulam Buildings offers litigation and advisory services in commercial law, with an emphasis on banking, insurance, insolvency, financial services, professional neg- ligence, civil fraud, entertainment and media, IT and telecoms, and other commercial law. Cherniak, of Lerners LLP, HAPPY HOLIDAYS! SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Those big holiday lawn orna- ments are more than just for good looks, at least in the eyes of one California do-gooder. On U.S. Thanksgiving, Don- December 15, 2008 • Law Times Bizarre Briefs By Viola James ald Kercell had a few too many drinks and worked himself into a lather. He then apparently grabbed a knife, went outside, and started chasing and threaten- ing his neighbours. Sacramento Police Sgt. Norm Leong said Kercell swung the knife and went after some peo- ple, a few of whom suffered mi- nor injuries. A bystander grabbed a two- foot-long candy cane from someone's lawn and smacked the knife-wielding man with it, and disarmed him. Police found Kercell sprawled on the lawn when they arrived. He has been arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. So much for goodwill towards men. AT LEAST HE HAS GOOD MANNERS HOUSTON, Tex. — The FBI's bank theft squad in Texas' largest city are hunting for a well-man- nered thief. The suspect, who officials describe as a large black man, well over 250 pounds, and between six-feet to six-feet- three-inches tall, patiently stood in line to wait his turn at a Trust- mark Bank branch. the teller handed over some cash and the man thanked her. Once he got outside the bank, the rob- ber waved goodbye to the teller and other employees who were watching. There's no report on how much money he made off with. WHAT A CUTE LITTLE MONKEY SPOKANE, Wash. — Some people may describe their kids as cute little monkeys but Gypsy Lawson disguised her cute little monkey as a kid. dishes at the fast food outlet. And how, if the store was closed and the manager gone home, was this lusty prank dis- covered? On the Internet, of course. One of the teen girls involved in the affair posted pics on a so- cial networking site of her and her pals cavorting in the steaming water in their undies and swim- suits. The photos were filed in a gallery called "KFC moments." Captions included "haha KFC showers!" and "haha we turned on the jets." HE'S ALIVE! BUCHAREST, Romania — For the last year, Gheroghe Stirbu has been fighting with "the man" to prove that he's still alive. A year ago Stirbu, from the Lawson, 29, sedated a rhesus monkey and hid it under her blouse on a flight from Thailand to Los Angeles and claimed to be pregnant. She's now been con- victed of smuggling. Lawson got through U.S. Customs in L.A. with no prob- lem at the end of her November 2007 trip. She was only arrested after boasting to a clothing store clerk about her airport escapade. Her mother, Fran Ogren, who was on the flight from Bangkok as well, has also been convicted, but on a conspiracy charge. The two will be sentenced in March. The monkey is now at a pri- mate rescue facility in Oregon. When he got to the teller, he passed a threating note to her that demanded cash, said the FBI. Investigators told KPRC-TV A NEW TWIST ON THE CHICKEN DANCE ANDERSON, Calif. — What is there to do once your shift at the local Kentucky Fried Chicken is over? Well take a bath in the kitchen sink, of course. Three employess have been suspended for taking a dip in the big, deep sink used to clean town of Timisoara, tried to renew his identity card but was told by officials that he was registered as dead. Obviously, he tried to ar- gue the point. Stirbu did some investigating and found that civil servants had made a mix-up and declared him dead instead of the real dead guy. But local officials refused to admit their mistake until a year later, when Stribu won his court case and was finally declared alive by a judge. But as a final insult, the judge charged the beleagured man al- most $1,000 in court costs. According to Ananova, Stirbu said: "When the judge ruled in my favour I was absolutely de- lighted — and then seconds later was absolutely shocked when I found out I would have to pay so much in legal bills. "I will of course appeal the imposition of the costs but I am already beginning to wonder whether or not I would have been better off staying dead." LT Seen, heard, or been involved in a bizarre brief? Tell Viola James about it at viola.james@gmail.com. BOROVOY TO BE HONOURED Planning is underway for a send-off for civil liberties lawyer Alan Boro- voy, who is retiring after 40 years as general counsel for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. "He has given so much to this ARBITRATORS PARTNER WITH LONDON CHAMBER Lawyers Earl Cherniak and John McDougall have struck a partner- ship for their international com- mercial arbitration practice with a commercial barristers' chamber in London, England. "We are delighted that two such well-respected arbitrators are com- ing to join the existing group of international arbitrators practising country that we wanted to honour his important achievements and to see him off in style," said Edward Greenspan, master of ceremonies for the gala on April 28 at the Royal York Hotel. For sponsorship and reservation information, contact Caitlin Smith at csmith@ccla.org, or 416-363-0321. Proceeds will go to the Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust. LT For more Inside Story, please visit www.lawtimesnews.com. "But!...But!...She told me to take the stand!" 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

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