Law Times

May 12, 2008

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PAGE 2 NEWS MAY 12/19, 2008 / LAW TIMES Case a cautionary tale for the profession Continued from page 1 Strug eventually admitted to misleading the client after a news- paper reporter went to the school board and client regarding in- formation in a press release. The client sent out the release to get publicity over what she believed to be the school board's failure to comply with court orders, but it turned out that Strug never in fact pursued the matters and no such orders existed. That client reported Strug's jobsinlaw.ca COUNTY OF CARLETON LAW ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THE ORGANIZATION The County of Carleton Law Association is an association of over 1300 lawyers in the City of Ottawa. The objectives of the Association are: • Providing an accessible, quality law library to its members • Providing quality and affordable continuing legal education programmes to Ottawa and Eastern Ontario lawyers • Advancing the interests of its members in the practice of law • Promoting liaisons among its members, the judiciary, and the government of the day • Providing guidance and leadership to its members in dealing with the challenges facing the profession • Promoting collegiality among its members in the interests of the profession The Association is governed by an elected board of volunteer Trustees. In addition to the Executive Director, the Association has a staff of 7 to 8 employees. THE CANDIDATE The Association is seeking an Executive Director who will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of its operations. Required qualifi cations are: • Possess at least one post-secondary degree from an accredited university • Have experience with not-for-profi t organizations and working with a volunteer board of directors. • Have some law-related experience and an understanding of the legal system. • Have experience in administration • Have experience and knowledge of human resources principles • Have experience and knowledge of budgeting and accounting principles • Have excellent communication skills • Have excellent interpersonal skills • Be capable of implementing the policies and program of the Board of Trustees • Be a motivated, progressive team leader Desirable qualifi cations include • bilingualism • experience in an educational environment THE JOB Please refer to the Association website for a full job description. www.ccla.ottawa.on.ca CONFIDENTIALITY OF ALL APPLICATIONS IS ASSURED Interested candidates should forward their resumes and salary expectations BEFORE MAY 23, 2008 to: Heather Williams President County of Carleton Law Association c/o Cavanagh Williams 401-111 Prince of Wales Drive Ottawa, ON K2C 3T2 hwilliams@cavanaghwilliams.com conduct to the law society in Oc- tober 2005. Other matters that Strug failed to pursue despite being re- tained by clients include a matter involving a high school student's alleged wrongful suspension; a wrongful dismissal action in- volving a First Nations band; a civil litigation case involving damages sustained in a house fire; a series of litigation matters for a client seeking to reverse a default judgment and garnish- ment order; another wrongful dismissal matter; and a civil ac- tion against a school board over funding for an autistic child. Strug also was reprimanded for failing to act in good faith with law firm partner Beth Symes, whom he misled about the status of files. It was also revealed in the state- ment of facts that Strug, contrary to law firm policy, had stored elec- tronic documents on a personal computer drive that wasn't acces- sible to other lawyers. "This practice had the effect conduct can't easily be explained by any major mental illness. "In my opinion, Jonathan's ac- tions were unconsciously driven, self-defeating acts perpetrated by him at a time when he was severely depressed, emotionally exhausted, and professionally burned out," the report states. "This was con- sequent to a one and a half year trial that had him working seven days a week and at times up to 22 hours a day." At the hearing, Trudell argued of allowing the lawyer's 'phantom' work to proceed undetected," ac- cording to the statement. While Strug didn't attend the hearing, he expressed re- morse in a statement. "I am currently in a very fragile emotional and psychological state and for this reason feel that it is best to convey these thoughts in writing," said Strug in the letter. "I do not have words that can possi- bly express the depth of regret that I feel for the harm that my actions have caused to my former clients, former colleagues, and other indi- viduals in my life who placed their trust and faith in me and who I let down so completely." He goes on to write, "I would also like to apologize to the law society and the legal profession in Ontario generally for behaving in such a disgraceful way." Strug, who is currently work- ing part time as a warehouse labourer, has been attending ses- sions with a psychologist about four times a week since Febru- ary, according to a letter from therapist Jon Novick. A medical report by Dr. Mark Ben-Aron, a forensic psychiatrist and assistant professor at the Uni- versity of Toronto's department of psychiatry, states that Strug's mis- Vice-President, Legal MTS Allstream Inc. ("MTS Allstream") is a wholly owned subsidiary of Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. ("MTS"), and is one of Canada's leading national communication solutions providers, delivering innovative products and services through the Enterprise Solutions and Consumer Markets divisions. The Enterprise Solutions Division offers customers a portfolio of technology solutions, including Internet protocol connectivity, unified communications, IT consulting and security services, and voice and data connectivity services. The Consumer Markets Division offers next generation wireless, high-speed Internet and data, digital television and wireline voice services, as well as security and alarm monitoring services. MTS' common shares are listed on The Toronto Stock Exchange. MTS Allstream is seeking an experienced lawyer to assist the Chief Legal Officer with his duties and responsi- bilities, including providing legal support to and management of the company's legal departments in Winnipeg and Toronto from their head office in Winnipeg, Manitoba. This newly created role will report to the Chief Legal Officer & Corporate Secretary of MTS and MTS Allstream. As a manager and a practicing lawyer, the Vice-President, Legal will provide timely, proactive and cost-effective legal advice and services on a wide variety of business and operational matters, compliance, and corporate policies and practices. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 8 to 12 years of corporate/commercial law experience gained from a top tier law firm or in-house legal department. A comprehensive knowledge of the telecommu- nications industry and proven leadership skills are definite assets. With a competitive compensation package, including relocation costs, this position with MTS Allstream offers an exciting and challenging opportunity. Please contact in complete confidence Coreen Lawton or Adam Lepofsky (both Canadian qualified lawyers). coreenl@rainmakergroup.ca adaml@rainmakergroup.ca As this is an exclusive assignment with RainMaker Group, all resumes sent directly to MTS Allstream will be re-directed to RainMaker Group. RainMaker Group 110 Yonge Street, Suite 1101 Toronto, Ontario M5C 1T4 Tel: 416-863-9543 Fax: 416-863-9757 www.rainmakergroup.ca www.lawtimesnews.com RM_LAWTIMES_MTSAllstream_050208.indd 1 5/2/08 9:34:30 AM Bestcase Oyster (LT 1-8x2).indd 1 5/8/08 10:52:03 AM Strug's former clients, naming he and his former law firm as defendants, are ongoing at Su- perior Court. Lawyer Selwyn Pieters, who to allow Strug to voluntarily sur- render his licence, but the panel, led by law society Bencher Brad Wright, found that the potential harm to the public's confidence in the legal profession by doing so would be too great. A pair of civil cases involving is representing the family of Corey Hlywka in one of those cases, says he's unaware of an- other case in Canada similar to Strug's misconduct. "The conduct alleged here is unheard of," says Pieters. "There's no precedence for it." Carolyn Borgstadt, who was misled by Strug regarding his work on a case involving her son, says the incident damaged her confidence in lawyers. "It's made me question ev- erything, to the point where I have another lawyer who is having trouble dealing with me because I'm questioning ev- erything she's doing, because I don't trust her," says Borgstadt. But she says the hearing pan- el's decision to terminate Strug's licence has reclaimed some of that trust. "I have a better trust in the whole law profession now than I did for the past two and a half years, because everything is about lawyers — the law society, LawPro, everything. You couldn't get away from it. But I think they did the right thing." LT CANADA LAW BOOK's law reports and case summaries are no longer available on Quicklaw LexisNexis. Find them, instead, in BestCase, a web-based research service containing Canada's leading law reports and renowned case summary services as well as a comprehensive collection of unreported decisions dating back to 1977, and a case citator feature. Contact your Account Manager for pricing and more information www.canadalawbook. Canada Law Book is A Division of The Cartwright Group Ltd. LT0508

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