Law Times

June 18, 2018

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Page 16 June 18, 2018 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "Gosh! No wonder the Law Society frowns on commercial associations with Florida-based client-referral services." COW ESCAPES DEATH SENTENCE AFTER OUTCRY SOFIA — Bulgaria agreed on June 11 to spare the life of Penka the cow after plans to kill her for crossing European Union borders without paperwork triggered an international outcry, reports Reuters. Penka wandered away from her herd near the Bulgarian village of Mazarachevo last month and walked out of the bloc into neighbouring Serbia. When she was returned two weeks later, au- thorities said she would have to be put down as she had violated guidelines under which ani- mals entering the European Union have to have papers verifying their health. Penka's plight prompted protests on social media, particularly in Britain where euroscep- tic campaigners and publications held her up as a victim of Brussels bureaucracy. Animal rights campaigners, including for- mer Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, signed petitions asking Bulgaria to save the five-year-old animal. The Bulgarian Food Safety Agency agreed to review the case and said on June 11 that lab tests had given her a clean bill of health. "It is expected the animal will be allowed back to her former home in the village of Maz- arachevo by the end of the week," the agency said in a statement. "I read the moos today oh boy! HUGE HUGE HUGE PENKA NEWS. SHE WILL LIVE!!!!!!!!!," tweeted James Crisp, a journal- ist with Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper, mangling one of the Beatles' best-known songs as he celebrated the announcement. A STEAL AT $25 MILLION PARIS — An 18th-century Chinese vase found in a shoebox in an attic in France sold for 16.2 million euros ($24.8 million) at auction in Paris on June 12, reports Reuters. The price was more than 20 times the esti- mate of 500,000 euros to 700,000 euros auc- tioneers Sotheby's had put on the item. It was the highest price reached for a single item sold by Sotheby's in France. The vase spent some of its life stashed in an attic with other items that formed part of an inheritance. A French family retrieved the vase and brought it to the auctioneer. "This person [the seller] took the train, then the metro and walked on foot through the doors of Sotheby's and into my office with the vase in a shoebox protected by newspaper," Sotheby's Asian arts expert Olivier Valmier told Reuters. "When she put the box on my desk and we opened it, we were all stunned by the beauty of the piece." The 30-centimetre, bulb-shaped vase, paint- ed in delicate shades of green, blue, yellow and purple, was described as an exceptionally well- preserved porcelain vessel made for an emperor of the Qing dynasty. It bears a mark of the Qian- long Emperor who ruled China from 1736 to 1796. PROTESTORS STAGE BEE FUNERAL PARIS — Bee keepers and environmental activ- ists staged a mock funeral in Paris on June 8 for bees, to protest against the pesticides they say are killing insects crucial for the ecosystem. Some protesters, wearing bee keepers masks and overalls, lay motionless in coffins while others stood, heads bowed in respect, as a bugle played during the ceremony on a patch of gar- den near Les Invalides museum. Green campaigners say bee colonies in west- ern Europe have been ravaged by the use of neo- nicotinoids, a group of pesticides based on the chemical structure of nicotine. Bee keepers in France have pressed the gov- ernment to take more action to protect their livelihoods. "It's been talked about for 20 years now, but nothing's been done about it," said one cam- paigner. LT NEW ADVOCATES' SOCIETY EXECUTIVE Brian Gover of Stockwoods LLP is the new president of The Advocates' Society. Joining Gover on the society's executive for 2018-2019 are Scott Maidment of McMillan LLP as vice president, Guy Pratte with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP as treasurer and Deborah Palter with Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP, who will be sec- retary. Gover said he's looking for- ward to the role. "The society has a long history of serving advocates and the ad- ministration of justice, and it has a bright future," he said in a news release. "I am looking forward to working with everyone over the next 12 months, meeting advocates and judges from across the country and helping to realize The Advocates' Society's vision of excellence in ad- vocacy and the highest standards of professionalism within a fair and accessible system of justice." COSTS FOR GROIA The Law Society of Ontario announced on June 8 that it had reached an agreement with Jo- seph Groia for costs he would receive, after a ruling early this month by the Supreme Court of Canada dismissed com- plaints against him. "Mr. Groia will receive $550,000 to address his costs at all levels of the Law Society Tribunal, as well as the Courts. This agreement brings all is- sues regarding the Law Society's proceedings with Mr. Groia to a close," said a release on the Law Society of Ontario website. "Mr. Groia is an honourable member of the Bar and serves as a valued member of Convoca- tion. The Law Society is pleased to reach an agreement and con- clude this matter." CBA WEBINAR A Canadian Bar Association webinar will be focused on the legal framework for federal transgender prisoners. "The Correctional Service of Canada has recently imple- mented policies to improve the human rights of transgender prisoners, including allowing placement in men's or women's prisons by gender identity, fol- lowing similar policy changes made by some provincial cor- rectional authorities," says the Canadian Bar Association web- site. "These changes come 17 years after the Canadian Hu- man Rights Tribunal con- firmed that sex-reassignment surgery cannot be prohibited while an individual is incarcer- ated, in 2001." More information is available at http://www.cbapd.org. The webinar is scheduled to take place June 21. It will cost $125 for CBA members and $250 for non- members. 32 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE YES, I AGREE 68 % LAW TIMES POLL The lawyer at the centre of the civility debate in the profession, Joseph Groia, says the Su- preme Court of Canada has sent a message to law societies that there should be very care- ful deliberations before initiat- ing disciplinary proceedings in a similar situation. Readers were asked if they agreed. About 32 per cent said no, the Law Society of Ontario proceeded in the best interests of the profession. About 68 per cent said yes, the Law Society of Ontario made some abominable choices in this matter. LT Just like our New Home Program New Condo Select is quick and easy Selected new condominium developments in Ontario qualify for an easy title insurance 1 application process. 1 The TitlePLUS policy is underwritten by Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company (LAWPRO ® ). Please refer to the policy for full details, including actual terms and conditions. To learn more, call 1-800-410-1013 or visit titleplus.ca ® Registered trademark of Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company. © 2018 Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company Lawyers' Professional Indemnity Company (LAWPRO ® ) 250 Yonge Street, Suite 3101, P.O. Box 3, Toronto, ON M5B 2L7 • Prepopulated underwriting • Streamlined searches • Saves time and money Untitled-4 1 2018-06-14 1:05 PM Brian Gover of Stockwoods LLP is the new president of The Advocates' Society.

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