Law Times

Page 16 OctOber 15, 2018 • Law times www.lawtimesnews.com u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "I SAID, 'It can be difficult to find office space that is affordable yet in a good location, and that conveys the right message to potential clients.'" DOG OWNERS DEMAND BREXIT 'WOOFERENDUM' LONDON — Around 1,000 dogs and their owners marched on Britain's parliament on Oct. 7, demanding an end to Brexit via a second vote on the terms of the country's exit from the European Union, reports Reuters. Organizers of the so-called "Wooferendum" campaign argued that animals would suffer from leaving the EU, saying there would be a shortage of vets and a rise in pet food costs. Bulldogs, both English and French breeds, were among those that walked through central London to Parliament Square. The march backed a wider campaign for a "People's Vote" on Brexit, at which Britons would have the chance to vote on whatever Brexit deal Prime Minister Theresa May is able to bring back from Brussels. At several "Pee Stations" along the route, dogs were encouraged to urinate on images of Brexiteers such as former foreign minister Boris Johnson and former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage — key faces in the 2016 Brexit referendum campaign. BILL TO FIX TRAFFIC SIGN TYPOS NEW YORK — When a typo appears on a road sign, fixing the error can take more than 50 years. Last week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill to fix a 54-year-old howler on traffic signs to the bridge named for Giovan- ni da Verrazzano, the 16th-century Italian ex- plorer who sailed into New York Harbor. Generations of literate drivers in New York City have done a double take when passing the sign reading "Verrazano" — with a missing "z" — directing traffic to the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, connecting the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. The legislation authorizes fixing that typo and nearly 100 others scattered around the state during regularly scheduled maintenance, New York officials said. The botched name was due to a typographical error in an original con- struction contract, says Gerard Kassar, chief of staff for state Senator Martin Golden, a Repub- lican from Brooklyn who backed the Verraz- zano bill. On the Jersey Shore, officials are wasting lit- tle time in erasing the embarrassing error in the spelling of Lavallette on a sign directing drivers to the family-friendly beach town. The original contractor hired by the state will insert a sec- ond "l" in a new sign that should be installed within the next two weeks, says Judith Drucker, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Transportation. Meanwhile, in Ohio, a contractor who made an error on a recently installed "Cinicinnati" sign in Columbus fixed the typo this month, says Matt Bruning, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Transportation. WANTED: CAT CHIEF MOSCOW — It was an unusual job advertise- ment, reports Reuters. Wanted: Cat chief. Loca- tion: Zelenogradsk, Russia: Duties: Tending to the town's approximately 70 stray cats. Some 80 applicants applied for the new role with the municipality in the small town in the Kaliningrad region, which has also erected a cat statue and added a feline to its emblem in a bid to rebrand itself as Russia's foremost cat-loving community. In the end, local resident Svetlana Logunova was appointed guardian of the town's felines. To help her with the task, she was given a bicycle and uniform, including a bright green jacket, black bow tie and hat. She has been given a monthly budget to ensure all the seaside com- munity's cats are happy, dishing out food, strokes and free rides in the basket on her bike. "I alone cannot care for every single one and a helping hand would go a long way," Logunova says. LT LAWYERS PLEDGE SUPPORT FOR EMBATTLED JUDGE Thirty-six Thunder Bay, Ont. lawyers signed a public letter pledging support for Justice Pat- rick Smith, who has been ac- cused of misconduct by the Judi- cial Conduct Committee of the Canadian Judicial Council. A CJC report said Smith may need to be removed from the bench as he "engaged in mis- conduct by accepting a position as interim dean without consid- ering the possible public contro- versy associated with the reaction from the chiefs of First Nations and without considering the political environment or the potential effect on the prestige of judicial office." The controversy around Smith stems from the April 2018 resig- nation of Angelique EagleWoman, who had served as dean at the Bora Laskin Faculty of Law at Lakehead University — and was the first Indigenous dean of law at a Canadian university — since January 2016. EagleWoman said she faced systemic discrimination at Lake- head and, following her resignation, First Nations leaders "called on the university to rescind the appointment" of Smith as her temporary replacement. Neil McCartney, a partner at Atwood Labine LLP in Thunder Bay, says he helped organize a letter supporting Smith, who has been a "stalwart" of Thunder Bay's legal community for many years. "We think the way he is being treated by the judicial council is wrong, full stop," McCartney says, calling the review of Smith "outra- geous." FIRMS SEEK EXPERIENCED ASSOCIATES About one-third of law firms in the U.S. and Canada are looking to hire lawyers with minimum book of business of $250,000 to $500,000, according to a new survey by Robert Half Legal. The survey found "a critical need for experienced associ- ates to help them expand high- demand practice groups," said Robert Half Legal, a legal staff- ing and consulting firm. BARBEAU NAMED CHAIRMAN Stikeman Elliott LLP elected Montreal-based corporate fi- nance lawyer Marc Barbeau for a three-year term as chair- man, the firm said last week. Barbeau will replace Toronto corporate commercial lawyer and senior partner Bill Braith- waite, who was chairman for six years, Stikeman Elliott said. The firm also appointed se- curities lawyer Curtis Cusina- to as co-managing partner in Toronto, where he will join Anne Ristic, a corporate and securities lawyer. It has also appointed War- ren Katz as managing partner in the Montreal regional office and Chrysten Perry as man- aging partner in the Calgary regional office. 55 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE YES, I AGREE 45 % LAW TIMES POLL Law Times asked readers if there will be an increase in the number of professional disci- plinary cases that emerge fol- lowing complaints by marijua- na users, pending legalization of recreational cannabis. About 45 per cent responded that legalization will mean an increase in the number of pro- fessional disciplinary cases initi- ated by marijuana users. Around 55 per cent said there will be a decrease in com- plaints, because of a more wide- spread availability of cannabis overall. 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 Neil McCartney says the review of Justice Patrick Smith by the Judicial Conduct Committee is 'outrageous.'

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