Law Times

Page 16 January 6, 2014 • Law Times u The u Bizarre Briefs InsIde story By Viola James LAWYER DISCIPLINED FOR 20-YEAR LICENCE LAPSE WASHINGTON — It seems you can fail to renew your licence for 20 years and not suffer too badly for it. According to the The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times, former Department of Justice lawyer Laura Heiser has received an admonition for failing to maintain a law licence and giving false information about her status with the bar. Heiser said her failure to pay her bar dues was unintentional, according to The BLT report citing the informal admonition letter. An informal admonition is the least severe discipline penalty. Heiser was a lawyer with the department from 1986 to January 2013. A lawyer with the antitrust division, she rarely appeared in court, according to The BLT. Her membership with the Ohio bar lapsed in 1989 and she became an inactive member of the Washington bar in 1990, the blog reported. GLASSES DEFLECT SHOOTER'S BULLET SEATTLE — Who needs a bullet-proof vest when glasses will do the job? According to Reuters, a teenage girl avoided serious injury when her glasses deflected a bullet fired during a drive-by shooting at her Seattle home. The 16-year-old girl was asleep on her living room couch at about 9:40 p.m. when shots were fired from a dark-coloured sedan as it passed her house, said Seattle police spokesman Det. Mark Jamieson. Several bullets went through the walls of the house and one through the front window, Jamieson said. One of the bullets struck the bridge of the teen's glasses. She suffered only minor injuries. "She is very, very fortunate," said Jamieson. According to Reuters, police believe the incident was likely a gang-related shooting but suggested the girl wasn't the intended victim. WOMAN APPEALS FORCED CIRCUMCISION RULING JERUSALEM — A woman is looking to clip a rabbinical court's authority to make her circumcize her son. According to Reuters, an Israeli woman has appealed to the Supreme Court of Israel against a rabbinical ruling ordering her to circumcize her one-year-old son. There's no law in Israel making circumcision obligatory for Jews, but a rabbinical court presiding over the woman's divorce case ruled recently she must fulfil her husband's wish in the matter. It fined her 500 shekels ($153) a day until she did so. Rabbinical courts in Israel have jurisdiction over matters of marriage and divorce and operate under the Justice Ministry. But in her appeal, the woman said the rabbis had no jurisdiction over her son's circumcision. "This is precedent-setting," said Amnon Givoni, a lawyer for the Justice Ministry's legal aid department that's representing the woman along with two other lawyers. "Performing or not performing circumcision is a serious matter and it should be discussed deeply . . . and separately from the matter of the couple's divorce." In their ruling, the presiding rabbis said the woman was using her refusal to circumcize her son as leverage against her husband. The couple began divorce proceedings when the baby was one month old and in the time that has passed, the ruling said, the woman has been standing in the way of her husband who wants to fulfil one of the most important Jewish edicts. Jewish law, the rabbis said, puts the onus on the father to see his son is circumcized. But the mother says circumcision is tantamount to physical abuse. "I don't believe in religious coercion," she told Channel 2 News last month. LT "Quick! Rewrite the Species at Risk Act." BAIL PROGRAM SET TO EXPAND A bail verification and supervision program will soon be available in 17 communities across Ontario after the government selected the John Howard Society of Kingston & District to offer it in the Kingston, Ont., area. The program helps people accused of criminal offences who aren't a threat to society but don't have the social or financial means to meet bail requirements. The John Howard Society will John Gerretsen supervise these clients and ensure they attend all court appearances and meet all conditions of their bail. According to the Ministry of the Attorney General, the program will be available in 17 communities across Ontario once the Kingston program begins operating early this year. "Our government is committed to improving access to justice for all Ontarians and ensuring our criminal justice system is as effective and efficient as it can be," said Attorney General John Gerretsen. "Expanding the bail verification and supervision program to Kingston will help to address a service gap in the southeast region and keep area courts running smoothly." Tyler Fainstat, executive director of the John Howard Society of Kingston & District, called the program "an alternative to detention." "The John Howard Society of Kingston & District is pleased to offer this service and promote supervision as an alternative to detention," said Fainstat. LEGAL APPOINTEES TO ORDER OF CANADA Three members of the legal community were among 90 new appointments to the Order of Canada. Gov.-Gen. David Johnston announced the appointment of University of Saskatchewan emeritus law professor and former dean Daniel Ish as an officer of the Order of Canada for his "commitment to social justice, notably as the former chief adjudicator of the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat." Also named an officer was retired chief justice of Québec, J.J. Michel Robert of Montreal, for his "achievements in the field of law as a lawyer and jurist, and for his commitment to advancing his profession." He's now a consulting partner with the law firm BCF in Montreal. Retired Supreme Court of Canada justice Marie Deschamps, also of Montreal, becomes a companion of the Order or Canada for her "numerous contributions as a jurist and for her dedication to youth development." Deschamps became a judge of the Quebec Superior Court in March 1990. She joined the Quebec Court of Appeal on May 6, 1992, and then the Supreme Court of Canada on Aug. 7, 2002. She retired from the top court in August 2012. She has also been an adjunct professor at the law faculty of the Université de Sherbrooke since 2006 and at McGill University since 2012. The new appointees to the Order of Canada include four companions, 25 officers, and 61 members. CHANGES TO PARENTAL LEAVE PROGRAM Changes to the Law Society of Upper Canada's parental leave assistance program take effect this month. According to amendments approved by Convocation in November 2012, the program will now be available only to lawyers who make a net annual practice income of less than $50,000. The program provides modest financial help to lawyers at small law firms or who work as sole practitioners who don't have access to maternity or paternal benefits. Eligible lawyers receive $750 a week for up to 12 weeks. LT Get more online lawtimesnews.com • canadianlawyermag.com Fresh Canadian legal news and analysis every day Canadian Lawyer | Law Times | 4Students | InHouse | Legal Feeds www.lawtimesnews.com Visit Us Online 1-8-5X.indd 1 2/28/11 2:37:34 PM

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