Law Times

Law Times • March 9, 2015 Page 13 www.lawtimesnews.com During the last four years I was a member of the executive of the Ontario Bar Association, serving as its President in 2012-2013. During my tenure I was involved in many of the signifi cant issues facing the Law Society. ese included the debate over the continuance of the Parental Leave Assistance Program, the change from OLAP to MAP, the alternative to articling, the establishment of the Law Practice Program, the Treasurer's access to justice initiative, and most recently, the work on alternative business structures. I have demonstrated a long-term commitment to serving our profession and welcome the opportunity to continue to do so, as a Bencher of the Law Society of Upper Canada. I invite you to contact me with respect to your views on the issues facing our profession. My major concerns relate to: 1) Lawyers' advertising: ensuring it is "demonstrably true, accurate and verifi able" and is "neither misleading, confusing, or deceptive, nor likely to mislead, confuse or deceive"; 2) Alternative business structures: a cautious approach including consideration of concerns expressed by OTLA and other lawyer organizations; 3) Transparency to lawyers and the public in everything the LSUC does; 4) Access to justice: regulating in a manner to facilitate access to justice; 5) County and District Libraries: modernization and funding; 6) Pro bono activities and funding: support and consideration of a levy. For more information on my background and these issues please visit my website at www.morrischochla.com. I hope I can count on your support this spring. ank you. Morris (Moe) Chochla Morris Chochla for Bencher ForbesChockla_LT_Mar9_15.indd 1 2015-03-03 1:28 PM Janet E. Minor Candidate for Re-election as Bencher (Toronto) Vote for judgment, experience and progressive change. From the public sector: committed to serving the profession. www.janet4bencher.ca Bencher candidate (Toronto) Current Treasurer Vote for continued leadership: • Consultative • Experienced • Energetic Committed to serving the profession in the public interest. www.janetminor.ca JanetMinor_LT_Mar9_15.indd 1 2015-03-04 11:06 AM Untitled-2 1 2015-03-05 3:00 PM BRIEF: BENCHER CANDIDATE PROFILES Bencher elections promise an interesting race BY ANASTASIYA JOGAL Law Times ith several incumbents not running this year, a num- ber of well-known lawyers have put themselves for- ward as candidates in the 2015 Law So- ciety of Upper Canada bencher elections. One notable candidate is Joanne St. Lewis, a University of Ottawa law pro- fessor involved in a high-profile legal battle with a colleague who made racially charged remarks against her. While St. Lewis has prevailed in the defamation matter, she says her election platform has nothing to do with the case. "The reason I am running for bencher is more coming out of my experience as a law professor and my ongoing relation- ship to my students. I have been com- mitted to diversity and social justice my entire life. That's what I do." And while the law society may have good intentions when it comes to diver- sity, "we are not achieving the results we need to achieve, that's the bottom line," says St. Lewis. Her first order of business is to address the concerns around the Law Practice Program. "I think we need absolute full transparency on who is in the program," she says, citing her concern about the financial challenges students in the pro- gram are facing. Candidate Paul DioGuardi, of course, is famous for his connection to DioGuar- di Tax Law, a firm known for its colourful radio spots promising clients to protect them from the tax man. More recently, the firm has also been in the spotlight as his son, Philippe Dio- Guardi, faces allega- tions he took clients' money without pro- viding the appropri- ate services. "Why I got in- terested [to run for bencher] is because once my son started dealing with disci- pline, it was a pure policy matter and bureaucrats wouldn't send it to the bench- ers for policy [review] and I started saying to myself, 'What the hell is going on here?'" says DioGuardi. "I've said I am available, I am willing to work, and I am not afraid, you see, be- cause I am beyond the age that you can be appointed as a judge at 75. So I am not going in there for any benefit. I've already got my queen's counsel [designation]. I just want to help the law society get back to what it was." According to DioGuardi, the law soci- ety "needs help, she needs help from the lawyers, from the ordinary small lawyers who can help her to get back to what she once was, and I think we can do it." Among DioGuardi's priorities is the creation of a new ombudsperson. "I think there should be an ombudsman in there who will look at how the bureaucrats are actually perform- ing, especially in the complaints process, because the bench- ers have a policy of hands off. They will not touch the bureau- crats in the discipline process." Another candi- date, Joe Groia, has been in a high-profile legal battle with the law society itself over his actions in defend- ing a client in the Bre- X Minerals Ltd. case. "The law society has really moved away from what I believe to be the important and core values of our profession," says Groia. "I think it's a closed shop." Groia says his case demonstrated a need for the law society to refocus its pri- orities. "It said to criminal defence law- yers and it said to lawyers who want to zealously represent their client's interest: 'You better be careful, you better watch how you do that. We're going to come along after the fact and if we think you have been sarcastic or you have called the Ontario's Securities Commission the government, you may lose your licence,'" he says, referring to his own case. Taking a different tactic in the election is Bencher Janet Leiper, who has decided to have a running mate, Isfahan Merali. "One way might be to do what you know they say in people's careers: sponsor some- body, do more than just mentor them, do more than just answer their questions, like take someone along with you," says Leiper. "We are trying to break the mould a little bit about how people can access the bencher group," says Merali. Leiper and Merali both agree that hav- ing more diverse representation at Con- vocation is essential. "She and I both work in the area that relates to mental-health law and I have a long human rights back- ground and Janet, of course, has worked in the area of social justice and rights law for many, many years," says Merali, who works as tribunal counsel at the Consent and Capacity Board. In total, 97 candidates have put them- selves forward this year, including incum- bents such as Treasurer Janet Minor as well as benchers Malcolm Mercer, Julian Falconer, Jacqueline Horvat, and Michael Lerner. The election takes place April 30. For more candidate information as well as profiles of who's running, see lawti- mesnews.com/2015bencherelection. LT W CORRECTION A March 2 article, "Move towards online dispute resolution gathers steam," incorrectly stated the B.C. Civil Resolution Tribunal would use a platform created by Modria Inc. for its new service. British Columbia is, in fact, building its platform with an- other technology services provider. Isfahan Merali, pictured above, is running along with incumbent Bencher Janet Leiper.

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