Law Times

Page 16 March 7, 2016 • Law TiMes www.lawtimesnews.com SIMMONS TO RECEIVE ADVOCATES' SOCIETY MEDAL The Advocates' Society highest honour will be bestowed upon James Simmons of Northern Ontario's Weaver Simmons LLP. The presentation of The Advo- cates' Society Medal will take place at a special ceremony and dinner at Vale Cavern in Science North, Sudbury on April 14. In a release announcing the award, The Advocates' Society said Simmons has long been dedicated to serving his clients, colleagues, and community, and he "is the consummate advocate." Simmons' practice has been principally devoted to civil litigation involving personal injury, negligence, insurance issues of all types, commercial litigation, professional negligence, inquests, and Occupational Health and Safety matters. "Jim and his associates like nothing better than a new challenge requiring a f loat plane visit wherever needed to best serve the client," the Society stated. Simmons was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1982 and became a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers in 1999. He served on The Advocates' Society board of directors from 1982 until 1985 and again from 1996 until 1998. During his time on the Society's board, Simmons was the strong voice of the north and sat on numer- ous committees, including the regional court management advisory committee, the north east region committee and the long trials and case management committee. The Society said the medal is intended to honour those who have demonstrated their pre-eminence as counsel and who are acknowledged unequivocally as leaders of the bar, who have been dedicated and active members of the Society, and who have made a significant contribution to the profession of law and to the well-being of the community at large. LE VAY APPOINTED TO LFO BOARD OF TRUSTEES The Law Foundation of Ontar- io has announced the appoint- ment of Paul Le Vay to its board of trustees. Le Vay was appoint- ed to the board by the Attorney General of Ontario to replace outgoing trustee Chris Clifford of Bergeron Clifford LLP. Le Vay is a partner and a cer- tified specialist in civil litigation with Stockwoods LLP, where he has practised for 25 years. His areas of expertise include corpo- rate‐commercial and securities litigation and professional liabil- ity and regulation. OSGOODE HALL LAW SCHOOL HONOURS YOLANDE EDWARDS The Black Law Students' As- sociation at York University's Osgoode Hall Law School ended Black History Month by hon- ouring Legal Aid Ontario man- ager Yolande Edwards of the Scarborough Criminal Duty Counsel Office with the Hon- ourable Lincoln Alexander '53 Award. The award is named in honour of the pioneering efforts of the late Lincoln Alexander, a graduate of Osgoode Hall in 1953, who became the first black member of Parliament and the first black lieutenant governor of Ontario. LAW TIMES POLL When it comes to modern per- sonal devices at work, the bulk of our readers say it's best to just leave them behind. In light of a story Law Times covered last week regarding the importance of Bring Your Own Device poli- cies for the workplace, we asked our readers if they felt it is appro- priate to use your own personal device for work-related duties. Only 42.9 per cent of the respon- dents said yes, it's 2016, and us- ing your own personal phone or laptop for work-related com- munication is acceptable, with clear policies in place. That left 57.1 per cent who said no, it's not acceptable, and using a personal device for work-related matters leads to issues that can hurt both the employer and employee. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story James Simmons will receive The Advocates' Society Medal in Sudbury on April 14. © 2015 Stewart. All rights reserved. We put legal professionals front and centre and we put our efforts into keeping real estate transactions where they belong – in your office. Learn more about our level of support, call (888) 667-5151 or visit stewart.ca. Ally Untitled-4 1 2016-03-02 10:19 AM "Juggling a dozen plates with live beavers on them will definitely qualify you as an alternative service provider, but I fail to see how it'll facilitate access to justice for self-represented litigants." MEMOIRS OF A TURTLE SMUGGLER TORONTO — A Canadian man who smug- gled 38 turtles in his pants has been given pro- bation and a fine and has been banned from owning such reptiles for 10 years. According to Canada's environment department, Dong Yan of Windsor, Ont. had tried to bring the reptiles from the United States into the southern part of the province. "The turtles were contained in plastic bags and taped to Mr. Yan's legs," Environment and Climate Change Canada said in a statement. Yan was convicted last month after he was caught during an inspection in 2014 when he tried to enter Canada through the Niagara bor- der crossing, the department said. Yan's probation is for two years, and his fine was $3,500. He was also sentenced to 50 hours of community service and must notify the environ- ment department of international travel. Yan was also ordered to write a letter about his experience "for publication as the department sees fit." GUARD CROCS ON WATCH? AMSTERDAM — A gang of suspected drug dealers in Amsterdam gave the task of guard- ing their loot to unusually ferocious guards: a pair of fully grown crocodiles. Police investi- gating the gang made the unexpected discov- ery when they arrested 11 suspects, men and women aged between 25 and 55. They also seized 300,000 euros — the bulk of it locked in a cage with the toothy reptiles. "It's very unusual for drug dealers to use crocodiles to guard their money," said police spokesman Frans Zuiderhoek. "I think they thought it was safer." Police also seized large quantities of syn- thetic drugs, firearms, and half a million euros' worth of crystal meth in the haul. The sus- pected dealers were delivering drugs to several hundred addresses, including to neighbouring Belgium, police said. The crocodiles, for which the owner had a licence, were still in their cage and a friend of the owner was taking care of them, police said. FAKE DISAPPEARANCE MEANS LEGAL TROUBLE WEST BOCA, Fla. — The Sun Sentinel reports that a banker who pretended to get lost at sea is facing charges for the alleged hoax. The paper re- ports that on March 31, 2015, Richard Ohrn al- legedly set a boat adrift in the Atlantic Ocean and used an inf latable boat to get back to shore. Ohrn was allegedly f leeing from the mounting costs of a lawsuit, according to the paper. He then allegedly went to Albany, Ga., ac- cording to a report by the Palm Beach County sheriff 's report, says the paper. The disappearance and the discovery of Ohrn's empty boat — with blood stains in it — set off an extensive air and sea search by rescuers, says the paper. Investigators found out that Ohrn had allegedly purchased an inf latable boat before his disappearance, says the Sun Sentinel, and Ohrn later called law enforcement to say he had returned to his wife. Ohrn now faces a charge of communicating false distress to the U.S. Coast Guard. DON'T SPEED AND LIE BIRMINGHAM, England — The Express & Star reports a man allegedly tried to frame an- other man for a speeding ticket. The media outlet reports that Mattan- sar Mahmood claimed in paperwork that a 52-year-old man was behind the wheel when his car was caught speeding in 2014 in Birmingham, England. The man who was accused of speeding had lost his licence before the speeding even hap- pened, reported the outlet. Police checked to see who owned the car, and used speed camera images to find out who was behind the wheel. Police arrested Mahmood, the paper reported, who admitted being the driver of the speeding vehicle but denied filling out the paperwork. Police used DNA evidence to prove that Mahmoud had in fact filled out the paperwork. Mahmood was jailed for a year, said the media outlet. LT

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