Law Times

Page 16 June 6, 2016 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com GHIZ JOINS GOWLING WLG A former Liberal politician from Prince Edward Island will now be part of Gowling WLG. The firm announced that Robert Ghiz will "play an im- portant role in growing the firm's domestic and international busi- ness, and will provide strategic business advice to the firm's cli- ents across a wide range of sec- tors," as a senior business adviser. Ghiz has experience as a former adviser to former prime minis- ter Jean Chrétien. He was also manager of government affairs for the Bank of Nova Scotia. "Never one to settle for the status quo, Robert spearheaded major economic and social reforms as premier of Prince Edward Island, sig- nificantly improving the lives of its residents," said Peter Lukasie- wicz, CEO of Gowling WLG Canada, in a news release announcing the hire. "He's a talented relationship-builder and tireless prob- lem-solver, and will be an ideal ambassador for the firm and adviser to our clients, both in Canada and abroad." ONTARIO REPORTS GO DIGITAL The Ontario Reports are mov- ing to more digital distribution, announcing recently that those who still want a paper copy will now have to pay a "nominal fee" each year on top of the fees they already pay to the Law Society of Upper Canada to get their hands on a hard copy. Some lawyers say they still like f lipping through the paper version of the ORs for the latest news on whom is doing what and what jobs are available. With the LSUC and insurance fees hov- ering around $5,000 a year, some are questioning the extra charge. Those who still are receiving the hard copy received an e-mail notifying them that after July 1 licensees and others who wished to continue to receive a hard copy can make arrangements and pay a fee of $225 directly with Lexis- Nexis. Otherwise, they'd be get- ting the digital edition e-mailed to them to each week at no addi- tional charge. EMPLOYMENT LAWYER LEGAL BATTLE The Canadian Press reports a legal battle has broken out be- tween a well-known Toronto employment lawyer and a for- mer employee. Howard Levitt, of Levitt LLP, is seeking $25,000 in damages from former em- ployee Theda Lean, according to The Canadian Press, for al- leged "overbilling, fraudulent hours and double-billing." Levitt is known for his me- dia presence, and a column in the National Post. The Ca- nadian Press reports Lean is seeking $25,000 in a counter- claim for "unpaid work, con- structive dismissal and mental distress." The Canadian Press reports no date has been de- termined for the matter before the Ontario Superior Court's small claims branch. LAW TIMES POLL 41 % YES, I AGREE 59 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE Law Times reported that drug policy lawyers say the federal government should consider new approaches when it comes to regulating drugs other than can- nabis. Readers were asked if they agreed with new regulations for drugs such as cocaine. About 59 per cent said that, yes, they agreed with the proposal that the federal government consider new approaches when it comes to regulating drugs other than can- nabis. Another 41 per cent said no, they do not think the federal government should consider al- ternate regulation. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story "So I said to him, 'Our next app, Extreme Elimin-Attorney, will be very disruptive in the legal marketplace'. And he said to me, 'You want to see some disruption?'" THAT'S ONE HECK OF A TIP NEW YORK, N.Y. — A former director at Bar- clays Plc was arrested on U.S. charges that he provided inside information about impending mergers that he learned about at the bank to a plumber, who used the tips to illegally make money. Steven McClatchey, 58, was charged in a criminal complaint filed in Manhattan federal court with conspiracy, wire fraud, and secur- ities fraud after the plumber, Gary Pusey, se- cretly pleaded guilty on Friday and agreed to co-operate with authorities. McClatchey, who worked at the British bank in its Manhattan offices from December 2008 to December 2015, was arrested on Long Island, where he resides, and was expected to appear in court later in the day. Lawyers for McClatchey and Pusey, 47, could not immediately be reached for comment. The charges were announced by U.S. Attor- ney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara, whose office has been engaged in a crackdown on insider trading that since 2009 has resulted in 102 people being charged and 78 being convicted. That crackdown has suffered significant set- backs more recently following a 2014 appellate ruling that limited the scope of the applicable laws, resulting in charges being dropped or dis- missed against 14 insider-trading defendants. As part of his job, McClatchey was responsible for tracking all potential deals in which the bank was involved, enabling him to obtain highly confidential information on them, according to the complaint and a related U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit filed last week. He began tipping Pusey, a friend he met through boating, as early as 2013, enabling the plumber to execute trades ahead of merger an- nouncements involving 11 companies, includ- ing Forest Oil Corp. and PetSmart Inc. In exchange, Pusey made thousands of cash payments to McClatchey, in some instances placing cash in a gym bag that McClatchey brought with him to a marina in Freeport, N.Y., and also provided home renovation services. While Barclays was not identified by name in court papers, the bank confirmed it was the British investment bank that had employed Mc- Clatchey. In a statement, Barclays said it has co-oper- ated fully with authorities, including the Fed- eral Bureau of Investigation and the SEC "since learning about this incident involving a former employee." HIGH HEEL MIGHTY! LONDON, U.K. A London temporary worker, sent home for wearing f lat shoes, has collected more than 120,000 signatures so far in a petition calling for Britain to make it illegal for a firm to require women to wear high heels at work. Reaching that total easily put Nicola Thorp's petition over the 100,000-signature threshold needed to have Britain's parliament consider holding a debate on an issue. Thorp made headlines when she launched her campaign describing how she had arrived in f lat shoes for her first day to work as a recep- tionist for accounting company PwC last De- cember to be told she had to wear heels. She told British media she refused an offer to go buy a pair of heels and was sent home with- out pay. Portico, the agency through which Thorp got the job, had set the uniform guidelines and has since reviewed and revised its policy upon PwC's request. It now says "all our female colleagues can wear plain f lat shoes or plain court shoes as they prefer." Thorp started the government petition, saying "current formal work dress codes are out-dated and sexist." LT Former Premier of Prince Edward Island Robert Ghiz has joined Gowling WLG as a senior business adviser. © 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

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