Law Times

Page 16 July 10, 2017 • law Times www.lawtimesnews.com LSUC DEBATES ALTERNATIVE BUSINESS STRUCTURES The Law Society of Upper Canada has reignited the debate over alternative business struc- tures as it considers a new meas- ure that looks to facilitate access to justice for vulnerable people. Facing calls for more consul- tation, benchers withdrew a mo- tion set to go to Convocation that would have allowed non-profits, charities and trade unions to offer legal services directly to clients. The law society has been explor- ing alternative business structures since 2012. When word got out that the motion was coming be- fore Convocation, letters came in from organizations such as the On- tario Trial Lawyers Association and the Federation of Ontario Law Associations expressing concern that more consultation was needed. "This motion came as a surprise to our organization, as we were never approached as a stakeholder to offer submissions regarding this issue or to engage in any consultations," says OTLA president Claire Wilkinson. Among the OTLA's preliminary concerns was that po- tential complications could arise from relationships between charities and law firms. Wilkinson says the OTLA is pleased the law society chose to defer a vote to allow wider consultation with lawyers. The law society is now looking to get feedback from the profession over the summer, and it will likely consider the proposal in September. JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould has an- nounced another round of ju- dicial appointments to Federal Courts and for Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta. In Ontario courts, five ap- pointments were made: Justice Andras Schreck, Markus Koehnen, Darlene Summers, Cynthia Petersen and Sally Gomery. Schreck, a judge of the On- tario Court of Justice, is now an appointed judge of the Su- perior Court of Justice and for the Province of Ontario in Toronto. Koehnen, who prac- tised complex commercial liti- gation at McMillan LLP for 29 years, will be a Superior Court of Justice judge and for the Prov- ince of Ontario in Toronto. Summers, a sole practition- er with Thompson Summers Family Law, has been appoint- ed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice, the Province of On- tario as well as a member of the Ottawa Family Court. Petersen, a partner at Gold- blatt Partners LLP, has been appointed a judge of the Superi- or Court of Justice and for the Province of Ontario in Bramp- ton. Gomery, a senior partner at Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, has been appointed a judge of the Superior Court of Justice and for the province in Ottawa. 13 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE YES, I AGREE 87 % LAW TIMES POLL Law Times reported recently that Legal Aid Ontario offi- cials say the agency may have to suspend all immigration and refugee services if the federal government does not provide additional funding. Readers were asked if they thought addi- tional funding should be provid- ed. About 87 per cent said yes, providing additional funding would help address increases in demand for these services. About 13 per cent said no, Legal Aid Ontario has been plagued with budgeting issues and other alternatives should be identified. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story Claire Wilkinson says the Ontario Trial Lawyers Association is pleased that the Law Society of Upper Canada chose to defer a vote on alternative business structures to allow wider consultation with lawyers. JOURNALIST SUSPENDED FOR PRAISING SAUDI KING RIYADH — Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz has ordered an over-enthusiastic columnist to be suspended from his job after he equated him with God, Saudi media reported on July 2. King Salman has frequently been lauded by columnists in local media, in traditional def- erence to authority, since the 81-year-old as- sumed office in 2015. But Ramadan al-Anzi's column in al-Jazirah newspaper describing King Salman as Haleem, or forbearing, and Shadeed al-Eqab, meaning strict in punish- ment — both terms associated in Islam with God — appeared to have gone too far, accord- ing to Reuters. Attributing divine qualities or giving indi- viduals any of the 99 names of God is frowned upon in the kingdom, which follows the strict Sunni Muslim Wahhabi school of Islam. The newspaper published an apology on July 1. Saudi media reported that the king had or- dered that action be taken against the news- paper, but no specifics were given, reports Reuters. In a message to Information Minister Aw- wad bin Saleh Alawwad, the king wrote that he was "astonished by some of the phrases used in the column," according to Okaz newspaper. Online newspaper sabq quoted the king as saying in his written complaint: "This is an is- sue that has distressed us, we don't accept it and don't approve of it, recognizing its dangers and the danger of being lenient towards it." POLICE RESPOND TO CALL, JOIN SLIP 'N SLIDE ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Two police officers in Asheville, N.C. have made headlines after re- sponding to a noise complaint, then joining a neighbourhood party and riding down a Slip 'N Slide. ABC News reports the incident took place July 2 at a party to mark the American Indepen- dence Day holiday. "The officers got there and people were like, 'Oh my gosh, the cops are here. They're going to shut us down,' but they noticed the noise was fine. It was literally the sound of kids play- ing," said Asheville Police Department spokes- woman Christina Hallingse, according to ABC News. "The Slip 'N Slide they noticed was so far off the street that cars and emergency vehicles could still pass through so it was perfectly fine and they decided to join in on the fun. There were no citations issued." According to the ABC News report, a near- by resident who captured the incident on cam- era said that neighbourhood children enjoyed the experience. INMATES RESCUE COLLAPSED OFFICER POLK COUNTY, Ga. — Six inmates have been praised after they helped save an officer who passed out during a work detail by calling 911, reports News4Jax. On June 12, an officer who was working security for the Polk County Sheriff 's Office work detail passed out, possibly due to the hu- midity, which was at 100%. The officer, who asked not to be identified, collapsed. Six of the inmates who were there jumped into action. They opened his shirt and removed the officer's bulletproof vest so they could per- form CPR. One inmate grabbed the officer's phone and dialed 911. One of the inmates said the officer was unconscious for a minute and wasn't really breathing. EMS eventually arrived to the scene and provided assistance, but the Polk County Sher- iff 's Office applauded the inmates' quick ac- tions. LT "Firstly, the Law Society's client verification rules require that I confirm you are, in fact, Ivar the Merciless, Mighty Conquerer of All Who Dare Defy His Omnipotent Power." Understand © 2017 Stewart. All rights reserved. See policies for full terms and conditions. Working closely with our legal clients has given us insight into your processes, your needs and the challenges you face in your practice. It's this understanding that led us to work with TELUS to offer the Assyst Real Estate application, which enables you to exchange data with lenders securely, seamlessly and accurately. Interested? Request a demo. Call (888) 667-5151 or visit stewart.ca. Untitled-6 1 2017-03-15 8:49 AM

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