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ARTICLE · 19 JUNE 2024

We Need To Be Better Than 'Good': When Lawyers Dishonour The Profession Through Sexual Abuse

Gluckstein Lawyers
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Can someone be of "good character" and also be "an ongoing risk to children"? Many people would find it difficult to square that circle.

CanadaLitigation, Mediation & Arbitration
Simona Jellinek
Simona Jellinek
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Can someone be of "good character" and also be "an ongoing risk to children"? Many people would find it difficult to square that circle.

But the independent Law Society Tribunal appeared to find there was no such contradiction when it upheld an earlier ruling permitting an unnamed man who sexually abused children to practise as a lawyer provided he is not alone with minors.

In upholding its original ruling - one that outraged the public and many other lawyers alike - the Tribunal rejected the arguments of the Law Society of Ontario, which quickly announced it would seek leave for appeal at divisional court.

Like many people reading news stories relating to this case, I am appalled at the Tribunal's decision and find fault with its reasoning. In this blog post, I explain why Ontario's legal regulator has strenuously objected to permitting this man to practise law in the province, why the independent Tribunal disagreed, and how this matter impacts survivors of

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