Canadian Lawyer

UPFRONT 8 www.canadianlawyermag.com ONTARIO UPDATE AT OCTOBER'S Convocation, the Law Society of Ontario benchers came to a head after the equity and Indigenous affairs committee submitted the LSO equity advisory group appointees report for information only. StopSOP bencher John Fagan expressed his disapproval of the EAG after LSO treasurer Teresa Donnelly confirmed Convocation had no role in the appointment process of the EAG appointees, except hearing it after approval by the EIAC. "This is not a matter that should be taken out of Convocation's hands, especially since there is no longer any need for the equity advisory group," Fagan said. Tensions arise in Convocation after StopSOP bencher says LSO Equity Advisory Group is not needed "Our equity partners may not feel comfort- able because a lot of our members don't believe in equity. They're not going to feel comfortable working with us when we have benchers who don't support equity." Bencher Julian Falconer distanced himself from Fagan's remarks and urged the LSO to follow course, saying it is frightening that the law society faces the prospect of being seen as tone-deaf to the challenges faced by racial- ized professionals in the profession in 2021. "What we uncover day after day is the reali- ties of systemic racism, colonialism, and all the pieces that people have born as trauma. We continue to traumatize people when we deny the journeys that they face day after day, and those journeys continue right into our profession." "The idea that the law society and others seem to have — that we should take a power point in the past, identify historical discrimination, and then solve that by a current act of discrimina- tion based on immutable characteristics and a zero-sum game — is insane." Treasurer Donnelly interjected after Wilkes' re- marks, expressing her disapproval, and ending the session of Convocation. "To have you say that some people's position is insane, I'm ending this now." Treasurer moves Convocation to in-audio after bencher Wilkes calls other benchers' views insane In the EIAC equity partners report, the equity partners expressed the desire to continue engage- ment with the EIAC through consultations and meetings, but hesitated to participate in LSO committee discussions because of disagreement amongst benchers on procedural and substan- tive issues. Most of the equity partners also called for increased cultural awareness and sensitivity training for staff and benchers of the LSO. Vice-chair of the EIAC, Atrisha Lewis, said the EAG and other equity partners are vital to the work of the EIAC, and the discomfort of the equity partners does not equate to not working with the LSO because they do so continuously. NEWS BRIEFS Lawyer falsely certified mother's marriage contract In the Law Society of Ontario v. Matys Rapoport, the tribunal found Rapoport guilty of falsely certifying his mother's marriage contract and amendment agreement; facilitating the contracts when he knew she was vulnerable; not disclosing a conflict of interest and urging her to seek independent legal advice before dividing the proceeds from her home sale; and breaching his fiduciary CPAP obligations by sharing the proceeds of her home between himself and his sister. Windsor Law's Class Action Clinic celebrates second anniversary The Class Action Clinic at the University of Windsor Faculty of Law, established in Oct 2019, is celebrating two years of activity. The first of its kind in North America, the clinic offers various services and assistance with filing claims in settlement distribution processes. The clinic provides services to Candians online, via telephone, video conference or in-person for those in the Windsor–Essex community. It also seeks to promote awareness regarding class actions through its public education, outreach and research efforts.

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