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regional wrap-up A heckuva commute S usan Wortzman isn't the only lawyer in Canada with a two-hour com- mute but the distance she covers each week certainly puts her in select company. The partner at Toronto-based Wortz- man Nickle Professional Corp. feels she has the best of both worlds — a job as a Bay Street lawyer and all the lifestyle advantages of living in Winnipeg. Born and raised in the Manitoba capi- tal, Wortzman spent more than a decade living full-time in Toronto as a trial lawyer at Lerners LLP. But then she met her husband-to-be, Justice John Scurfield, a Court of Queen's Bench judge in Winni- peg, and the commuting began. Aſter they were married and had a baby, she quickly realized being a trial lawyer in Toronto and a mother in Winnipeg wouldn't work if she became involved in a lengthy court- room battle. She decided the best solution was to become her own boss so she and Susan Nickle started their own firm in the fall of 2007. (Nickle also has a two-hour commute but she takes the train from London, Ont.) "Everything is easier in Winnipeg. get in the car and go." Because her field of expertise is so specialized she never really considered abandoning Bay Street for a Winnipeg- based firm. "I knew there wasn't much e-discovery work in Winnipeg. There aren't the same opportunities," she says. Wortzman says the commute has become so routine she doesn't even notice she's on a plane anymore. She takes the same eastbound flight every Tuesday morning and does the return leg Thurs- day aſternoon to be home in time for supper. "I'm at the office by 11:30 a.m. and Susan Wortzman commutes from Winnipeg to Toronto. Housing prices are more reasonable, I can run my errands in two hours and not deal with traffic and parking, I can get tickets to everything and get to my cottage in an hour and a half. It's a com- pletely more manageable lifestyle. It's so much more laid back living in Winni- peg," she says. "In Toronto, you spend your whole life trying to figure out when you're not going to hit traffic. In Winnipeg, you just ThE WEST LSBC TO PROCEED AGAINST POWER T he Law Society of British Columbia will proceed with its two citations against New Westminster lawyer Harold Garrett Power despite his res- ignation from the society days aſter his May 12 conviction for sexual exploita- tion of a minor. The LSBC has been hampered from disclosing the name of the lawyer because of a court publication ban in effect when Power was charged in 2005. But in early July, Justice Catherine Wedge ordered the ban liſted. At the time charges were laid, the LSBC's discipline committee reviewed the conditions of Power's release from custody, which included refraining from socializing with anyone under 18 unless he was giving legal advice within a courthouse or corrections facility. The committee was satisfied with the terms of the conditions, but at the time could not publish his name. When the case came to trial, it was discovered Power had lied on his appli- cation to the LSBC and a citation was issued. Following Power's conviction aſter trial, another citation was issued despite Power's resignation from the LSBC. 12 SEPTEMBER 2009 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com "This is a very important judgment," LSBC president Gordon Turriff, says of liſting the ban. "Our mandate is to protect the public interest in the admin- istration of justice. As the regulator of lawyers and of the practice of law in B.C., it is the responsibility of the society to report lawyers' conduct that results in the society issuing a citation." Power's sentencing hearing has been set for Sept. 17 and 19 before the courts. — JEAN SORENSEN jean_sorensen@telus.net I've already done three hours of work. No phones are ringing, no BlackBerry mes- sages are coming through, and nobody's bothering me so I'm not really behind," she says. She says with technology the way it is, her clients don't care where she is as long as she answers her phone and gets the work done. "The first year [of running her own firm], most of my clients didn't even know I lived in Winnipeg," she says. — GK