Canadian Lawyer

10 N O V E M B E R / D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m of supports and resources for all lawyers, which are also responsive to the needs of immigrant lawyers practising in Ontario. These include a coaching and advisory network and a practice management help- line. But Sandaluk says more needs to be done to encourage experienced lawyers to provide mentorship, particularly in smaller communities and in practice areas that are dominated by small firms and sole practitioners. He says simple things that might give rise to suspicion for an experienced lawyer might go unnoticed by someone new to practising law in Ontario. "Even lawyers from here who are well established in their communities, who have lived in Toronto all their lives, need that kind of mentorship," he says. "And I think that the need is even more pronounced when somebody is coming from a different place and they don't have the benefit of a community or a segment within the legal community they can turn to." After Okpala passed the bar, he strug- gled to find an articling position. He filled out 500 applications for articling positions at firms, banks and the government. He got only two interviews, but he did not get offered a position. The law society panel found the dif- ficulties of finding an articling position in Ontario were likely compounded by racism and prejudice, whether "uncon- scious bias or intentional discrimination." Okpala eventually found a position in Burlington, Ont., but he soon realized he could not afford the commute from Hamilton, where he lived. He later found another position closer to home and finished his articles. He launched his practice as a sole practitioner after being called to the bar in 2007, as he did not receive a single inter- view from around 100 employers to which he applied. Okpala started his practice doing mostly immigration and refugee work, but he eventually started doing wills and estates, as well as real estate and corpor- ate law. Okpala declined to comment for this story, but his lawyer, Daniel Goldbloom, says he accepts the decision as a fair one. "Throughout this process, he acknowl- edged that he made mistakes and took responsibility," he says. "He fiercely denied the law society's allegations that he know- ingly participated in dishonesty or fraud. The tribunal agreed with him." The panel found Okpala had also acted for both transferors and transferees on the transactions in question — something barred by the law society's Rules of Pro- fessional Conduct. He had also recom- mended structuring a transaction for tax purposes without a proper basis for doing so, the decision said. The law society ordered him to pay $20,000 in costs over four years. — ALEX ROBINSON \ AT L A N T I C \ C E N T R A L \ P R A I R I E S \ W E S T REGIONAL WRAP-UP Case highlights gaps for immigrant lawyers Continued from page 9 YOUR COMPETITIVE EDGE. DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX. The Lawyer's Daily only from LexisNexis lexisnexis.ca/thelawyersdaily-cl Breaking news In-depth analysis Customized content mvb]_Ѵ1oll;m|-u moķoĽ;Ѵbh;Ѵ_;-u7|_;m;vĺ$_;-;uĽv -bѴķ|_;bmmo-ঞ;m;v source launched by LexisNexis Canada in March 2017, is the go-to resource for legal ruo=;vvbom-ѴvѴoohbm]=ou|_;lov|1uu;m|-m7u;Ѵ;-m|bm7v|ubm=oul-ঞomĺ The best part? The Lawyer's Daily doesn't just tell you the news; we provide: • Analysis and insight you need to understand the impact it will have on you – and your clients Ŏ$_;1olr;ঞঞ;;7];|_-|bѴѴ;m-0Ѵ;o|o];|-_;-7ķ-m7v|--_;-7 Ŏ$-bѴou;71om|;m|-m77;Ѵb;uorঞomvŋ0-u;-o=ru-1ঞ1;ķ-m7b-;0vb|;ņ m;vѴ;;uņ-Ѵ;u|vou-m1ol0bm-ঞom|_;u;o= Subscribe to The Lawyer's Daily today! ntitled-2 1 2017-11-01 3:49 PM

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