TORONTO LAWYER REPRIMANDED FOR SEXUALLY HARASSING PROSPECTIVE CLIENTThe Law Society of Upper Canada has reprimanded Toronto private practitioner Steven Sinukoff for professional misconduct stemming from allegations of sexual harassment.
According to the LSUC, Sinukoff sexually harassed H.R., a prospective client in November 2007. The panel ordered Sinukoff to take and complete, at his own expense, a course on sensitivity and awareness training by June 2012. The panel also ordered Sinukoff to take a counselling course on sensitivity and awareness from a different doctor until an unspecified date.
Sinukoff was ordered to pay $1,000 in costs to the law society by January 2013. The LSUC was represented by Glenn Stuart. Sinukoff was represented by Alan Price.
The LSUC also reprimanded Sinkuoff in November 2007, finding him to have engaged in conduct unbecoming. According to the LSUC, Sinkuoff had destroyed evidence of a criminal offence to avoid criminal charges being laid against his son. The LSUC ordered him to pay $4,000 within 20 months of November 2007.
MCCARTHY TÉTRAULT LAWYER SNAGS AWARDThe University of Toronto has named McCarthy Tétrault LLP partner Sarah Corman the recipient of its 2012 Ann Wilson and Robert Prichard Award for community and professional service.
The McCarthys partner is known for her work in the firm’s litigation group and has a general litigation practice that focuses on business disputes, class actions, medical malpractice, and product liability.
“Sarah is a talented lawyer, an esteemed colleague, and a respected leader in her community,” said Paul Boniferro, a partner at McCarthys. “We are extremely proud that her significant contributions are being recognized by the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Law.”
It is the first time Corman has received the award, for which final selections are based on professional integrity, excellence and leadership, public interest work, pro bono activities, and community service among recent graduates of the university’s faculty of law.
Corman has been a member of the YWCA’s board of directors for the past six years and is an adjunct professor in the faculty of law’s competitive mooting program. She is also an instructor in the university’s trial advocacy course.
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR: QUEEN’S COUNSEL APPOINTMENTSWhile it’s no longer done in Ontario or Manitoba, some provinces across the country still confer Queen’s counsel appointments on members of the bar.
There are 104 new Queens counsel in Alberta, which goes through the process every two years. “This designation recognizes the excellent skill and expertise exhibited by lawyers in Alberta,” said Minister of Justice and Attorney General Verlyn Olson making the announcement on Dec. 30. “It is also a mark of the outstanding contributions they have made to the profession and in their communities.” The extensive list of honourees from both the public and private sector can be found
here.
In Nova Scotia, Minister of Justice and Attorney General Ross Landry says the 12 Queen’s counsel appointees in that province have earned the respect of their colleagues and many others by making strong personal contributions to their communities and the legal profession.
The recommendations for the appointments are made to cabinet by an independent advisory committee. See the full list of Nova Scotia’s QCs named Dec. 22
here.In British Columbia, 28 lawyers received the Queen’s counsel honour on Dec. 22 from Attorney General Shirley Bond. The QC designation is an honour conferred on members of the legal profession “to recognize exceptional merit and contribution.” The list of all 28 B.C. appointees is
here. In Saskatchewan, the QC honours have been expanded to include solicitors and corporate counsel “who have contributed to the legal profession in the courtroom,” as well as the traditional barrister recipients, said Justice Minister and Attorney General Don Morgan.
“These exceptional recipients being honoured with a Queen’s counsel designation have a range of experience and represent the very best of our legal community.” The 16 honourees in Saskatchewan can be found
here.
Also on Dec. 22, Pamela J. Williams was given the QC honour in Prince Edward Island by Janice Sherry, attorney general and minister of Environment, Labour, and Justice. “Pamela Williams has distinguished herself through her professional work, her leadership within the legal community, and her community involvement,” said Sherry.
New Brunswick named its QCs back in October. The 11 N.B. lawyers named are
here.“It is a prestigious honour and I congratulate the 11 individuals on their appointments. They represent the professionalism and dedication that are the qualities of Queen’s counsel,” said Newfoundland and Labrador’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice Felix Collins when making his announcement in June. The senior barristers who’ve been honoured are
here.
BINBROOK MAN FACES POSSIBLE MURDER TRIAL FOR A FOURTH TIMERobert Badgerow, a Binbrook, Ont., man accused of murdering McMaster University Medical Centre nursing assistant Diane Werendowicz, could be tried for a fourth time following a decision by Superior Court Justice Gerald Taylor later this month.
Badgerow, a former Dofasco steelworker, is accused of raping, strangling, and drowning the 23-year-old nursing assistant more than 30 years ago. According to court documents, Werendowicz spent her last moments at Malarky’s bar in Stoney Creek, Ont., before her body was found face down in a creek at the Red Hill Creek ravine on June 20, 1981 — her 24th birthday.
Badgerow’s previous trial ended in a mistrial Dec. 9, after more than a month of testimony. Prior to that trial and another in 2010, he had been living with his father in Hamilton and has been on bail. Badgerow successfully appealed a conviction for Werendowicz’s murder in 2001. The Supreme Court of Canada upheld it in 2009, granting him a new trial.
Taylor has scheduled a pretrial conference for Jan. 9 and a possible trial date of Jan. 27, according to the Hamilton Spectator. The Crown plans to schedule a three-to four-month block of court time if the hearing proceeds.
