Canadian lawyers must no longer investigate themselves and their friends.

Independent investigations of lawyer misconduct should be the standard.

It is no longer acceptable that the Canadian legal profession, that exerts vast influence and authority into every area of life, continues to self-regulate without transparency, independent civilian oversight and external accountability.

The powerful Canadian legal profession must be brought into compliance with modern standards of independent oversight and external accountability.

Are lawyers more honest than police officers… or are they also vulnerable to temptations and pressures?

For good reason, we don’t allow our police to operate without external oversight and accountability. The stories of police abuse, corruption and incompetence are legion – and in the last few years became a deluge as incidents are regularly documented with solid video and/or audio evidence from mobile phones, security and dashboard cameras.

Ontario and many other jurisdictions formed civilian investigative units to independently investigate serious police wrongdoing and to lay charges where appropriate.

And still, we have trouble holding the police accountable.

Unlike police officers, lawyers do not generally commit crimes in the street while surrounded by surveillance cameras and citizens wielding mobile phones.

Lawyer misconduct is often done in backrooms with a signature, a few words – or a wink and a nod that betray a small client in favour of a larger big-spending long-term corporate client.

The law societies across Canada are simply a group of friends investigating and ‘disciplining’ the same people they went to school with, socialize with and meet in the workplace and in court. That works out exactly as you think it would and it is never about the public trust no matter how many times the law society executives say the words.

The Law Society of Ontario covered up and whitewashed hundreds of crimes by lawyers who committed criminal offences against their clients – according to the Toronto Star’s Broken Trust investigation. I can’t think of why it would be different in any other province.

Canadians must demand laws that will force upon the legal profession real transparency, independent civilian oversight and external accountability to Canadians at large. Self-regulation of lawyers must end.

 

19 comments

  • DARVO stands for deny, attack, and reverse victim order. The term was coined by a research team at the University of Oregon and the University of California, Santa Cruz, who identified the pattern alleged abusers use to deflect attention away from themselves and back to the person making the accusation.

    https://www.cbc.ca/radio/tapestry/a-case-against-forgiveness-1.4875111/how-to-spot-a-pattern-of-denials-in-the-metoo-movement-1.4880605

    • Hi Judy – thanks for this link – so true. exactly what my lawyer is doing – he is so brazen – he knows he will never be held to account.

      Have we got a single voice yet – a group that will act for all of us – speak in unison and organize against the corruption – ?

  • I now live in poverty as a direct result of trusting in the system. I went through two lawyers. I did all the right things, filing complaints with LSUC, being patient, etc. I attempted to bring 5 criminal charges against an opposing lawyer, one who the other two I used knew was bad. I continued to be told by LSUC to go to the police who then told me to go to LSUC because it was a “civil” issue. My prospects are slim where I reside. After more than 20 years of this mess, it has profoundly affected my spirit. One becomes so exhausted from the lies and the runaround. 20 years ago when I thought I could stand up to what I saw going on I had the energy. After filing many FOI requests and receiving only minimum information from the many organizations I requested information from — only because the lawyer failed to act upon my repeated requests — I found out that one organization was attempting to come after me legally because of the information I placed online on my website documenting the events. I didn’t know this until about 15 years after the initial event occurred and I received the FOI information. That same organization was instructed to “watch” me by another larger gov’t organization who I have yet to receive FOI requests from. This was the most shocking information I received. All legal pursuits were dropped because all of the information I had online was true. However, the damage was done. Bravo for Mr. Best to take this public stance. You seem to have much more energy than myself. Please continue to expose what’s going with lawyers and the legal system. Too many people are being destroyed.

  • Just like the Durham Regional Police investigated you after you complained and you believe Judge Shaghnessy was behind it then time for the Durham Regional Police to investigate the Judge and lawyers and now another person claims they were defrauded by Judge Shaughnessy so mor then ever its time to investigate him just like they investigated you. Cant have a double standard here otherwise the Dufham Regional Police will be biased and that is a big No No.

  • Forever, I have been saying we need to form a group

    • About thirty years ago Mark de Marco of Niagara Falls and I founded the National Coalition for Law Societies Reform. I wrote the Mission Statement asking inter alia for individuals from across Canada to join us to form local Chapters. Not a single response !

      Mark was the first to be even allowed to sue a lawyer, and ” made law ” which spread through the entire Commonwealth. We struggled and maintained a pretty candid web site.

      On my own, I sought intervener status in a matter between a very high profile Toronto lawyer and his senior legal secretary, whom this swine had gotten pregnant, before ordering her to abort, threatening her with dismissal and never working in her profession again, were she not to follow orders.

      She aborted, then sued the firm of G and N for 280,000, reported him to the LSUC and to the Labour Relations Board. He then solicited a client of his, a biker, to murder her, to seriously harm her 5 year old son and to lay a beating on her sister, a secretary in his law firm at Bloor and Bay in Toronto.

      After repeated obstruction of justice by the courts’ administration I came, on Appeal, before a panel of the then Supreme Court of Ontario, presided over by Justice Goudge who rendered a decision preventing me and anyone else from returning on the same issue. I had introduced the solicited biker to the Court as the thrice solicited murderer.

      Driving home for two hours I recalled, that I had run across the name Goudge before. I checked my copious files and retrieved a letter from Paliary Law Firm to N’s lawyer, lauding him as a character reference in another assault matter.

      Paliari wrote, inter alia : ” I and my law partner Goudge [ now Mr. Justice Goudge,] worked for years at the firm of G and N, separating the files belonging to each party for their economic considerations “.

      This hoodlum Goudge was sitting in judgment of his former paymaster, obviously having missed the lecture on recusing oneself in such cases.

      I personally delivered my complaint to the CJC in Ottawa, resulting in nothing.

      Sharing Mr. Best’s stubbornness, I wrote a mere 43 pages to then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, Beverley Mclauchlin. With abundant candor: naming names.

      Feed your dog, get a coffee and google Charles U. Frey for the 43 pp indictment of this third world institution.

      Or wait for my book, entitled RITUAL MURDER MASQUERADING AS JUSTICE: OUR THREE TIERED LEGAL SYSTEM; FOR THE RICH, THE POOR AND THE INSIDERS.

      • Sam and what are the RCMP doing

        Bravo to you Charles Frey and to you Donald. You are opening our eyes for the need to be courageous and expose the corrupt the crooked the murderous among us.

      • I will buy your book Mr, Frey. Thanks for informing us of it. When is it due out?

      • Criminals not Heroes

        In other words Mr. Frey the Supreme Court covered up corruption once again. The CJC covered up for corruption. Never ending. When did you find this website Mr. Frey? Just recently I would assume thereby indicating that this website is making a difference.

  • I think we all agree something needs to be done to stop corruption in our courtrooms and I say What Are We Waiting For ??

    Is there anyone out there willing to help ?

    A group of people voicing their concerns on the steps of BC Supreme Court demanding to be heard should be a good start Please leave a comment if your interested in taking part

    All we need is Media Coverage

  • If you have an issue with a corrupt judge lawyer or court clerk in BC please leave a comment and tell the world your storry your comment will help

  • Those who have personally experienced a crooked lawyer know how devastating it is they know how helpless feels especially when you have no choice but to self represent yourself

    Lawyers who take advantage of people who are trying their best to protect their property and their rights are bullies and they must be stopped

    So How do we stand up to these tyrants

    We have to start somewhere we need to get together and form a group. Collect signatures, make signs, form a crowd raise our voices and make them listen

    Tell your family tell neighbors tell your class mates tell co workers tell everyone you can and we can all agree to meet at the Supreme Courthouse Make them listen. Make them do something !!!

    The newspapers will report the TVCamaras will be there and everyone will know what’s been going on in our courtrooms

    If your willing to give this a try please comment and we can choose a spot to meet and get this show on the road

  • If lawyers (judges, doctors and others) can self regulate then there is no reason criminals should not get the same right. By extension why don’t we all have the same right to self -regulate.

    All I will add is, If PM Trudeau is serious about “real change”, this is one of the most URGENT changes needed in this country TODAY. If the PM does not bring about this change then he should stop trumpeting his “real change” bluff. Put up and shut up

    • Put up or shut up is a good way to express what I would imagine most people feel against those whose Job it is to clean up corruption. Think about the oath that police take ‘to serve and protect” The crooked ones and those who cover up are definitely breaking that oath. The judges appointed to administer justice that go rogue or are friendly are not administering justice thus if you get stuck with one of those judges then you did not receive justice which is your right. Then there is a problem and someone needs to fix the problem.
      I just read the FAQ and Judge Shaughnessy apparently stated that these lawyers were heroes and everything they said must be the truth as they come from a big lawfirm. Are you kidding me. The judge stated this and everyone involved when Donald Best took issue never found this statement to be a problem? The fabricated affidavits were not a problem as they came from lawyers in a big law firm so they must be true . I guess you just gave the green light to all lawyers in big law firms to make up false affidavits as Shaughnessy made it easy to do and everyone else covering up for the rogue judge did the same. These statements come to life based on the CJC cover up the federal Court Hearing and other judges involved. The purpose of Affidavits which are sworn testimony are not worth the paper they are written on.
      Contamination of the Justice System has occurred. These lawyers ain’t heroes they are crooked based on the taped evidence. The only heroes are Mr. Best and everyone that posts freely against the corrupt.

  • I was asked by the Ministry of Education to write a report on the Ontario College of Teachers after losing the election to a Union supported candidate. While doing my research I discovered that sex offenders were allowed to teach in our schools without any concerns for victim’s safety or security. I had my report approved by my Teachers’ Union the Secondary School Teachers Federation but after I submitted the report “Black Report” the report was leaked to the Ontario College of Teachers who leaked it to my employer who took it upon themselves to verbally abuse me and even reprimand me in the Superintendent’s Office.

    At that point after my family members were verbally attacked at these meetings, I refused to be a teacher at Dryden High School retiring at the end of the school year where the abuse continued by the administrator (administrator elected representative on the College of Teachers) even in the hallway. While I was on the College of Teachers I witnesses a death threat against me where an administrator offered to shoot me with a rifle and further allowed outrageous comments about First Nation people when I explained that First Nation Language teacher were paid far less than English, French and Religion Teachers.

    After resigning from teaching the College of Teachers Reinstated me as a teacher, charged me with unethical conduct for releasing confidential information which I had no knowledge of when I was on the College of Teachers, suspended me for two years and fined me $1,000. One of the people on the hearing actually was accused of releasing child porn while he was hearing my case…. I found later there is a good chance the porn was approved by the College prior to publication….. After reading your article Sir, it has reinforced my view that Canada must do away with so called “Professional” organizations as self governance does not work. If you would like to help write an e-petition demanding Criminal Laws apply to our so called professional organization or the elimination of these self serving groups I would be happy to assist.

    For background information you may wish to review these sites…. Most Sincerely http://canadians4accountability.org/tag/jim-black/ https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2011/09/29/bad_teachers_ontarios_secret_list.html

  • Desperate People Take Desperate Measures

    Couldnt have said it better. The time has come for them to stop investigating themselves and its a lesson to anyone with crooked lawyers go to the police not the law society. Stay as far away from the law society as possible. They are no better than the crooked lawyers you complain about or expose.

  • Beth Bromberg refused to adduce my defence so that the police in Hamilton Ontario and their accomplices could get away with murder 1 and 5 attempts 5 counts of torture 30 counts of criminal negligence and multiple other offences including obstruction of justice forcible confinement perjury and fabricating evidence! My reward thanks in part to aiding and abetting by lawyer Beth Bromberg was 5 years of arbitrary and unlawful confinement!

  • Damn. Yes. Damn.
    The argument is a compelling one, an obvious point for a free and democratic society.
    Thanks.