What's New

The Tribunal Committee is proposing amendments to the Rules of Practice and Procedure. The proposed amendments build on the learnings of the last year and prepare the Tribunal for continuing operations post-pandemic. The committee is accepting comments on the proposed amendments until May 30, 2021. For more information see full report.

We are happy to welcome Malcolm M. Mercer to his new position as Chair of the Law Society Tribunal. Mr. Mercer, formerly an appointed adjudicator on the Tribunal’s Hearing and Appeal Divisions, is an Emeritus Treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario, an adjunct professor of Osgoode Hall Law School teaching Legal Ethics, a Legal Ethics columnist for Slaw.ca, a member of the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics and a member of the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board. Mr. Mercer was previously a bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, a Chair of the Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee of the Canadian Bar Association, the Ethics and Regulatory Team Lead for the CBA Futures Project and General Counsel to and litigation partner of McCarthy Tétrault LLP.

Please join us in wishing former Chair David A. Wright the best of luck in his new position as Discipline Committee Chair and Tribunal Director at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario.

We are pleased to advise that the Law Society Tribunal’s 2019 Annual Report is now posted on our website.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, all in-person Tribunal hearings are cancelled until at least July 31, 2020 and the Tribunal is operating remotely. While the physical Tribunal office is closed, we are available to answer questions by email and by phone and accept documents electronically. We are holding proceeding management conferences and pre-hearing conferences by teleconference, as well as some hearings by videoconference.

Because we are currently conducting proceeding management conferences, pre-hearing conferences and some hearings by Zoom videoconferencing software, the Tribunal has created a guide to Zoom protocols, for reference. If you are a party to a Tribunal proceeding, please read the Zoom Guide here.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, all in-person Tribunal hearings are cancelled until at least June 30, 2020 and the Tribunal is operating remotely. While the physical Tribunal office is closed, we are available to answer questions by email and by phone and accept documents electronically. We are holding proceeding management conferences and pre-hearing conferences by teleconference, as well as some hearings by videoconference.

Further to our previous message regarding the cancellation of all Tribunal hearings from now until May 31, 2020, please be advised that the Tribunal office will now be operating remotely until June 30, 2020. While the physical Tribunal office is closed, we are available to answer questions by email and by phone, accept documents electronically, and will be holding proceeding management conferences and pre-hearing conferences by teleconference.

For updates, follow our Twitter account for up-to-the-minute Tribunal news.

We are pleased to announce that Michelle M. Lomazzo, C. Scott Marshall, Geneviève Painchaud, Lubomir Poliacik, Julia Shin Doi, Megan E. Shortreed and Eric Whist have been appointed to the Tribunal’s Appeal Division. As with all Appeal Division members, they also remain members of the Hearing Division.

Further to our previous message regarding the cancellation of all Tribunal hearings from now until April 30, 2020, please be advised that the Tribunal office will now be operating remotely until May 31, 2020. While the physical Tribunal office is closed, we are available to answer questions by email and by phone, accept documents electronically, and will be holding proceeding management conferences and pre-hearing conferences by teleconference.

For updates, follow our Twitter account for up-to-the-minute Tribunal news.

Due to concerns about COVID-19, the Tribunal will be cancelling all in-person hearings until at least April 30^th, 2020. All proceeding management and pre-hearing conferences will be held by teleconference; parties before the Tribunal will be contacted to sort out the details.

Please follow us on Twitter to receive up-to-the-minute news about Tribunal proceedings, including the resumption of our hearings schedule.

We thank you for your understanding.