Ordering Lawyers to Act: Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t!
Welcome to “Cases That Should Have Gone to the Supreme Court of Canada, But Didn’t!”
In this episode, Kyla Lee from Acumen Law Corporation examines a case involving the power of courts to order lawyers to continue acting for clients. In a class action related to vaccine litigation, a lawyer filed a notice of discontinuance that removed certain plaintiffs from the case. Those plaintiffs later applied to have their claims reinstated, arguing that they had not consented to the discontinuance. The court reinstated the claims and went further, ordering the same lawyer who had filed the discontinuance to continue acting for them. The lawyer objected, arguing that communication problems and professional obligations created an ethical conflict that made it impossible to continue representing the clients. The Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear the appeal.
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