The #FullStop team has announced the launch of its campaign for the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) election to be held in April. .“Given what we have seen from other regulatory bodies that did not have a group like the StopSOP (Statement of Principles) slate to stem the tide, we know how this power will be used,” said #FullStop campaign leader Bruce Pardy in a press release. .“Competence is being reimagined through a political lens, and a new standard of practice is emerging: be woke, be quiet, or be accused of professional misconduct.”.The release said a total of 35 lawyer candidates from across Ontario have joined the #FullStop team and will be endorsing several paralegal candidates. It said the team is committed to returning the LSO to its proper role as a neutral regulator. .This is a continuation of the initiative which began in 2017, when a group of lawyers and paralegals were galvanized into action over the LSO mandating the SOP. The SOP would have required lawyers to promote diversity, inclusion, and equity (DIE) in all aspects of their lives. .StopSOP and #FullStop campaign leader Lisa Bildy said lawyers recognized this requirement was “not only a flagrant infringement of the independence of the bar, but that it was emblematic of a political ideology which had seeped into the LSO.” .StopSOP ran a slate of candidates in the 2019 LSO election, and the SOP was eliminated later that year. .“The StopSOP benchers have worked hard over the last four years to try to reduce members’ fees, increase transparency, and remove the politicizing influence of the ‘woke’ ideology that permeates the LSO, but it was difficult to accomplish these tasks without a majority,” said LSO bencher Ryan Alford. .The release went on to say establishment benchers have created their own slate to ensure they remain unimpeded by their big government goals. It added it is expected they will continue with their efforts to ensure ideological conformity within their professions through the SOP or other initiatives such as law firm ranking and regulation and introducing DIE requirements into the licensing process. .If elected, #FullStop will work to curb the LSO’s mission creep. While candidates come from a variety of backgrounds and political affiliations, they share the view the public interest and professions are best served by reining in bureaucratic overreach, reducing member fees, and removing ideological capture from the regulator. .Bildy concluded by saying self-governance is “threatened by the politicization of the Law Society.” .“No profession requires independence more than lawyers, who are the last line of defence for clients of all persuasions,” she said. .“No one is well served if lawyers and paralegals are permitted to provide legal services only if they comport with the Law Society’s political imperatives.”.Law Society of Alberta (LSA) members failed to pass a motion to prevent it from requiring lawyers to take courses and suspend those which do not comply on February 6. .READ MORE: UPDATED: Alberta law society votes to uphold mandatory indigenous course.“As president, I am humbled by the response of the profession to the notice of special meeting as well as the large number of attendees at this meeting,” said LSA President Ken Warren. .The motion was brought to try to eliminate a mandatory indigenous cultural competency training for Alberta lawyers. Fifty-one Alberta lawyers brought the petition to call the special meeting.
