Another important piece in the Globe and Mail by Robyn Doolittle on the Law Society of Ontario CEO Salary Scandal – or what I now like to call the CEOSS – pronounced “chaos” (I’m very good at this – see WiCCD). From the paper once again we learn of another in camera meeting of Convocation planned for tonight, according to the Globe, with the purpose including reminders minimally that Benchers are prohibited from speaking out. That I think is perhaps the worst part. Even if we have colleagues in Convocation who appreciate how wrong all this is, they’re being gagged.
There is also one final tidbit that is the ultimate slap in the face for LSO members, a kick in our behind, adding insult to injury, what have you and it is this: “The Law Society has hired a crisis communications firm, GT&Co, to help manage its image.”
In Brief – a Recap
So to sum up the LSO has used our $2500 or so annual dues, which licensees pay to it, not only to double the former CEO’s salary to well over $1 MIL, but also to pay for at least two Human Resources type comparative salary analysis reports, the O’Connor investigation — later recast as legal advice — report, and is now paying a PR firm to manage the reputational issues it has brought upon itself in the face of free advice from us all that the only thing that will restore the profession’s and the public’s confidence in the Society is RELEASING THE REPORT.
NEXT STEPS
By way of an update from me on this, we do have a meeting with the Treasurer early next week.
I was recently reminded that anyone can bring a motion before the LSO at the AGM and I gather one is coming up. I also remembered I’ve done this before, albeit in 1994 when I petitioned the Society to end the reprehensible practice of allowing unpaid articles, invariably used to “employ” internationally trained lawyers – I had very personal reasons to be offended by this, back then.
My own mother, who was seeking to requalify as a physician in Canada after having worked for 15+ years or so as one in Hungary was forced to do not one but two years of clinical internship FOR FREE as our family literally struggled to survive as new immigrants / refugees. Everyone else was paid during their only one year of mandatory such service at the time. My Mom succeeded after 7 years of hard work and dedicated another 20 years of her life to caring for her patients in this country – but I digress.
CALLS FOR THE RELEASE of THE O’CONNOR REPORT
Now, if the O’Connor Report, in substantial part (subject possibly to redactions that truly capture only personal employment details of Diana Miles and even that is suspect), is not released to at least licensees, a motion to compel the disclosure is a real option most Ontario lawyers and paralegals would endorse. Nobody thinks the attempts to keep it confidential rest on solid legal footing – read: we’re not buying this. Also, Ontario Bar Association members I’ve spoken to are frankly embarrassed by the messaging around this by their leadership.
GLOBE ARTICLE TODAY
Here is today’s Globe piece – threats of disciplinary proceedings against Benchers who speak out at this juncture, if that’s to be believed, are at least an interesting response to our collective outrage. I would just release the Report.
Law Society benchers meeting to decide how to handle report on ex-CEO’s pay raise
Robyn Doolittle
March 19, 2025
Benchers at the Law Society of Ontario – who are elected and act as directors – have been threatened with code-of-conduct proceedings if they divulge details about confidential board conversations relating to an investigation into how the regulator’s recently ousted chief executive officer, Diana Miles, received a more than 50-per-cent pay raise without the knowledge of the board.
The crackdown comes amid growing calls in the legal profession for the law society to be more transparent and to release the results of the investigation.
Benchers will meet Thursday evening for a special “convocation” meeting – the term the law society uses for its board – to discuss, among other things, the fallout and findings from a report completed by former associate chief justice of Ontario Dennis O’Connor.
Mr. O’Connor was hired last year to investigate how Ms. Miles’s pay jumped from $595,000 to $936,800 without board approval. Hours after reading his findings, benchers voted to fire Ms. Miles, who has not responded to requests for comment.
But the law society has released almost no information about what Mr. O’Connor uncovered. Most of what is publicly known – including the amount of her raise – has come from whistle-blowers.
Through interviews with five individuals who have direct knowledge of events, but who The Globe and Mail is not naming because they are not authorized to speak publicly, The Globe has revealed some of what Mr. O’Connor examined, including information about a compensation analysis prepared by a consultant that was used to justify the increase, as well as a second consultant report that identified serious flaws with the first one.
Mr. O’Connor also examined the role of Jacqueline Horvat, who was treasurer at the time, but who became a judge last summer. (The Toronto Star was the first to report concerns about Ms. Miles’s raise.)
Questions remain about what advice law society staff gave Ms. Horvat about the process for compensation increases. She notably brought the raise to the board’s compensation committee, which approved it, The Globe learned. (Ms. Horvat has declined comment through a spokesperson, citing the fact that as a judge, she cannot speak on the matter.)
Last week, Canadian Lawyer magazine published an editorial calling for the O’Connor report’s release: “The LSO cannot credibly demand that Ontario lawyers uphold professional and ethical accountability in their own practices while it shields itself from scrutiny.” The Federation of Ontario Law Associations has also called for the report to be made public. And a petition is quietly circulating among some benchers to reveal Mr. O’Connor’s findings.
One individual who spoke to The Globe said a request for confidentiality by directors during in-camera meetings is not unreasonable on the face of it. The problem, the person said, is that the in-camera designation is being used to keep benchers silent and contain the scandal. Some of the individuals also raise concerns that the law society has hired a crisis communications firm, GT&Co, to help manage its image.
In an e-mailed statement to The Globe, Peter Wardle, who as law society treasurer chairs the board, said the regulator urgently wants to address the governance issues raised by Mr. O’Connor, which is why he called the special meeting.
“There is nothing more important than public trust in us as a regulator and we will be implementing changes to make our organization stronger,” he said, adding that they will also discuss the onboarding of a recently named acting CEO.
Mr. Wardle said that when announcing the meeting, he “reminded benchers that all benchers, including myself, are required by the Bencher Code of Conduct to maintain the confidentiality of materials for and the deliberations of meetings.”
anitaszigeti 