Former Alberta justice minister Jonathan Denis appealing law society convictions and fines
Denis was found guilty of two citations, fined $5K, ordered to pay $15K in legal costs
Former Alberta justice minister Jonathan Denis is fighting his Law Society of Alberta (LSA) convictions, fines and the costs he was ordered to pay following the findings of guilt on two instances of professional misconduct.
Denis was found guilty of two violations in September 2024 and fined $5,000.
He was also ordered to pay $15,000 in legal fees on top of his fines.
Denis's lawyer Alain Hepner confirmed to CBC News that he is appealing.
According to Hepner, a panel of law society benchers will hear the appeal. A bencher is a lawyer elected by law society members to sit on disciplinary and other panels for the self-regulating society.
Denis, a former Progressive Conservative MLA for Calgary-Acadia, opened a law firm after losing his seat in the 2015 provincial election.
He was cited by the law society in 2023 on two sets of allegations.
In the first count, Denis was found to have acted in a conflict of interest when he represented two families of teenage girls — both the driver and passenger — who were involved in a car crash.
Denis ultimately dropped the driver as a client — after she'd provided a statement and sent her lawyer photos of the crash scene — in order to represent the passenger.
He then filed a lawsuit against the driver on behalf of the passenger.
Threatening emails
On the second citation, Denis was found to have threatened a woman's employment on behalf of a client who had dated her behind his wife's back.
After learning he was married, the woman contacted the wife of the man she'd been dating, to let her know about her husband's infidelity.
Denis then sent cease-and-desist emails to the woman, threatening to tell her employer she had violated its code of conduct.
The LSA found the emails "contain clear evidence that Mr. Denis twice made a threat."
In making its ruling, the committee said the Legal Profession Act clearly lays out that "if the complaint is justified, it should be made, not threatened."
Denis to pay $20k in fines, costs
In December, the LSA disciplinary panel accepted a joint submission from Denis's lawyer Hepner and Shanna Hunka, counsel for the law society, of a fine of $5,000 ($2,500 for each citation), finding the conduct was at "the lower range of seriousness."
The panel chair noted that while Denis has no prior record, he has persisted in his denial of wrongdoing.
Hunka argued Denis should pay $26,000 in legal costs on top of the fine, while Hepner argued no further financial penalties were necessary.
In the end, Denis was ordered to pay $15,000 in costs.
Hepner said Denis has paid the $5,000 in fines but has until April 30 to pay the legal costs.
The LSA confirmed that the "payment of costs and fines can be 'paused'" until an appeal is decided.
A date for Denis's appeal arguments has not been set.
Hepner indicated he plans to appeal the findings of guilt on both citations, the sanctions imposed and the costs awarded.
Denis served as Alberta's justice minister for three years until he lost his seat in 2015.
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