Scott Mcconnell Sullivan - Windsor lawyer's licence suspended pending investigation
Sarah Sacheli, The Windsor Star
Published: Monday, July 07, 2008
canada.com
A Windsor lawyer has had his licence to practise law suspended pending a hearing into allegations he misappropriated trust funds held on behalf of clients.
Scott Mcconnell Sullivan, a lawyer since 1996, will not be able to practise law again until a panel of the Law Society of Upper Canada says otherwise.
The law society, the governing body for lawyers in Ontario, did not specify the allegations against Sullivan, but a former partner said at issue is missing trust money. Sources say between $300,000 and $500,000 could be missing.
The law society is conducting a forensic audit into the accounts of Sullivan Istl Bornais, the firm at which Sullivan was a partner until three months ago, said former partner Daniel Bornais.
Until the audit is complete, "we don't really know," the extent of any alleged misuse of money, Bornais said.
In what appears to be an unusual move, the law society's discipline branch moved to have Sullivan's licence suspended before a hearing date was set.
"There are reasonable grounds to believe that there is a significant risk of harm to members of the public, or to the public interest in the administration of justice, unless the lawyer's licence is suspended immediately," the lawyer for the discipline branch wrote in a motion to the hearing panel.
According to documents obtained from the law society Monday, Sullivan did not fight his licence suspension.
Bornais said he and partner Bob Istl reported Sullivan to the law society.
Attempts on Monday to reach Sullivan, who was an occasional contributor of a law column to The Windsor Star, were not successful. The message at his law practice said the office will be closed until today.
A Windsor police fraud investigator said apart from a complaint from a financial institution which appears to have been dropped, Sullivan is not being investigated.
"We've had lots of calls, but no one has come in to file a report," said Windsor police Det. Mark Denomme.
Istl and Bornais parted ways with Sullivan April 10, Bornais said. Istl and Bornais kept the firm's Shepherd Street East office. Sullivan took the former firm's telephone number to set up a new practice.
Bornais said he and Istl were in practice with Sullivan for 15 months. He said he doesn't know what liability as former partners he and Istl may face.
"Until the law society investigation is complete, any action by us would be premature."
The law society administers a fund to reimburse clients defrauded by lawyers
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