Regulation business unsure Barrister Culture suspends lawyer | Group

Mac, Mac & Mac faces a cloud of uncertainty amid allegations of harassment in opposition to a male lover at the law firm by two female companions.

The Nova Scotia Barristers’ Modern society this week suspended Donn Fraser and mentioned Cox & Palmer has been appointed the receiver of his apply.

Mac, Mac & Mac partners, associates and other team are leaving for other companies.

Truro’s Patterson Legislation, which has offices in New Glasgow, is scooping up 4 associates, a handful of associates and other staff. The associates consist of Julie MacPhee, Mary Jane Saunders, Joel Sellers, and Eric Atkinson. Associates Mallory Arnott, Natasha Schigas, and Jesse MacLean are also creating the move.

Kate Harris, a co-handling lover with Patterson, tells the Advocate that facts are still remaining labored out, but the firm is hoping to choose in excess of the lease at Mac, Mac & Mac’s workplaces in New Glasgow.

“From Patterson’s perspective, this is a genuinely good thing,” she suggests. “We’ve been seeking to expand our existence in New Glasgow for very a whilst. This is a fantastic prospect to add fantastic individuals. It’s all fantastic information, nevertheless there look to be some own tragedies taking place at the very same time.”

The Nova Scotia Barristers’ Culture posted a notice of Fraser’s suspension, successful Aug. 27, until finally even further detect. The law industry regulator is instructing customers to make contact with Andrew Sowerby, a law firm with Cox & Palmer who’s been appointed receiver of Fraser’s exercise.

Fraser, a litigation qualified who joined Mac, Mac & Mac in 2010, did not answer to a request searching for comment by deadline Tuesday. Representatives from Mac, Mac & Mac also had no fast remark on the firm’s long term.

Community information on the prison rates are scant. The harassment allegations are matter to a publication ban.

Fraser will stand trial in December to face accusations of harassing one of his colleagues. The trial is scheduled for a few days on Dec. 7, 8 and 9. The harassment is alleged to have happened amongst August of last yr and May of this year.

He was granted a release get with restrictions that include remaining prohibited from coming in speak to with many of his colleagues at the regulation firm.

The developments are an ignoble switch for the venerable Pictou County regulation company that traces its roots back more than 6 a long time. MacIntosh, MacDonnell & MacDonald has lengthy boasted its uniqueness between Nova Scotia regulation firms, with each individual of its a few founding associates elevated to the Supreme Court docket of Nova Scotia.

Between its higher-profile cases in excess of the yrs ended up performing as lead counsel in the controversial forensic workplace investigations of Westray Mine disaster and representing a team of Nova Scotia ladies in a earth-large class action litigation for defective breast implants.