Vancouver – The Law Society of BC has obtained two court orders against unauthorized practitioners of law.
In a decision handed down March 28, 2013 in Nanaimo, the court prohibited Ralph Charles Goodwin, a.k.a Yuxweletun, and Gaia-Watts Enterprises Ltd., doing business as Touchstone Committee and Touchstone Committee Law Institute from practising law.
Among other terms, the injunction prohibits Goodwin, Gaia-Watts and Touchstone from giving legal advice, drafting legal documents and representing themselves as lawyers.
In the second case, Steven Serenas consented on April 12, 2013 to an order prohibiting him from practising law. The consent order’s terms include a prohibition on Serenas drafting legal documents, giving legal advice or commencing, prosecuting or defending a proceeding in any court regardless of whether he does so for a fee.
Unauthorized practice of law is a violation of the Legal Profession Act. To protect the public, the Law Society can take legal action against people who illegally offer legal services or misrepresent themselves as lawyers.
The Law Society has taken recent steps to further inform the public of unauthorized practitioners, including issuing related news releases and creating an online database of people and companies with court orders prohibiting them from providing legal services.
The Law Society of British Columbia regulates the more than 10,000 lawyers in the province, setting and enforcing standards of professional conduct that ensure the public is well-served by a competent, honourable legal profession.
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For further information or to arrange an interview contact:
Ben Hadaway
Communications Officer
604.443.5708
bhadaway@lsbc.org
Robyn Crisanti
Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
604.697.5845
rcrisanti@lsbc.org