Supreme Court agrees to hear misconduct case of ‘uncivil’ Bre-X lawyer
TORONTO — The Supreme Court of Canada agreed Thursday to weigh in on an epic battle that could affect how lawyers across the country defend their clients.
The decision comes in the case of Joe Groia, a prominent Toronto-based securities lawyer, who was found to have breached the rules for civil behaviour during his aggressive but successful defence of a man charged in the 1990s billion-dollar Bre-X mining fiasco.
The 10-year fight, which has pitted Groia against the organization that regulates lawyers in Ontario and has already swallowed millions in legal fees, was the subject of a split finding by the province’s top court last year that his courtroom conduct was out of line.
“The public interest is not well served when lawyers have to look over their shoulders in a trial,” Groia told The Canadian Press after learning he had been granted leave to appeal.