Law Society of Upper Canada v Viktor Serhey Hohots, 2015 ONLSTH 72

In this case, the lawyer supervised other lawyers in his immigration and refugee law practice. He also supervised an interpreter and immigration consultant who conducted work that was the lawyer’s responsibility. The Law Society of Upper Canada (not Law Society of Ontario) alleged misconduct on two grounds, the one relevant for our purposes being: “abdication of his professional responsibilities by failing to directly and effectively supervise the non-lawyers in his law office to whom he delegated responsibility”. The lawyer was found to have breached Rule 5.01(2) of the LSO Rules of Professional Conduct “because he failed to assume complete professional responsibility for his high volume refugee law practice, and because he failed to directly and effectively supervise his non-lawyer staff to whom he delegated the preparation of refugee claims.”

Law Society of Upper Canada v Viktor Serhey Hohots, 2015 ONLSTH 72.