Howe was linking a client to a company owned by his wife without proper disclosure. The company lent the customer money for the renovation.
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Regina’s longtime attorney has decided to resign from the profession instead of continuing the Saskatchewan Law Society proceedings investigating unlawful conduct.
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According to the documents, William Howe applied for his resignation to the Law Society on November 15, 2022, which was accepted by the Law Society on November 15, 2022, and resigned on January 1.
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“A resignation in the face of ongoing proceedings is a disciplinary consequence, but a simple resignation or resignation is not,” Valerie Payne, the Bar Association’s professional director, said in an emailed statement. explained.
“It will be included in the attorney’s disciplinary history and will be taken into consideration when the attorney applies for reinstatement here or in other jurisdictions, and in the context of other applications such as judicial appointments and the King’s Advocate designation,” Pane said. continued.
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A complaint was filed against Howe by a former client identified as CA on documents after the client defaulted on a 2015 loan from a numbered company owned by Howe’s wife. Attempts to reach Howe for comment were unsuccessful.
Agreed statements of fact show that the client lost track of invoices before obtaining the loan and the final outstanding amount of $300,000 was more than she expected. Unable to pay, she then contacted her HC Ltd., the contractor who completed the repair, for assistance.
The contractor then called his attorney Howe to explain the situation. CA arranged a meeting with Howe later that same day. I accepted the loan because CA had “few desirable options”.
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“(Howe) informs the CA that the numbered company is rented by (Howe’s) wife on the terms first argued to be $300,000 at a rate of 10 percent calculated semi-annually. facilitated a loan between a CA and a numbered company without the Facts State.
“Interest-only payments were considered, meaning that after five years the CA would still be obligated to pay the full amount of the principal and would pay $150,000 in interest.”
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This loan was taken out to cover the cost of renovating a flood-damaged cottage. Mortgages were taken out for cottages, and Regina properties owned by CA Howe were threatened with foreclosure on one or both properties if they failed to pay.
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In 2019 there was a possible foreclosure due to non-payment initially. CA caught up with payments, but fell behind again in 2020. CA later obtained representation from another attorney and sent an email to the Law Association seeking feedback on July 26, 2020. Complaint was submitted on August 14th.
The statement of fact shows Howe guilty of unlawful conduct. Because Howe acted on behalf of his wife, CA’s creditors, and numbered companies, he also did not disclose that he was representing CA at the same time.
Howe also did not inform the CA prior to representing her in the contract that any information from one client regarding the matter would not be confidential to any other client involved. Not acting on behalf of all parties involved and notifying the CA that her creditor is his wife and the company belongs to her, and may have had to withdraw in full. CA did not recommend that independent legal advice be obtained, and CA was unable to obtain written consent from CA.
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numbered company, 599875 Saskatchewan Ltd. is a holding company established in 1992. The address is 300-533 Victoria Avenue, which is also the address of Linka Howe Law Office.
In the same document, Howe’s previous disciplinary history was attributed to having established a debtor-creditor relationship with two clients through the firm of the same number without ensuring that the clients received independent legal advice. It shows that he was reprimanded in 2012 and fined $1,645.
crmartell@postmedia.com
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