Do Canadian Lawyers Have Potty Mouths?

The Law Society of Upper Canada has its panties in a twist. Apparently there are a few lawyers up there who have been exhibiting “uncivil behavior,” and the society wants it to stop.

I know what you are thinking: Isn’t everybody in Canada nice (except for Scott; he’s a dick)? Well, it would seem that we have been misled. Once they get their legal training, it seems that Canadian lawyers can be every bit as foul-mouthed and inappropriate as the most snarling trash talker we can find from Wisconsin.

And sure, while most people who do not have a stick genetically grafted up their butts find language issues to be trivial, the good people of the Law Society of Upper Canada demand that action be taken!

What has them all up in arms?

Our friends at Roll on Friday have the allegations against Ernest Guiste — a Canadian lawyer with a bit of a temper:

Everyone can get a little riled at work but it appears that Guiste gets a bit more worked up than most by filing deadlines and the cut and thrust of mediation meetings. Some choice nuggets from his repertoire include: responding to a settlement offer by telling opposing counsel to “shove it up your ass”, littering a mediation meeting with blue language, calling his opponent’s client a “cash cow” and informing an associate who refused to consent to his late filing that she would “burn in hell”.

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Guiste also said things like… wait, that’s it? “Shove it up your ass” gets the attention of The Law Society of Upper Canada? Claire Huxtable might tell a client to “shove it.” Please don’t tell me that Guiste could have avoided attention if he said “shove it up your backside” like he was a goddamn five-year-old.

Apparently the Law Society is on a bit of a crusade to root out inappropriate language, according to the Law Times:

Former law society treasurer Derry Millar says he hopes the new continuing professional development requirement will keep civility top of mind for lawyers and stop problems before they arise. Three out of the 12 hours are reserved for professionalism and ethics courses.

“When people think about it, it helps them modify their behaviour,” Millar says. “I think there is a heightened sensitivity and I think we’ll keep people thinking about it.”

I’m starting to wonder if Canadian lawyers even know what uncivil attorney behavior looks like. In America, we have lawyers who run around beating people up. In Canada, they’re throwing a fit over words.

I really hate it when the world makes me sound like my mother, but I suppose it bears repeating that WORDS DON’T HURT ANYBODY.

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Here’s hoping that Derry Millar takes his heightened sensitivity and shoves it right up his ass.

Cantankerous Lawyer of the Week [Roll on Friday]
LSUC civility crusade sparks debate [Law Times]