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January 11, 2025 - 7:00 PM
A veteran BC lawyer who breached court orders by talking to a U.S. media outlet about his client's fight to stop their child from having gender reassignment treatment has been suspended for four months.
According to a Dec. 13, 2024, Law Society of BC decision, lawyer William Carey Linde didn't demonstrate meaningful acknowledgment of the misconduct and displaced "excessive zeal" during the hearing process.
Linde, who practices under the name Carey Linde, got into trouble with the Law Society after he publicly discussed details involving two high-profile cases involving minors receiving gender reassignment treatment in the American media.
In one case, Linde represented a mother who tried to block her 17-year-old son from having gender reassignment treatment, and in another case, he represented a father who tried to block his 15-year-old from having gender reassignment treatment.
He lost both cases and the Law Society found he'd committed professional misconduct by ignoring court orders in 2023.
The legal regulator said since then Linde has caused delay and expense during the hearing which decided what disciplinary action he would receive.
The Law Society said it spent a substantial amount of time on his "irrelevant and highly inflammatory" submissions.
He submitted a 350-page application accusing the Law Society of bias and made "inflammatory and disrespectful comments about the Law Society and a former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia."
The decision didn't say what Linde's comments were.
The decision said Linde has had a "challenging experience" with the Law Society since he became registered in 1971. He's had many run-ins with them over the last 50 years including 10 conduct reviews and one suspension. He was warned in the mid-1980s about his conduct when speaking to the media.
The decision said throughout the hearings Linde has framed the disciplinary proceedings as a restraint on freedom of expression.
"Of significant impact to the (Law Society) in this matter is the awareness of (Linde) providing press interviews about sensitive topics restricted by Canadian court orders to American news outlets where (he) admitted there was no jurisdiction for the BC Supreme Court to govern," the decision read.
Even after the regulator started taking action against him he spoke at length to an Internet-based reporter.
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The Law Society called this "reprehensible conduct" and "extremely disappointing."
The decision said the proceedings were made lengthy and complex as Linde justified breaching the court orders while advocating for his clients' positions in the court cases.
The regulator decided as Linde resigned his registration in 2023, a four-month suspension was appropriate if he ever reapplied.
The regulator had wanted him to pay $24,000 in costs but said his financial situation was "grave" as he lived in a one-bedroom apartment and his only asset was a 2015 Ford Escape.
"His little income does not cover his living expenses," the decision read.
Instead, the Law Society ordered him to pay $12,168 and gave him four months to do so.
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