Nunavut Law Society accuses lawyer of professional misconduct

Lawyer Geoffrey Budden faced off against the Law Society of Nunavut in civil court in Iqaluit July 12 over misconduct allegations.

The Nunavut Law Society is accusing lawyer Geoffrey Budden of professional misconduct, Justice Paul Bychok heard in the Nunavut Civil Court of Justice in Iqaluit July 12.

The nature of the alleged misconduct, which has not yet been proven in court, was not revealed July 12.

But it may be related to another civil matter involving Budden, which was filed with the Nunavut court in August 2015.

That civil matter involves 32 Inuit complainants who were former clients of Budden and another lawyer, Stuart Morris.

Budden and Morris represented these Inuit in the second of two lawsuits filed against the Government of Nunavut and the Government of the Northwest Territories in the wake of the Ed Horne sex abuse scandal.

After lengthy negotiations between lawyers both inside and outside the courtroom, that lawsuit ended with a $15.5-million settlement in 2011.

The former clients allege that Budden and Morris withheld some of that money from them and hid behind legal language to cheat the clients.

None of those allegations have been proven in court.

In court July 12, Budden’s lawyer, James Morton, asked Bychok for a sealing order to prevent media from reporting on the civil matter between Budden and the law society while the society continues its investigation.

That request, Morton said, was made with consent from the law society’s lawyer, Cindy Kieu.

But Bychok said consent between lawyers on a publication ban is not enough.

“I require expositions from both of you as to why a publication ban is needed,” Bychok said.

Bychok is scheduled to hear those arguments July 15.