Do you remember that alleged case the Honey Badger Brigade was allegedly planning to bring against the Calgary Expo?
In case your memory needs refreshing: the Honey Badgers — a mostly female antifeminist “brigade” closely associated with A Voice for Men — were tossed out of the Expo earlier this year after they showed up flying the banner of GamerGate. The Badgers threatened to sue, and somehow managed to raise a little over $30,000 to pay for their possible legal expenses.
Then they went silent on the whole suit thing for a looong time.
Today they announced (archived here) that they’d hired a fellow named Harry Kopyto as their “legal council” [sic], paying him a retainer of $3500. As one of the Badgers — apparently head Badger Alison Tieman — explained on their web page:
Wait. He’s a what kind of lawyer, exactly?
Ohhh. A disbarred lawyer. A lawyer who is specifically prohibited from practicing law.
Huh. How exactly did Mr. Kopyto get disbarred? According to Wikipedia:
In 1989, Kopyto was charged with professional misconduct by the Law Society of Upper Canada for allegedly overbilling the province’s legal aid plan by $150,000 over a three-year period. …
Among the findings of the tribunal hearing the case were that it was physically impossible for Mr. Kopyto to have billed the sums he did as the times billed exceeded the hours in the day.
Kopyto’s defense? He hadn’t meant to overbill. It’s just that, you know, he didn’t really keep proper records, so when it came time for him to “guess” the amount of time he had worked for some of his accounts, he had just guessed wrong. Oops! Hey, in some cases he (probably) underbilled!
No, really. That was his argument.
Kopyto is also prohibited from working as a paralegal in Ontario. As Wikipedia explains:
In February 2015, the law society’s tribunal issued its decision denying Koptyo’s application for a paralegal license due to concerns that Kopyto is “ungovernable”[27] though conceding his generosity and devotion to his clients. Tribunal chair Margot Blight wrote in her decision that “Mr. Kopyto continues to be an enigma” in that “He insists that he supports the rule of law, while asserting that he, and his clients, are entitled to disregard legal rules willy nilly (sic) when conscience so dictates.”[28]
Though unlicensed, Kopyto continues to advise clients and seeks standing to represent them at tribunals and hearings
I can’t help but be reminded of the dynamic meth-making duo in Breaking Bad, who decided to hire a lawyer who was a criminal as their criminal lawyer.
Tieman has been kept busy trying to explain just why they hired a disbarred lawyer as their “legal council” [sic]. Her main argument? The case will take place in Alberta, where paralegal work is unregulated, so technically he can still research stuff for them, or something, even though he remains in Toronto. where he’s not legally allowed to do paralegal work. [UPDATE: Turns out her legal argument may not hold water; see end of this post for more.]
Tieman insists there really will be a case, honest!
It’s all so very ethical.
And pretty fucking hilarious. Though probably a bit less so to those who actually donated money to the Badgers.
Since we’re talking about the Badgers, I feel I should remind you all of The We Hunted the Mammoth “Legal” Fund to Spite the Honey Badger Brigade, which is still taking donations.
I pledge not to hire any disbarred lawyers. Instead, I will use the money for snacks and other important “legal” things, by which I mean things that as far as I know are legal for me to do (like buying snacks). I will also use some of the money to feed my “legal council,” one Sweetie P. Jonus, Esq.
If you donate, please specify that your donation is intended “to spite the Honey Badgers.”
The last I checked, I was only $39,529 short of my arbitrary $40,000 goal. THANKS TO ALL WHO DONATED. And to those who donated to charity instead of to me.
UPDATE: It looks like paralegaling in Alberta isn’t quite as unregulated as Tieman thinks it is. In the comments here, someone called J.C. has pointed me to a web page explaining How to Become a Paralegal in Alberta. Turns out that paralegals working in Alberta need to do so under the supervision of a lawyer. Here’s what the page says; I’ve bolded the especially relevant bits:
At this time, paralegals in Alberta are not regulated, meaning that they do not need to pass an examination or meet minimum training/educational standards to be able to work lawfully as paralegals. Thus aspiring paralegals may begin their careers through on-the-job training or by seeking post-secondary education.
However, paralegals are required to work under the supervision of a lawyer and avoid activities that might be regarded as unauthorized practice of law. For example, paralegals are not permitted to represent people in court. Paralegals may conduct legal research, submit registration documents to the appropriate agencies, and assist with certain types of legal matters, including trial cases, under the supervision of a lawyer.
Huh. Does Kopyto have a lawyer supervising his work for the Honey Badgers?
H/T — Sarah Nyberg (@srhbutts), whom you really should be following on Twitter
In the unlikely event that this goes to trial, they are aware it’s notjust their legal fees they may have to worry about, right?
Argh. My first attempt to blockquote succeeded, but I forgot to make sure I was putting it on the right page. I tried to do it again on the right page, but the blockquote came out wrong.
Your hypocrisy/disloyalty point is really good, and I think you’re right about how each ‘side’ uses these characteristics to attempt to undermine the authority of people on the other. But with respect to hypocrisy it’s actually the exact opposite of undermining–the fact that an important person breaks their own rules is actually a mark of status to some people, because it shows they’re so important that they don’t have to follow any rules, including their own. Which is why these people are genuinely baffled when others criticise them, or arrest them, for, say, molesting children. They’re allowed to do what they want because they’re at the top of the hierarchy, that’s the point of having a hierarchy.
You know what it is they want? For Calgary Expo to get tired of their shenanigans and settle out of court, which they SHOULD NOT! The MRM is a legion of bullies who need to be sent to the principals office and expelled from school. They lie, they steal, they intimidate, and they send people running for their lives with their doxxing efforts (at the moment, CAFE Ottawa is trying to
doxx protesters at their inaugural meeting, complete with rape threats.)
Paying how much to a disbarred lawyer? To do “leg work”? Umm, ok… So of all the lawyers who laughed you out of their offices, which one is going to be like, “well, we wouldn’t have considered you ladies on your own, but with the disgraced lawyer at your side, eh, sure, why not?” Keep dreaming, my lovelies. 😉
@Brian Jenkins
“The weird thing, though, is that Kopyto has apparently spent his whole legal career advising left-wing causes (legal aid, opposition to racially discriminatory laws, etc.) Why work for these wingnuts?”
Because they aren’t wingnuts.
BWahahahahahahahha!
I’m amazed they ever got the funding in the first place, because they so obviously don’t have a case, but they think they can work around that fact if they hire a disbarred lawyer??
That $30,000 is going straight to Kopyto’s Fancy New Car fund, and if there’s any left over, it’ll get hoovered up by Paul Elam sure enough.
This and TSE prove that the entire right-wing reactionary movement is gullible as fuck. It’s unbelievable!
I’m going to be chuckling to myself over this all day. 😀
Setting aside the ableism in the term wingnut, yes. Yes they are. Although I’d say reactionary cranks rather than wingnuts.
I’m putting my prediction in right now: we will soon hear from Jack Thompson on this one. It’s a long way from any jurisdiction where he could practise even back in the days when he could practise, but ambulance chasers never change, and if there’s one thing he loves it’s attention.
I’m also not sure how 30,000 is ‘nothing’ when it comes to legal fees. Seems like a pretty reasonable amount for a civil or small claims case, but I know very little about law, so, eh.There are a fair number of lawyers who get paid AFTER their clients win their cases/settlements, yes? And they take a cut of the settlement? I suppose those guys only work for clients who have a chance in hell of winning, though.
> UPDATE: Turns out her legal argument may not hold water
This is me being surprised.
> The weird thing, though, is that Kopyto has apparently spent his whole legal career advising left-wing causes (legal aid, opposition to racially discriminatory laws, etc.) Why work for these wingnuts?
Possibly because they were the only people stupid enough to knowingly hire a disbarred lawyer.
@Hey_its_a_circlejerk
Actually, David provides a link to a Toronto Star article about Kopyto that details his past history and controversies, so there’s no need to Google him. In the post David focuses on Tieman’s attempt to convince HB supporters that hiring a disbarred lawyer who lives 2000 miles away from Calgary is a grand idea and that this lawsuit isn’t farce, because it’s amusing. Sorry, but it is.
Protip: Alberta and Ontario are in different provinces on different sides of Canada. Barred in one does not mean barred in all. Please, do research (from sources both pro and anti) and verify your claims or you’ll end up looking like the Drudge report – uninformed, and listening only to one side.
In b4 I’m banned for suggesting listening to both sides.
Yukito:
Pro-tip: Read the entire article and the comments before making a condescending remark that just reveals your own ignorance. David in the OP and J.C. and Olive O’Sudden have all noted that while the case takes place in Alberta and requires paralegals to work under the supervision of a lawyer, which the Honey Badgers did not hire. The Honey Badgers hired Kopyto to be a paralegal.
Might want to read for comprehension before spouting this “both sides” bullshit.
@Yukito: you really need to read that article to the end. You would look much less silly.
Of all the forms of trolling, “you need to look at both sides” is probably the sort that annoys me the most. It combines the dishonesty of the Courtier’s Reply with the smugness of concern trolling, the laziness of wilful assertions and the deliberate deafness of sealioning. It doesn’t even have the immature sense of anarchic glee that, say, spamming the thread with horse porn would.
Yukito – poor form. I’m disappointed in you. Please do better next time.
No, don’t give them ideas!
The Honey Badgers probably did this only to claim later they’re oppressed by the feminist system when their lawyer isn’t allowed in court.
I’m sure there are MRA-supporting actual lawyers somewhere. If you think you have a case, hire those.
I do enjoy the fact that Yukito is convinced their amazing truthbomb will get them banned.
Even if Kopyto wasn’t disbarred, hiring a Toronto lawyer with no staff to handle a civil case in Calgary doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
Agreed. I mean, rarely in real life (or in discussions of fiction, come to that) is one side ever a shining angel of perfection while their opponent is pure demon evil. But in cases where one side is a little bit at fault and/or made a mistake in good faith, while the other side is more at fault and/or acting maliciously… well, there comes a point where the argument that both sides are ~just as bad as each other~ is not only inaccurate, it’s downright insulting and involves willfully turning a blind eye to context.
I too am so strongly against “let’s hear both sides before we make an opinion” bullshit, because often there IS both sides presented when reported – the report will comment on what the accused has claimed in defence of themselves. Also, every time I’ve read someone saying “let’s hear both sides” it’s always, ALWAYS been either a comments section apologist or some famous old white guy trying to defend his buddy who’s been accused of sexual offences. Old Boy’s Club and all that.
“Let’s hear both sides before we jump on this person” = “don’t talk about what this person has done because I don’t want you to.” Always.
I’d post a popcorn eating gif but I can’t get in my photobucket. ;__; Suffice to say that this was worth a giggle or three and the HB fanpeoples in the thread made it worth another two and a half giggles. I’d watch your landing though, guys, it’s kinda shaky.
Also unsure if their “legal consul” is a man or a melon. Please advise.
Yeah, and Fred Phelps was a well known civil rights attorney once upon a time, as well. It’s not evidence that he was a good person or a good lawyer, just that he saw an easy way to make money.
Uh, and Kopyto full on stole $150,000 from Ontario legal aid. And his defence was that it wasn’t theft, just incompetence. These things are… bad signs. Furthermore, he was criticized for believing that the law didn’t apply to him or his clients while he worked as a paralegal. Furthermore again, it makes no sense that they would hire this guy when, if they truly had a case, they could hire a lawyer on contingency.