In a groundbreaking move towards greater transparency, the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) has committed in principle to publicly disclosing details when lawyers and paralegals commit crimes or professional breaches.

The move follows a two-year investigation by the Investigative Journalism Bureau (IJB) into the law society’s decades-long practice of withholding such information, even in cases involving high-risk conduct by legal professionals.

In a Sept. 25 vote, the LSO’s Professional Regulation Committee passed motions that will, for the first time, require that criminal guilty pleas and convictions be posted on the public registry for prospective clients to see.

“I strongly and unquestionably believe members of the public have the undeniable right to know this information,” vice-cha

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