Representatives - General Information
Licence Requirements
Representatives at the Tribunal must possess a licence issued by the Law Society of Upper Canada, unless excluded from this requirement by the Law Society Act, or by a bylaw passed under the Law Society Act.
The Law Society sets out Rules of Conduct for lawyers and paralegals.
Notice of Representation
When a party retains a representative for an appeal, the party must notify the Tribunal in writing in the prescribed form at the earliest opportunity.
This notification must include the representative’s postal address, telephone and fax numbers and licence number issued by the Law Society of Upper Canada (or reason for exemption from the licence requirement).
If a representative ceases to act for a party, the party or the representative must promptly file a written notice with the Appeals Tribunal and send a written notice to every other party. This written notice must be provided at least two working days before the scheduled hearing date.
A representative who has not filed a written notice that he or she has ceased to act for a party within the time specified must attend the hearing to withdraw from representation.
Code of Conduct for Representatives
The Tribunal may establish a Code of Conduct for Representatives setting out expectations for the conduct of representatives appearing before the Tribunal, whether or not they are required to have a licence under the Law Society Act.
If a representative refuses or fails to comply with the requirements of this Practice Direction or the Code of Conduct for Representatives, the Tribunal may comment on or take official notice of such behaviour. In noting this behaviour, the Tribunal will remind the representative that such behaviour may result in the representative being suspended from appearing before the Tribunal for a specified period of time or may result in a referral to the Law Society of Upper Canada.
If the conduct is serious, or if there is a pattern of behaviour that continues over time without the representative being able to provide a reasonable explanation for his/her behaviour, the Tribunal Chair may suspend the representative from appearing at the Tribunal or the conduct may be referred to the Law Society of Upper Canada. The representative will be given notice and an opportunity to make submissions to the Tribunal Chair.
Related Documents:
Practice Direction: Representatives
Related Practice Direction: WSIAT Code of Conduct for Representatives
Others:
Law Society of Upper Canada website
Law Society Act
