The legal regulator announced it hired York University professor Richard Leblanc
The Law Society of Ontario has retained a governance expert to help it respond to a report that former associate chief justice of Ontario Dennis O'Connor prepared on a controversial pay hike for the regulator’s ousted chief executive officer.
Richard Leblanc, a professor of governance, law and ethics at York University, was selected by an LSO task force that the regulator created in the wake of the scandal, the LSO announced this week. According to the LSO, the task force comprised five benchers who recommended LeBlanc after reviewing candidates with experience advising public and non-profit organizations on governance issues.
The task force consists of Quinn Ross, Paula Callaghan, Laura Emmett, Hassan Pirnia, and Mark Surchin.
Leblanc did not respond to a request for comment.
The appointment is the latest in a series of steps that the LSO has taken to address the fallout of the controversy surrounding former CEO Diana Miles.
In February, news broke that the LSO had hired O’Connor to investigate the circumstances of an employment contract Miles signed last June. Former LSO Treasurer Jacqueline Horvat signed off on the contract, which significantly upped Miles’ pay, without notifying the regulator’s governing board. The board learned of the raise in November.
In March, Treasurer Peter Wardle unveiled an action plan to reform the LSO’s governance process related to executive compensation.
A week later, the LSO released a copy of O’Connor’s report to the public following mounting pressure from legal organizations and individual lawyers. In April, the board assigned a task force to advise it on implementing Wardle’s action plan and O’Connor’s recommendations. released a copy of O’Connor’s report to the public following mounting pressure from legal organizations and individual lawyers. In April, the board assigned a task force to advise it on implementing Wardle’s action plan and O’Connor’s recommendations. The board also approved an amendment to the LSO’s bylaws that explicitly outlined its authority to determine the terms and conditions of a CEO’s employment, including their compensation.
Leblanc will immediately start his work for the LSO and report to its board in the fall. 
