From October 2016 until around January 2017, his firm’s website contained false statements, claiming the firm had been serving Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area for 40 years and had successfully closed more than 35,000 transactions, the law society alleged.

The website also suggested that Rothman’s firm was larger than it is by listing four retired lawyers and claiming the firm has 32 locations across the province. The law society claims 29 of those locations are virtual office spaces or meeting locations.

In an email to Law Times, Rothman says this investigation was initiated by the law society internally, rather than by a client’s complaint, and that his firm has worked with the provincial regulator over the last several years to address marketing issues.

He says that his firm has always strived to ensure strict compliance with the law society’s Rules of Professional Conduct and that the regulator has no mechanism for assisting proactive lawyers who reach out for guidance to make sure their advertising complies.

“In our view, none of the allegations of the law society are reasonable, especially considering that this investigation is wholly internal and not initiated by a complaint from the public or a past or current client,” he says.