Article content

OJ Simpson prosecutor Chris Darden once called the N-word the “dirtiest, filthiest, nastiest word in the English language.”

Should cavalierly using that word at least nine times while talking about Huckleberry Finn during a 2005 Canadian Human Rights Tribunal case — not the N abbreviation but the full, horrible racist epithet — disqualify a lawyer from leading the Law Society of Ontario?

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or MANDEL: A showdown consuming the Law Society of Ontario Back to video

Fair question? Or unfair hatchet job?

Welcome to the ugly civil war consuming members of the Ontario legal profession — where mud is being slung from all corners in a bitter battle that will culminate Thursday when the LSO’s newly elected benchers (directors) gather for the first time.

So many observers are expecting fireworks that the LSO has been warning for days that doors will open an hour early at Osgoode Hall but they expect to reach capacity quickly and three overflow rooms will be available.

At the centre of the skirmish is the controversial requirement that every lawyer must adopt a statement of principles to “promote equality, diversity and inclusion generally and in their behaviour towards colleagues, employees, clients and the public.”