Founding partner Richard C.C. Peck, Q.C. was featured in the May 2015 edition of The Advocate. The article profiles Mr. Peck’s career, the many contributions he has made to the legal profession and the criminal justice system, and the support he has received from his family.
Throughout 2015, the partners of Peck and Company presented at prominent criminal law conferences and House and Senate committees.
In August, Eric Gottardi attended the Uniform Law Conference of Canada (“ULCC”) in Yellowknife, NWT., as part of the Canada delegation. At the conclusion of this year’s conference, Mr. Gottardi was elected Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the ULCC and joined the Executive Committee for 2016. Eric Gottardi will preside over the criminal side of the conference in Fredericton in August 2016.
Jeff Campbell and Eric Gottardi presented at the 2015 International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law conference in Edinburgh, Scotland. The conference featured lawyers, judges and criminal justice systems from around the world addressing contemporary issues of criminal law reform. Jeff Campbell discussed the role of flawed expert testimony leading to wrongful convictions. Eric Gottardi outlined the challenges of human trafficking cases and how Canada has implemented international protocols to prevent and punish human trafficking.
Richard Peck, Q.C. and Eric Gottardi presented at the 42nd National Criminal Law Program in Edmonton, Alberta. Eric Gottardi participated in a panel discussing the leading common law evidence cases. Richard Peck, Q.C. delivered a presentation on defence counsel’s ethical duties in interviewing witnesses.
In April, Eric Gottardi hosted and co-chaired the 4th Annual National Criminal Law Conference for the CBA. The topics included various aspects of Canadian criminal procedure and evidence. The faculty is always comprised of judges from across the country. The prior program can be viewed here: http://www.cbapd.org/details_en.aspx?id=NA_Crim15.
In the Spring of 2015, Eric Gottardi testified twice as an expert witness before the House and Senate committees examining the government-sponsored terrorism legislation, Bill C-51. In his role as president of the National Criminal Section of the Canadian Bar Association, Mr. Gottardi presented a lengthy report on the Bill, calling on the government to make several crucial amendments to Bill C-51. The Report can be viewed here: http://www.cba.org/CBA/submissions/pdf/15-15-eng.pdf.
Richard C.C. Peck, Q.C. receives the G. Arthur Martin award from the Ontario Criminal Lawyers Association for outstanding contribution to criminal justice system.
A British Columbia businesswoman accused of luring a young Tanzanian woman to Canada and forcing her to work as a virtual domestic slave in her multi-million-dollar West Vancouver mansion has been found not guilty of human trafficking.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Lauri Ann Fenlon said in announcing her decision Friday that the testimony of Mumtaz Ladha’s accuser was simply not credible.
“I wish to emphasize that this is not a case in which I am left with only a reasonable doubt about whether the offences occurred,” Justice Fenlon said.
“I am left, rather, with the conviction that the allegations made by (the complainant) are improbable. On the evidence before me, it appears far more likely that the complainant took advantage of Mr. Ladha’s generosity in order to come to Canada and then took advantage of an opportunity she saw to remain in this country, showing a callous disregard for her benefactor and the truth in the process.”
The verdict brought to a close a process that began more than four years ago when the complainant went to police. Richard Peck Q.C., Eric Gottardi, and Tony Paisana made up Mrs. Ladha’s legal team.
Awarded personally by the CBABC president each year, this medal honours an outstanding lawyer who has been recognized for one or more of the following: legal academic proficiency, works of legal scholarship, significant contribution to the profession, or noteworthy contribution to Canadian public life. This year, the CBABC President’s Medal was awarded to Eric Gottardi. To read more, click here.