Top court orders new law licence assessment for man who sexually abused children

TORONTO — Ontario’s top court has ordered a new assessment for a man who sexually abused children to determine whether he has the “good character” needed to become a lawyer.

The Court of Appeal for Ontario has ruled that a previous decision by the Law Society Tribunal that found the man — identified only as AA — to be in good character was “unreasonable” and failed to consider key aspects of the assessment.

For example, the three-judge panel says in a unanimous decision, the tribunal didn’t consider whether granting AA a licence to practise law would be “consistent with public trust and confidence in the legal professions.”

The court also found that a condition imposed by the tribunal that AA not be alone with minors “suggests that AA cannot be trusted to be alone with children,” which is “fundamentally at odds” with the finding that he is of good character.

It says the tribunal failed to recognize the condition would further erode public trust.

According to the ruling, the man sexually abused three children over the course of two months in 2009 while he and his family were living abroad in a close-knit religious community.

The three incidents involved “clothed sexual touching,” the document says.

AA was not criminally charged, and he and his family later returned to Canada, where he was diagnosed with pedophilic disorder in remission, it says.

He first applied to be licensed as a lawyer in 2012 but did not disclose the sexual abuse, which came to the Law Society’s attention through an anonymous letter, the court says.

AA was unco-operative during the investigation that followed, withholding medical records and other information, and eventually withdrew his application in 2017, it says.

He also misrepresented the sexual abuse when contacted by child protection authorities, disclosing only one incident out of the three, the ruling says.

In 2019, AA once again applied to for a licence to practise law, and the Law Society referred the matter to the tribunal to determine whether he was of good character.

He was deemed to be of good character, with the tribunal finding that he was deeply remorseful, had not reoffended, and had behaved honestly after 2017. The tribunal also added a condition to his licence requiring that he be supervised in meetings with minors.

The Law Society challenged the decision, sending it to the tribunal’s appeal division, which upheld both the good character finding and the condition imposed.

The organization then sought judicial review at the Divisional Court, where it was also upheld.

Last year, the Appeal Court granted the society leave to appeal.

The Law Society had asked the court to rule that AA was not of good character, but the court says it is not of the view that certain conduct can “forever preclude a person from being found to be of good character,” and there is room for different outcomes if a new hearing is held.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 26, 2026.

Paola Loriggio, The Canadian Press