Winnipeg lawyer Barry Gorlick disbarred

Winnipeg lawyer BarryGorlickhas been disbarred forprofessional misconduct.

The Law Society of Manitoba released a report this week saying he should no longer be allowed to practice law.Gorlick, whowas called to thebar in 1980, was cited for incidentsdating from 1994 until 2014.

"We find that Mr.Gorlickengaged in years of unethical conduct that culminatedin deliberate acts of misappropriation," according to the report."He chose to take someone else's money to meet his personal commitments."

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During apanel hearing last fall, hepleaded guiltyto 15 counts of misconduct,including failure to serve a client, failure to conduct himself in a courteous manner, breach of duty to act with integrity,and misappropriating client funds.

The latter includes the deliberate creation of false documents, as well as misleading his staff and partners. A total of $59,129 of client trust money was paid to his personal benefit, the report states.

The panel believesGorlick is unlikely to repeat those actions,has greatly benefitedfrom therapy, and that the public would be adequately protected if he was allowed to continue practicing under strict conditions.

Ifnot for the misappropriation of funds,Gorlickwould probably be facinga fine or suspension, according to the report from the panel. But the penalty for misappropriation other than for exceptional circumstances isdisbarment.

"Of paramount consideration is the preservation of the public's trust in the integrity of the legal profession," the report concludes

Later Friday, it was learnedthe victim of an explosion at the Petersen King law offices on River Avenue was Gorlick's romantic partner, Maria Mitousis.

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