Lyle Howe's ex-client tells hearing she felt abandoned by lawyer
Howe accused of professional misconduct by Nova Scotia Barristers' Society
A former client of Halifax lawyer Lyle Howe told a Nova Scotia Barristers' Society hearing Monday that felt left in the lurch when she couldn't reach him on the day of her sentencing.
The woman's name — like the names of all Howe's clients who may be called as witnesses at his professional misconduct hearing — is banned from publication.
She testified that she was charged in a domestic assault case and said Howe approached her parents in the courtroom and that's why she hired him.
Howe has said the woman approached him.
Guilty plea on her behalf
She said she told Howe she was remorseful and didn't want to go to jail or get a criminal record. She said Howe told her the Crown would drop two charges if she pleaded guilty to the one remaining charge. He also said she'd get a conditional discharge.
He then entered a guilty plea on her behalf. The woman said it was only during the pre-sentencing report that she learned she had in fact pleaded guilty to assault with a weapon — not common assault as she'd thought.
The woman tried to contact Howe, who was involved in his own sexual assault trial at that point. He was at first convicted of that charge, but had the conviction overturned.
Couldn't reach Howe
The woman said she could not reach Howe or anyone at his office. She eventually got a second lawyer, who did get her probation and a conditional discharge.
She filed a complaint with the society because "someone had a job to protect me."
Howe then questioned the woman's account. Howe pointed out he got the Crown to withhold from the record the fact she was holding a hammer during the incident. The woman agreed that fact was withheld.
The CBC's Blair Rhodes tweeted from the courtroom.
Howe's disciplinary hearing started last fall in Halifax and has been holding hearings, off and on, over the space of several months.
One of the principal complaints against Howe is that he was frequently double-booked and scheduled to be in two or more courtrooms at the same time.