Bad behaviour bars star student from becoming a lawyer

Ryan Manilla, the 29-year-old star law school student who won jobs at Canada’s top firms, has been officially barred from becoming a lawyer after a scuffle with his condo board, as reported in Maclean’s. After appealing the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC)’s decision to ban him from joining the profession over its ages-old “good character” requirement, Manilla appealed, but the LSUC has dismissed his appeal, the Toronto Star reports. As president of his condo board, Manilla sent threatening emails to fellow members, and forged a letter from a woman claiming to be a private investigator, all part of his battle against a proposed fee hike. He was eventually charged with criminal harassment, but charges were dropped after he met certain conditions, including apologizing and making a charitable donation in the names of those he targeted. Even so, the Law Society has banned him.