The court ruled on the status of Paul Hatzitrifonos, a non-lawyer and non-paralegal practitioner, to argue provincial offences trials and appeals as an agent for counsel Altaf Khan.
The court determined that permitting such representation is contrary to the proper administration of justice and impedes access to justice.
The court found that Hatzitrifonos, lacking formal legal training, licensing, and professional regulation, cannot provide competent legal services or be properly supervised by counsel.
The court emphasized that representatives in provincial offences proceedings must be authorized under the Law Society Act and subject to professional standards and continuing education requirements.
