The respondent, Kenneth Leach, brought a motion to remove the applicant's counsel, Ellen Anderson, from the record in ongoing family law litigation.
The grounds for removal were an alleged conflict of interest due to the applicant, Laura Leach, being employed by Ms. Anderson's firm, the possibility of Ms. Anderson becoming a witness regarding employment benefits (specifically, reduced legal fees), and an alleged champertous fee arrangement.
The court dismissed the motion, finding no objective conflict of interest, no evidentiary basis to suggest Ms. Anderson would be a necessary witness, and no illegal contingency fee arrangement.
The court emphasized the high threshold for removing counsel and the objective standard for assessing conflicts.
