P.A. lawyer’s suspension upheld by appeal court
A recent ruling from the Court of Appeal has upheld a penalty against a Prince Albert lawyer.
Prince Albert lawyer Peter Andrew Abrametz was suspended for two months, and ordered to pay restitution and complete ethics training after he was found guilty of conduct unbecoming a lawyer. The May 23 ruling from the Court of Appeal found no fault in the length of the suspension, but Abrametz’s appeal against the financial penalties was partially successful.
Court documents show Abrametz “did personally prefer his own interests” and “used information obtained during his representation of his clients to obtain a benefit for himself ” when he got financially involved in a property transaction 10 years ago.
In July of 2008, long-time friends of Abrametz wanted a quick sale of their acreage in the R.M. of Paddockwood, and the friends brought him details of a potential buyer. The purchaser was set to pay $30,000 for the property, but the court heard Abrametz told his friends their asking price was too low and then contacted another personal friend who made an accepted offer of $33,000. The person who initially made the $30,000 offer learned the property had been sold to someone else and later discovered Abrametz was a partner in the company that bought it. As a result, a complaint was lodged with the Law Society of Saskatchewan.