Ex-N.S. Liberal president misappropriated client's money, says law firm

A Port Hawkesbury, N.S., lawyer who admitted to misappropriating money from his clients' trust funds has been fired and suspended from practising law in Nova Scotia, according to his former firm. 

Until this week, Jason Boudrot, a managing partner at Boudrot Rodgers Law Offices, was also president of Nova Scotia's Liberal Party.

He resigned from the party's board on Tuesday citing personal reasons and was suspended by the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society on Wednesday.

The society's complaints investigation committee has suspended Boudrot's practising certificate until further notice.

Boudrot's law partner, Adam Rodgers, said in a statement that Boudrot came clean to the society on Monday.

"Such a violation is among the most serious a lawyer can commit," Rodgers said. "Mr. Boudrot has been removed from our firm."

Firm contacting affected clients

Rodgers said the firm has been "diligently and thoroughly reviewing our operations to understand the full scope of the issue, and ensure that any missing funds are replaced forthwith."

The firm has been contacting clients about what happened and co-operating with the barristers society as it investigates Boudrot's conduct, he said. 

"Our primary focus is protecting the interests of our clients. We are committed to making whole any affected client," he said. 

Rodger's statement didn't say how much money Boudrot had taken or how long it had been going on. 

According to the law firm's website, Boudrot was called to the bar in 1996, and handles mostly real estate, wills and estates, and corporate cases.