A woman from British Columbia has allegedly been posing as a lawyer, scamming clients along the way in exchange for legal services.
According to court documents obtained by CBC News, the accused, Jasmeet Dhaliwal, had reportedly charged a former client 140 hours worth of cleaning and cooking so that Dhaliwal could help with multiple legal matters.
After the client followed up with Dhaliwal four months later, the latter allegedly threatened her.
"Ms. Dhaliwal would not give me any update and instead told me not to return to the house or office. She threatened me with her dogs, saying that they would bite me if I ever came back," the former client claimed. "Ms. Dhaliwal ignored my phone calls after that."
Following the allegations, a petition from the law society asked that Dhaliwal be prohibited from practicing the law until she becomes an actual lawyer in good standing.
Dhaliwal denied the allegations in an email to CBC News.
"We are currently looking into this complaint as it was falsely brought on by someone. We were just aware of this complaint and will be contacting the law society against the same," she wrote to the news outlet.
The client in question claims that Dhaliwal suggested she take a number of legal actions including reopening her divorce case and filing two complaints against her ex-husband with Canadian immigration authorities.
Dhaliwal says the agreement to pay her back came together after the client had difficulty finding the money. The client says she worked 140 hours at a rate of about $15 per hour.
CBC News also reported that Dhaliwal faced a similar accusation in December 2022 when a man claimed he paid her a $2,500 retainer to help him get his Canadian citizenship and help settle a divorce with his ex-wife.
Dhaliwal has reportedly not responded to the claim but confirmed it was in the process of getting settled.
