Embattled lawyer James Bowie sexually harassed 4 people, law society alleges

Suspended Ottawa lawyer James Bowie is facing more misconduct allegations levelled by the Law Society of Ontario, this time about sexually harassing four people, two of whom were clients, from 2018 to 2021, among other allegations.

Specifically, the society accuses Bowie of failing to conduct himself with integrity by:

• Sending a client "unwelcome sexual advances, making requests for sexual favours in exchange for legal services, and/or engaging in other verbal, written or physical conduct of a sexual nature" in 2022. 
• Sexually harassing another client in 2018 by "making unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favours, and/or other verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature."
• Sexually harassing someone in 2021.
• Sexually harassing another person in 2021.

Bowie is also accused of breaching the confidentiality of the first client by publicly sharing confidential and/or privileged information about them without permission in 2022.

He also failed to tell the society he was charged criminally in April 2023, failed to co-operate with or respond to two society investigations, and failed to deliver all papers and property to a third client after they fired Bowie, the society alleges. 

A tribunal hearing date has not yet been set.

Criminal trial scheduled to resume

The allegations of sexual harassment and breach of confidentiality involving the first client mirror those made by Leanne Aubin against Bowie in Ottawa's civil and criminal courts in 2023.

The criminal trial began in September but had to be adjourned and then postponed after sitting for one day due to issues his defence lawyer, Eric Granger, was having. Granger told CBC those issues had nothing to do with Bowie's case.

Bowie's trial is set to resume next week.

He has pleaded not guilty to extorting Aubin and threatening to kill her on two separate occasions, as well as harassing another woman and trying to get her to obtain a firearm for him.

The lawsuit Aubin filed against Bowie was decided without Bowie's participation last year. A Superior Court justice ordered Bowie to pay Aubin $235,000 after he proposed that Aubin pay for his legal services with oral sex, then disclosed personal details about her online after her allegations against Bowie garnered media coverage.

The judge called Bowie's actions "shocking," an "offense to the court's sense of decency," and a "staggering" breach of trust.

While the judge in the civil proceeding ruled in Aubin's favour, the criminal allegations against him have not been proven, and he remains innocent of them.

Also last year, another Superior Court judge ordered the law society to be made trustee of Bowie's business, its records and any funds.

Court documents filed in support of the move contained previously unheard allegations that Bowie propositioned a  different client sexually, tried to force himself on her, exposed himself and performed a sexual act in front of her.

They also showed Bowie was the subject of 12 law society investigations including six allegations of sexual harassment.

Has claimed mental health struggles

In correspondence with the law society and in documents filed in court, Bowie has said he's been dealing with mental health struggles.

He wrote he's been left in "crippling emotional distress" by all the allegations against him, the "significant media coverage" that has followed and the "social, professional and financial fallout."

He also wrote that his distress and mental health struggles have made adhering to deadlines "extremely difficult."

Bowie has been suspended from practising law since December 2022 for failing to co-operate with law society investigations into alleged shabby business practices.

He was suspended again in July 2023 for not co-operating with the law society investigation into allegations that he offered Aubin legal services in exchange for sexual acts.

Bowie and his criminal defence lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday afternoon.