An accused killer’s decision to fire his lawyers the day before his jury trial has caused upset for the courts and more pain for the victim’s family.
While it’s not an unusual occurrence, the CEO of Legal Aid says such firings are reviewed to ensure the reasons are valid.
Kirk Keeping is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Chantal John in Conne River on January 9, 2019.
(Chantel John Facebook)
Jury selection was about to begin two weeks ago but at the last minute, Keeping fired his two Legal Aid lawyers, including Derek Hogan who’s won cases before the Supreme Court of Canada.
Keeping said he’d lost confidence in both lawyers, and rarely got a chance to meet with them at the Pen.
Hogan and co-counsel Derek Ford said they were as surprised as anyone by the firings, having only been notified minutes beforehand.
They also disputed Keeping’s assertion that they were falling down on the job.
Legal Aid CEO Harman Khurana says it’s an unfortunate situation that could take months to rectify, noting new lawyers will need time to get up to speed on a very complex case.
That’s assuming new lawyers are assigned.
Keeping must file a change of solicitor request along with his reasons why.
If it’s granted, he’ll be assigned new counsel, or he could get a private lawyer at Legal Aid rates. But he could also be denied Legal Aid if it’s deemed the firings weren’t justified or only used as a stall tactic.
