LSUC

The legal profession, much like Doctors, Engineers and Architects, is self-regulating. Lawyers and, since 2008, Paralegals, elect the members of the Law Society of Upper Canada called "backbenchers" (hopefully not because of obscure sexual practices) who in turn decide, directly and indirectly, in complaints resolution and other matters of self-governance.

Lawyers are expected to follow the "Rules of Professional Conduct" (PDF), while Paralegals have their own such Rules (PDF). LSUC has also issued a big FAQ for Paralegals.

If you believe a Lawyer or Paralegal has violated their Rules, you may file a complaint with the LSUC (PDF). Unlike other regulating bodies such as Le Barreau du Quebec, LSUC will not help with disputing your legal bill, for that you can sue in Small Claims Court or go to the Attorney General's Assessment Office. LSUC does have a compensation fund to reimburse people who have lost money because of their attorney, but, as you can imagine, it is not easy accessing it. It is difficult to find information online for Assessment: here is a guide for lawyers (PDF), the forms (see #58) and Ottawa.

LSUC has a member directory you can search online. For other provinces, see CIC list.

As an example, let us assume I am considering filing a complaint with LSUC against "Mr Smith." There is no question that he is generally rude and "unCanadian" if by "Canadian" one understands an excessive politeness. Yet to file a complaint that has a chance of being investigated, I would have to first look into the rules of professional conduct and see to what extent they have been broken. For instance, there is no question that in his diatribe, "Mr. Smith" states that he does not intend to serve me with documents. Let us further assume that he refuses to fulfill my request for proper document service in "without prejudice" written communication. I could potentially make a complaint that he breached the rules of document service only insofar that is part of his code of conduct, otherwise I'm wasting my time. As for being rude, it is unlikely to cause his license to be suspended, as that is, most likely, what his paying clients require. His clients may be under the impression that "vigorous advocacy" will end up costing them less, even though that is very seldom the case. The problem is mostly with his paying clients' instructions and expectations, which he is trying to fulfill in order to make a living and it is a situation many lawyers and paralegals find themselves in, resulting in a downward spiral of civility in courts and long, drawn out conflicts that end up costing tax-payers money, as most legal services are more or less subsidized.