A former North Vancouver lawyer has been found in contempt of court for practising law contrary to an injunction order.
Michael Helfrich, also known as Marvin Helfrich, is a former lawyer from Oregon who admitted to appearing as an advocate in court, negotiating a settlement in a lawsuit, drafting documents for a bankruptcy and giving legal advice contrary to a previous court injunction.
Madam Justice Laura Gerow of the B.C. Supreme Court ordered Helfrich to pay a $5,000 fine, pay $6,500 in court costs to the Law Society of B.C. and pay $5,500 to the person he provided legal services to.
Helfrich has also been ordered not to provide legal advice regardless of whether or not he charges a fee for his services. He must also complete 100 hours of community work service.
According to the Law Society, Helfrich previously resigned from the Oregon State Bar in the face of discipline proceedings, and is prohibited from practising law.
The previous injunction against him was issued by a B.C. Supreme Court justice in 2013 after Helfrich represented himself as a lawyer in good standing and offered to provide a wide array of legal services to a number of people for a fee.
