Lawyer who killed boyfriend allowed to resign by Law Society of Alberta
Laurie Cunningham received a five-year prison term for manslaughter in the death of Mark Huemer
An Edmonton family lawyer who killed her partner during an argument has been allowed to resign by the Law Society of Alberta.
According to a resignation committee report, Laurie Cunningham was sentenced to five years in jail after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the November 2017 death of her romantic partner Mark Huemer.
A CBC News story on Cunningham’s sentencing hearing in February 2020 reports that Cunningham was heavily intoxicated on alcohol and sleeping pills when she stabbed Huemer during a fight in his home.
Cunningham told the court that the night began with Huemer proposing to her, but that things deteriorated when he pressured her for sex and then became violent – kicking and then punching her as she tried to fight back.
The news outlet says Huemer was on the phone with a 911 operator seeking an ambulance for his unconscious partner when Cunningham roused and stabbed him with a chef’s knife.
According to the CBC, Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Monica Bast expressed concern about the reliability of Cunningham’s evidence, but noted the lawyer’s remorse and rehabilitative efforts as she handed down the five-year sentence.
The law society panel hearing Cunningham’s request to resign rather than face disbarment also gave her credit for taking what it called “considerable, and successful, strides to rehabilitate herself” since her arrest.
In addition, the three-bencher panel took into consideration the role that substance abuse and addiction issues played in Cunningham’s conduct, as well as her low risk for future violent or non-violent offences and her intention never to practice law again.
An earlier disciplinary hearing held in 2019 resulted in a reprimand for Cunningham after she admitted misconduct related to one of her family law files, as well as her failure to notify the law society about an impaired driving charge laid several months before the death of Huemer.
But the fresh committee declined to stand in the way of Cunningham’s application to resign, which was supported by counsel for the LSA.
“Based on the evidence established by the Statement of Facts, the Committee determines that it is in the best interests of the public to accept the application of Ms. Cunningham to resign pursuant to section 61 of the Act, effective May 4, 2021,” they wrote. “The Committee thanks Ms. Cunningham and her counsel for their handling of the application and wishes Ms. Cunningham good health as she continues her recovery and rehabilitation.”
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