Lawyer suspended after drunk driving conviction

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This article was published 18/03/2024 (568 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg lawyer has been suspended from practising for one year after she was convicted of driving while drunk and repeatedly ramming the back of another car.

The “chase” happened on the night of Sept. 19, 2021. Lauren Fourmeaux Clemens was convicted of driving while impaired and assault with a weapon in June after a provincial court trial. She pleaded guilty to conduct “unbecoming a lawyer” at a law society disciplinary hearing Feb. 6.

The Law Society of Manitoba issued its written decision on the disciplinary matter last week.

The decision states Fourmeaux Clemens has little recollection of the event, but witnesses at her trial recounted “disturbing aspects” from that night. She repeatedly rammed the rear of another vehicle in an unprovoked incident and followed the vehicle despite the driver’s attempts to get away, the decision says.

The incident ended when Fourmeaux Clemens lost control on a roundabout and hit a concrete post. Police found the lawyer at a nearby coffee shop, where she was aggressive and unco-operative with officers and paramedics, the decision states.

Evidence suggests Fourmeaux Clemens was driving while impaired by alcohol, the effects of which might have been amplified by prescription medication she was taking, the law society’s decision states.

“The case (entails) precisely the type of conduct which erodes public confidence, both in the profession itself and in the ability of the society to effectively govern its members in the public interest.”

Fourmeaux Clemens told the law society her behaviour was “humbling and embarrassing” and “out of character.”

She became a member of the Law Society of Manitoba in June 2010, practising in-house corporate and commercial law, but had been “inactive” since April 2022. She is also a non-practising member of British Columbia’s law society.

Fourmeaux Clemens described a serious act of violence she experienced in January 2021, before the impaired-driving incident, and outlined her involvement with Manitoba Harvest, Siloam Mission, Villa Rosa and the Christmas Cheer Board. She said she is active in her faith community and worked pro bono while active as a lawyer.

The law society said it recognizes the impact on the victim, who had to deal with the loss and repair of their vehicle, made worse by COVID-19 restrictions at the time. Because Fourmeaux Clemens pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges, the victim also had to testify at trial.

Fourmeaux Clemens was sentenced in provincial court to an 18-month driving prohibition until March 2025 and 30 hours of community service. She was also given a $3,500 fine.

In addition to being suspended as a lawyer, Fourmeaux Clemens must pay the Law Society of Manitoba costs of $1,500.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca