THUNDER BAY — A former Thunder Bay lawyer who had his licence to practice law revoked by the Law Society of Ontario was given an 18-month conditional sentence order following a court proceeding last week.
Daniel James William Matson, 33, pleaded guilty to 12 charges including counts of fraud, forgery and obstruction of justice for offences dating from 2013 to 2017 where he misled numerous clients in the status of their litigation matters and fabricated court orders.
Crown counsel had asked for a six-month custodial sentence for Matson while defence counsel argued a conditional sentence order of 12 to 18 months was more appropriate.
On Friday, Nov. 20, an Ontario judge sentenced Matson after he previously pleaded guilty to 12 charges in late October, according to court documents.
In an agreed statement of facts read by Crown counsel Peter Keen on Oct. 28, court heard numerous cases of where Matson would be retained by individuals seeking assistance in legal proceedings and Matson would often delay meetings with clients, not return phone calls, present falsified or forged documents, and often times blame delays on opposing counsel.
A conditional sentence order will allow Matson to serve his sentence in the community outside of jail as long as he abides by several conditions.
For the first six months of his sentence, Matson will be confined to his house in Thunder Bay. He will be allowed to leave for some exceptions including for work, medical appointments, counselling and education. For the second six months, he will be required to be in his residence daily from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
If he breaches any of these conditions, he could serve the remainder of his sentence in custody.
The Law Society of Ontario revoked Matson's licence to practice law in late September.
