The lawyer, Mr Calvert, wrote back in reply as seen below. And we
are asking him to visit the board here and feel free to comment if time
and inclination permit. The publicity from all this could, if handled
right, win his firm a lot of money. What he wrote is so obviously of
enormously compelling interest to our community of exJWs, JWs and Friends,
but also the major Media and public in general, that we are posting that
reply which he so freely gave us right here for all to see as well as this
reply.
So to begin, greetings and the best to you, Mr Calvert, although you certainly
did surprised us, with that short but quick reply, sir. We say surprised
because despite the tone of what was written, you actually wrote back that
Free Christians are not to be "trying to threaten" when for one thing, if
in fact, if you will but re-read the material, you will find the tone and
content are intended anything but that way. If you do re-read it and still
disagree about that then please let us know here. A convenient copy of what was emailed
you for is in the thread here farther below.
It was also surprising to us when you said be sure accurate info is disseminated
since that is an obvious given, and all that anyone would ever have to disseminate.
At that, as you will also notice by reading the thread here, your own words with
you own views or information were already in put into print by some other
person and appear to have already fully corresponded with your email to ourselves too.
Thus, it may be you had not yet read this thread so have had a misunderstanding.
Further to show you that every effort has been made to be of nothing but good
will, note that after your final actions are known as to if you will or will
not continue with the case, thus fully representing L Hughes or not for the full
course will by any number of alternative sources become fully known quickly
via the internet - not at all just the Free Christians News newsletter. No, we
ourselves need not even say a word and yet your own sense of logic says everyone
from Calgary to Timbuktu will know about it. So be totally relaxed insofar as
ourselves, although it is obviously also true, isn't it, that we can not predict
what others will be saying. So please do re-read what was actually written rather than
possibly jumping to conclusions, and in so doing look at actual content rather than
seeking after "sub-surface" suppostions that you might image are not of good will.
We point out and intended to point out, although it may be a bitter-seeming pill
once informed by any number of various sources, readers will themselves naturally
determine if or not your decision(s) about this case directly affect in a positive
or negative fashion whether or L Hughes' daughter and other children get to live.
Due to such interest people from Calvary to Timbuktu will be making up their own minds.
At most we ourselves would need only to provide your very own words. Not to sound
unkind at all, just to point out the obvious even while wishing You the best.
And as clearly said, please do re-read all of what was actually written to you),
without seeking to draw inferences that may be inaccurate. We truly do only hope
that readers will be forming positive opinions of the reliability of your business
reliability, bragging about how you and your firm are great defenders of the oppressed,
true proponents of all that is good, how you care more about setting positive precedent
than in getting raw cash, which is the all too common stereotype of attorneys, would you
and yours not agree? Surely the Queen's Court would also see this as good.
Now, it is true, Mr Calvert, Your company may be out $72,000 of the $80,000 billed to
L Hughes, but the publicity on this thing is worth $1 million. But think of
it like this. Now, You are surely aware of Dateline NBC, CNN and other networks
publicising the pedophile situation regarding the Watchtower Society over
Jehovah's Witnesses. Inevitably lawyer Jeffrey Anderson has been and will continue
to be mentioned by such media as the preeminant attorney for defending such victims,
and this positive press publicity is indeed of significant value. Do not
you yourself and your colleagues agree? Ask them. Keep them, all of them, fully
informed! And think about this. In just a few month's of work you have billed L Hughes
$80,000 but he has in that same period of time come up with $8,000, i.e. 10%. At
that rate You would get the other $72,000 back within just a few years. Being in the U.S.
True, I don't know about Canada, but here there pro-bono work can be written off as a tax
deduction. Even from the monetary view, sticking with L Hughes is logical, and I wonder
these positive points have been gone over by you with all of your associates there at the firm.
If they but knew some of these considerations, the degree of publicity attending to this case,
why, I would be amazed if they did not also encourage you to reconsider!
We sincerely hope, Mr Calvert, that this lengthy reply is coming across to you and indeed all
readers as trying to be not in the least bit "threatening" but actually nothing but
realistic, reasonable and courteous, if a little pointed.
Yes, the media exposure You folks are going to get is worth a million dollars or
even more. You did notice, didn't you, that the original email commended you and
your business for helping L Hughes 95% of the way which is an "A" (=excellent)
rating in the U.S.? Surely that was kind of us to point out. If you feel to the
contrary, why not correct it here at once. No doubt your schedule is hectic at
times and so there may be a little tendency on a Friday evening to gloss over what
was actually written, quickly interpret or even misinterpreted it, and then
rush off an email that seems somewhat more defensive than need be. Sometimes
misperceptions can also be from poor communications due to rushing the process.
If you or those with whom you practice prefer not to respond, that's okay too.
As said, we all realize you are busy along with those colleagues helping those in
need, paying your and their bills etc. Too, even if you don't respond, well, others
surely will, and if not now then later. The Free Christians community will be watching
the news about this incredibly important, precedent-setting case most keenly even as
will people across Canada now and into the distant future. We want all your law
firm partners to know that; so please let them know and in fact see this letter.
In the end, we trust in God, regardless of views about matters of faith, knowing that however He decrees, this
matter too will work out so that what is right, honorable and true shall be done,
the children who are being molested and bled to death protected. Peace and best
wishes to You all.
Subject: Re: READ NOW: Hughes Legal Case I suggest that you be accurate if you are going to widely
disseminate information. Mr. H. has never asked me to nor
retained me to represent him on this aspect of the case and
this was determined in February and has remained the same
since then. The Crown is conducting this trial and Mr.
Hughs determined that he would rely on that. For your info
we have carried over $180,000 in time and given angood deal
more free time and over 4 months of time to the substantial
exclusion of other clients. There are reasons why certain
decisions are made and proceedures followed that are privileged
to Mr. H and me However I have never abandoned him and still
have a godd deal of work to do for him both before the Queen's
Bench and the Court of Appeal and potentially elsewhere depending
on various applications that are outstanding. Trying to threaten
me to do something that is between my client and me is inappropriate
and your position inaccurate and unfair