A boutique Toronto law firm at the centre of a $7-million embezzlement case appears to have passed a financial spot check by the Law Society of Ontario years after the managing partner admits she began stealing client money to fund a lavish lifestyle.

In the summer of 2022, when the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) did a routine financial check-up on Cartel & Bui LLP, it didn't raise any red flags — even though the firm's bank statements showed nearly $140,000 of client money had been withdrawn from the firm's trust account in just one month for payments to American Express, while another $2,090 was paid to a child-care centre.

Filings in court and at the LSO's disciplinary tribunal show that the embezzlement at the firm, founded by Singa Bui and her husband, Nicholas Cartel, continued f

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