The Law Society of Upper Canada has rejected an application from a would-be lawyer on the grounds that he lacked "good character."

29-year-old Ryan Manilla boasted an exemplary academic record. Apparently he was an exceptional student in high school, top of the class at law school and nabbed summer jobs at top Canadian law firms. But he appears to have come unstuck when it came to his extra-curricular activities.

He'd taken on the crushing yoke of his apartment block's board presidency, and soon became embroiled in a dispute with other board members over proposed fee hikes. According to the Law Society ruling, the argument quickly spiralled out of control. The ruling states that Manilla sent menacing emails telling members they "run the risk of being shot" by the other residents, used "unprintable language" to describe another member's wife and daughter and made insulting remarks about Russian residents. To top it all off, Manilla apparently forged a letter from a fake private investigator, which he circulated to other residents, claiming the board was receiving condo company kickbacks.

Manilla relaxing at home yesterday (an artist's impression)

Probably not doing much to tick the Law Society's honesty box, his actions also got him in trouble with the law itself and in 2009 he was charged with criminal harassment. The charges were dropped when he agreed to sell his condo, give a $250 donation to the Sick Kids Hospital on behalf of each of the board members and attend some anger management classes. But this wasn't enough to save his Law Society application, and he was rejected by the committee on the basis of "serious misconduct" that betrayed his character flaws.

Any readers interested in learning a bit more about some of those lawyers that are deemed to meet the "good character" test and join the noble profession in Canada, can read all about their "nights of debauchery" here.