This woman got a $13,000 settlement but received nothing

Added: 2026-05-28

[00:00:00]And the electrical was not completed.

[00:00:01]There's no lights. Samantha Kirkpatrick did her research before choosing the paralegal she hired to sue a contractor she says did a shotty job building her garage. She hired paralegal John McDonald in 2023. I thought this person is legitimate and he has a lot of credentials and that I could trust him.

[00:00:20]Over nearly two years, she paid him about $2,900 in fees.

[00:00:25]Then, last summer, McDonald told her the case had been settled for $13,000, saying he had deposited the money into his account and would transfer it later.

[00:00:36]That set off alarm bells for me. She says she still hasn't received the money. A few of McDonald's former clients tell Go Public they had similar experiences. His LinkedIn highlights paralegal work in Alberta, BC, and Saskatchewan. McDonald tells CBC News regulators in two provinces are looking into complaints from two of his former clients, so it would be inappropriate for me to comment, he said. He also says he's shutting down all paralegal services and now works in an unrelated field.

[00:01:07]The case is exposing gaps in many provincial paralegal systems like Alberta, where Kirkpatrick lives. That province doesn't regulate paralegals. It does have an association, but it has little power to regulate or discipline them and protect consumers. That's a far cry from what's happening in Ontario, where paralegals are highly regulated by the Law Society. So, it's really quite unacceptable, I think, that there's no oversight because it's the individual client who clearly needs the help. I don't think he has the money.

[00:01:42]I think it's gone. Go Public has learned there is an active fraud investigation by Calgary police involving McDonald.

[00:01:49]There are no charges at this time and no wrongdoing has been proven in court.

[00:01:53]Rosa Marchitelli, CBC News, Calgary.