KING’S COUNSEL IS BACK!! – Rank political patronage without any merit whatsoever for all the wrong reasons. ” It was abolished by Premier David Peterson who listed as reasons: 1) the designation was originally meant to recognise excellence in the courtroom, but the practice in Ontario was that it could be given to any lawyer, regardless of courtroom experience; 2) the use of the designation misled the public, because it was more based on who one knows than what one knows; 3) it was unfair to lawyers who for whatever reason have not been designated, leading to questions about their standing in the profession; 4) no other profession received government awards of this type; and 5) the designation had been used in Ontario mainly as a form of political patronage.