What do David Peterson, Bob Rae, Mike Harris, Ernie Eves, Dalton McGuinty, Kathleen Wynne and Doug Ford (until recently - 2021) have in common? Likely the only thing?
They used exactly the same process and procedure to appoint provincial judges.
What Doug Ford has done is…
I’m proud that I paid my own way through law school even though it meant taking on huge debt. I’m even more proud today that I finally paid the last of that debt off!!
@hankgreen
Another super small thing that someone offered was to let them know if I needed help making phone calls, managing appointments, and searching out qualified professionals. I thought that was super thoughtful.
The pandemic has maintained and magnified all of the worst parts of being a lawyer in private practice (constantly being on call, clients with high expectations, billing pressure) while eliminating the fun parts (seeing other humans, socials, spontaneous conversation).
Premier Doug Ford says he is “tripling down” by saying he wants “like-minded” judges. He gets a standing ovation from obedient Tory MPPs for his thundering blast against judges.
#onpoli
Two-tiered healthcare is here. Below is a tour through Maple. You can get quick healthcare in Ontario. For a cost. A credit card gets you far more than an OHIP card will.
I have something to say about the state of the Justice System in Ontario. I hope some of you will join me in standing up and demanding better from our elected officials.
I have cancelled my online membership. This is insulting to a great Canadian and former Prime Minister and how they chose to title his OBITUARY?
@globeandmail
Biggest lesson from Marie Henein from the Mark Norman press conference: give your juniors, partners and staff credit and recognition and use your success to lift others up with you. The best and most noble in our profession do this. Others hog the limelight for themselves.
I’m honoured to receive the David W. Scott Award for Pro Bono Law from the
@OBAlawyers
. Thanks to Ranjan Agarwal,
@erinpleet
,
@PamHrick
,
@karenperronblg
and others who were behind this. Full list of award winners is online:
Vindicated in court of law and in the court of public opinion. I hope Umar Zameer can begin to rebuild his life. Congratulations to all involved in his defence.
I personally thought the role of a judge was to adjudicate matters impartially based on the facts and law. Political meddling in the judiciary is not healthy for democracy. Appoint the best people. Period.
Is the goal of law to "keep people in jail" as desired by Premier Ford? He said "every single appointment I can to find tough judges, tough JPs to keep guys in jail ... I'm going to do it". This is why Mr. Ford should never be the judge of anything.
The
@Advocates_Soc
was one of the first legal organizations that welcomed me in and gave me an active role. I am very proud to receive this recognition and to share the day with
@OmarHaRedeye
.
#TASProud
Congrats to
@ErinDurant42
of
@BLGLaw
recipient of the 2020 YASC Writer’s Award in recognition of her outstanding contributions to TAS publications. The award will be presented at Fall Forum on Oct 23. Learn more here
Partial list of things women litigators want: 1) enough lockers to keep our stuff safe, 2) room to get dressed without elbowing someone, 3) the removal and ceremonial burning of the “lady barristers” sign, 4) for people to recognize that women are litigators - and damn good ones.
For those interviewing in Toronto next week: I didn’t get hired and I turned out just fine and with a career I enjoy. Do your best and roll with the outcome.
It’s nice to see the legal community supporting our Black colleagues right now. However, I wonder where were these lawyers when we elected a slate of LSO Benchers who deny that racism exists.
COVID-19 has forced me to slow down and take care of myself. I had been working far too hard for far too long. It’s sad I needed a worldwide pandemic to slow down a bit but here we are. Will anyone else be making permanent changes to their routine after this?
Listen, everyone. When I say I do not have availability before a certain date, it is because I do not have availability before a certain date. I am trying to not kill myself by working myself to death. End rant.
A very rare public statement by a group of retired chief justices.
““We believe that the suggestion that judges and justices of the peace could be subject to political influence in the exercise of their duties represents a fundamental misrepresentation of our judicial system…
Gascon J. should be commended for sharing this aspect of himself. Everyone who has ever suffered with depression, anxiety or panic attacks will benefit from this moment.
I think the University of Ottawa should be commended for requiring law students to take a mandatory sexual assault workshop. I wish more organizations were this brave.
“Simply put, women lawyers don’t need to ‘lean in’ any more than they have already done. What needs fixing is the structure and culture of law firms, so firms can better address the needs of the many women they recruit and seek to retain.”
Women have told me they do not post publicly about women in law issues because they are “touchy subjects.” 52% of Ontario lawyers under age 44 and 54% under age 35 are women. “Touchy” or not, we need to talk about issues publicly and not just to each other at women’s events.
I’m going to be a bad liberal for a minute and say this: I miss my disposable plastic bags from the grocery store and reusing them in small garbage cans. I also miss the storage I used to have in what has become my reusable bags avalanche hell cupboard.
Now that many people WFH/are stuck at home some are acting like everyone is always available. If you contact an employee, lawyer colleague or opposing counsel and receive an “out of office”, don’t call their cell phones or expect immediate reply. People need time off. End rant.
The Federal Court of Canada emailed me 5 documents filed on a matter within 15 minutes of making the request. As someone who primarily practices in the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, this absolutely blows my mind. Why can't we also have nice things?
My favourite moment of the
#TWU
hearing today was the lawyer who said that saying there are other law schools LGBTQ students can attend is like saying to Rosa Parks "There are other seats on the bus."
I'd like to thank
@jkwan_md
for continuing to do this day, after day, after day. It must be exhausting and an additional burden to carry. But we appreciate you!
Who are these people still sending faxes? You better have a fax machine in your house.
I hereby agree to accept service for the duration of the pandemic (and afterwards) by email.
Another lesson here: don’t send students to court without a full briefing on the case and the information that they are going to need. If a student gets yelled at by the court, it’s often (or maybe always) the instructing lawyers fault IMO.
Happy international day of companies bragging about how great their work place is for women while they actually do nothing at all to rectify long-known problems.
Things I learned today while working remotely. 1. Hosting a WebEx meeting is easy, convenient for everyone and I should have been doing this for years. 2. When I spend 1.2 hours less in the car, I finish work 1.2 hours earlier and have time to work out before dinner.
#UPDATE
: Tom Brady's ex-wife, Gisele Bündchen, reacted to the quarterback's announcement ... saying, "Wishing you only wonderful things in this new chapter of your life."
Real change is coming for
#womeninlaw
. When you combine strong young women who will not accept anything but equality, fierce women who are now in management/own their own firms and male allies championing women, the future is bright.
#IWD2019
It angers me that these articling interview rules for women may be necessary for some firms. If I interview you, please don’t worry about your skirt, wedding ring or whether you know sports. Be prepared to tell me why you want to work at
@BLGLaw
Why am I spending time with dog and cat contests? Because everything is generally awful and I am happy to spend some time sharing cuteness to make things better as we close out the worst year ever.
Good luck to all law students interviewing on Bay Street this week. I do not envy you for a minute. I went through the process, didn’t get hired, and ended up just fine. You will be too.
I like my gown. I never get mistaken for a non-lawyer when in my gown. It’s the great equalizer. I just wish the sleeves didn’t always get stuck on my chair.
Radical proposition: We should all ditch the gowns. You pay for the courts: wear whatever the hell you want (or what your client expects you to).
#BencherElection2019
#LSObencher
Thank you to
@cynthiabkuehl
for nominating
@Breanna_Needham
and I for
@Lexpert
Zenith awards. A completely selfless act and a great example of and accomplished woman litigator bringing up her peers at another firm. I am forever grateful.
I would like it if everytime I delivered a finished report or pleading or email if people would respond with an email saying “Wow, congratulations on finishing something, finishing things is really hard right now, you are a champion!” Thanks in advance.
I don’t see how advertising promotes access to justice when the majority of the population can not afford a lawyer and legal aid does not come close to filing the gap.
LSO's $1.2 million PR campaign extolls it as 'go-to' place for legal resources LSO treasurer Malcolm Mercer (pictured) hopes that the legal profession will see this campaign as supporting the common goal of
#accesstojustice
#A2J
Everyone, no matter how vile, is entitled to have legal representation. Lawyers should not be penalized like this as a result of the clients they represent.
Harvard said that a professor, Ronald Sullivan Jr., who is representing Harvey Weinstein would not continue as faculty dean of an undergraduate house. He and his wife, Stephanie Robinson, were the first African-American faculty deans in Harvard’s history.
I will be interviewing with CBC
@OttawaMorning
@RobynBresnahan
tomorrow providing more context about the Law Help Centres closure. I’m thankful the media has taken an interest in this.
A good study that confirms what female lawyers already know. I’m most interested in the fact that women lawyers are asked to do more of the office housework, like planning events and parties. This takes us away from billable work.
Today I remembered a discussion with an articling student when I interviewed for a summer job. After the tour, she took me to her office and said “You seem like a nice person. You don’t want to work here.” I had got that vibe during the interview, but appreciated the honesty.
I have no doubt that she will try and bring a lawsuit. Not just for her, but to set a precedent that will benefit all women. If anyone has the resources to fight this, it’s her.
Taylor Swift is said to be considering legal action against the deepfake website that generated explicit AI images of her which circulated online, Daily Mail reports.
OTD in 1929, 🇨🇦’s highest court of appeal ruled that women were persons under the law. On
#PersonsDay
we honour Irene Parlby, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Emily Murphy, Louise McKinney and Nellie McClung whose determination helped make this historic decision come to life.
#FamousFive
I do not know if this decision is right or wrong. I’m simply not familiar enough with the legislation and applicable law and it’s a complicated issue. As a citizen of Ottawa, it is disappointing. However, I will say that I am happy to live in a country where there are…
We were successful on behalf of the CCLA. The Federal Court found that the decision to declare the Emergencies Act was ultra vires and unreasonable and that the measures violated the Charter.
After six years, I’m finally stepping off the
@Advocates_Soc
Young Lawyers Standing Committee. Getting involved in YASC was most rewarding adventure of my career so far. It was incredibly energizing to work with so many future leaders who I now consider to be friends.
I recently finished a file for a senior member of the Bar. He took the time to write me a handwritten note of thanks. He then called me to read it as he didn’t know when I’d be getting my work mail. Some people make my heart happy.