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Congratulations to 2016 President's Award winner May M. Cheng

Cheng450x300Please join us as we celebrate at the 2016 Annual Awards Gala on June 8th at the Rosewater Room in Toronto. We will be presenting the WLAO President’s Award to May M. Cheng. The WLAO President's Award recognizes a woman, firm or organization who has made a substantial contribution to the legal community and as a recognized leader, demonstrates a commitment to the promotion of women in the law.

2016 Annual Awards Gala
When: Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Time: 6:30pm reception; 7:00pm dinner (cash bar)
Location: Rosewater Room, 19 Toronto Street, Toronto

At the Award Gala, WLAO will recognise the winner of the 2016 WLAO General Counsel Chapter Award, Dorothy Quann. This award recognizes a member of the General Counsel Chapter for her leadership role and commitment to the success of women in law.

We will also present our 2016 lawyer and student awards including the Lerners LLP Elizabeth Grace Emerging Leaders Award, the new Honourable Sandra Chapnik Women-in-Law Award, the Avril Farlam Advocacy Award, the Aird & Berlis LLP Equality Award, and the Torkin Manes LLP Trailblazer Award.

We hope you can join us at our celebration honouring fantastic women and their remarkable accomplishments!

Members: $95 (plus hst)
Students: $90 (plus hst)
Non-members: $110 (plus hst)
Table for 10: $1025 (plus hst)

For more information or if you would prefer to pay by cheque, please Email: wlao@cogeco.ca | Phone: 416-410-7267.

Register now to attend our program.

WLAO President Ronda Bessner to receive Law Society Medal

Ronda Bessner, President of the Women’s Law Association of Ontario, is a recipient of a 2016 Law Society award. Ms. Bessner will be awarded a Law Society Medal, which are given to selected lawyers who have made a significant contribution to the profession.

"This year's recipients are outstanding legal professionals and I look forward to honouring them at our upcoming ceremony," said Law Society Treasurer Janet E. Minor.

"Our 2016 honourees have very impressive and diverse professional experience and expertise — from the private sector, public sector and academia. They are leaders in their fields — from environmental law to language rights and human rights. They are involved with our professions and in their communities and in the advancement of social justice issues. Each recipient represents the best of our professions and our professions' core principles — commitment to the rule of law and access to justice."

Ronda Bessner, Toronto — Called to the Bar in 1983, Ronda Bessner has led an extraordinary career as a lawyer and has made significant contributions to Ontario and its legal community through her leadership and involvement in the Women's Law Association, as well as her leadership in serving the people of Ontario in five Ontario public inquiries. She is also a Visiting Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, and recently co-designed and co-chaired a pre-inquiry roundtable on Canada's missing and murdered Indigenous women. She is also an adjudicator on the Consent and Capacity Board.

Ronda and 13 other award recipients will be recognized at the annual Law Society Awards ceremony on May 25, 2016, at Osgoode Hall.

Warmest congratulations Ronda!

For a list of award recipients, please see https://www.lsuc.on.ca/newsarchives.aspx?id=2147485737&cid=2147502321

Judicial Vacancy Ontario Court of Justice - Thunder Bay - by Friday, March 18, 2016

JUDICIAL VACANCY
ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE
THUNDER BAY
BILINGUAL POSITION

The Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee advises the Attorney General of Ontario on the appointment of Judges to the Ontario Court of Justice, and invites applications for a bilingual judicial position in Thunder Bay.

This appointment involves presiding over criminal and family law matters (approximately 50% criminal and 50% family) and also involves travel within the regional boundaries as assigned by the Regional Senior Justice and/or the Chief Justice.

The minimum requirement to apply to be a Judge in the Ontario Court of Justice is ten years completed membership as a barrister and solicitor at the Bar of one of the Provinces or Territories of Canada.

All candidates must apply either by submitting 14 copies of the current (February 2016) completed Judicial Candidate Information Form in the first instance or by a short letter (14 copies) if the current form has been submitted within the previous 12 months. Should you wish to change any information in your application, you must send in 14 copies of a fully revised Judicial Candidate Information Form.

If you wish to apply and need a current Judicial Candidate Information Form, or if you would like further information, please contact:

Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee
Tel: (416) 326-4060 Fax: (416) 212-7316
Website: www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/jaac/

All applications, either sent by courier, mail or hand delivery, must be sent to:

Judicial Appointments Advisory Committee
c/o Ministry of Government Services Mail Delivery
77 Wellesley Street West, Room M2B-88
Macdonald Block, Queen’s Park
Toronto, Ontario, M7A 1N3

Applications must be on the current prescribed form and must be TYPEWRITTEN or COMPUTER GENERATED and RECEIVED BY 4:30 p.m. on Friday, March 18, 2016.

CANDIDATES ARE REQUIRED TO PROVIDE 14 COPIES OF THEIR APPLICATION FORM OR LETTER.
A Fax copy will be accepted only if 14 copies of the application or letter are sent concurrently by overnight courier. Applications received after this date WILL NOT be considered.

The Judiciary of the Ontario Court of Justice should reasonably reflect the diversity of the population it serves. Applications from members of equality-seeking groups are encouraged.

POSTE À POURVOIR AU SEIN DE LA MAGISTRATURE
COUR DE JUSTICE DE L’ONTARIO
THUNDER BAY
POSTE BILINGUE

Le Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature conseille le Procureur général de l’Ontario sur les nominations de juges à la Cour de justice de l’Ontario et invite les personnes intéressées à présenter leur demande au poste de juge bilingue à Thunder Bay.

Cette nomination comprend la présidence d’affaires de droit criminel et de droit de la famille (environ 50 % droit criminel et 50 % droit de la famille) et nécessite également des déplacements à l’intérieur des limites régionales, selon les assignations du juge principal régional ou du juge en chef.

Pour pouvoir poser sa candidature à un poste de juge à la Cour de justice de l’Ontario, il faut, comme condition minimale, avoir été inscrit comme avocat-plaidant et procureur au barreau de l’une des provinces ou de l’un des territoires du Canada pendant au moins dix ans.

Tous les candidats et candidates doivent poser leur candidature soit, dans le premier cas, en présentant le Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant (février 2016), soit en envoyant une courte lettre (en 14 exemplaires) si le formulaire courant a été présenté au cours des 12 mois précédents. En cas de changements à apporter à un formulaire déjà envoyé, le candidat ou la candidate doit envoyer à nouveau 14 exemplaires du formulaire de renseignements corrigé.

Si vous voulez poser votre candidature et que vous avez besoin d’un Formulaire de renseignements sur le candidat/la candidate à la magistrature courant, ou encore si vous souhaitez obtenir de plus amples renseignements, veuillez communiquer avec :

Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature
Téléphone : (416) 326-4060
Télécopieur : (416) 212-7316
Site Web : www.ontariocourts.ca/ocj/fr/jaac/

Toutes les demandes envoyées par service de messagerie, par la poste ou en main propre doivent être soumises à l’adresse suivante :

Comité consultatif sur les nominations à la magistrature
a/s Ministère des Services gouvernementaux - Services de distribution du courrier 77, rue Wellesley Ouest, salle M2B-88
Édifice Macdonald, Queen’s Park
Toronto (Ontario) M7A 1N3

Les demandes de candidature doivent être déposées par l’entremise du formulaire prescrit courant et DACTYLOGRAPHIÉES ou CRÉÉES PAR ORDINATEUR et reçues au plus tard à 16 h 30 le vendredi 18 mars 2016.

LES CANDIDATS ET CANDIDATES DOIVENT FOURNIR 14 EXEMPLAIRES DE LEUR FORMULAIRE OU DE LEUR LETTRE DE CANDIDATURE. Une télécopie ne sera acceptée que si 14 exemplaires du formulaire ou de la lettre de candidature sont également envoyés par service de messagerie de 24 heures. On n’accordera AUCUNE considération aux candidatures reçues après cette date.

La magistrature provinciale doit refléter raisonnablement la diversité de la population qu’elle sert. Nous encourageons les membres de groupes de promotion de l’égalité à présenter une demande.

Upcoming Spring programs

All programs listed below can be found on our Events pages for actual registration.

Save the Date! March 8th, 2016
International Women’s Day Celebration at the Law Society of Ontario
Place: The Law Society of Ontario, 130 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario (Enter at eastside doors facing Toronto City Hall)
Date: 03/08/16

Save the Date! April 19, 2016
10th Annual Diverse Careers for Women in Law
Place: The Law Society of Ontario, 130 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario (Enter at eastside doors facing Toronto City Hall)
Date: 04/19/16

Save the Date! Monday, May 9, 2016
Soup Sisters evening
Place: Liaison College of Culinary Arts, 205 Richmond St. West Toronto
Date: 05/09/16

Law student’s article spotlights human rights issue impeding entry to profession

Article taken from Queen's Legal News Bulletin Maria Nunez, Queen's University Law ’16

Maria Nunez, Law’16, an advocate for persons with disabilities, is now a published author on the topic. Her paper about the impact of the law school admissions process on these individuals appears in the 2015 Canadian Legal Education Annual Review (CLEAR).

In her article, “The Law School Admission Council, the Law School Admission Test, and Barriers for Individuals with Disabilities. Oh My! Leaving the Legal Profession Before Admission?,” she argues that the current LSAT accommodation process discriminates towards persons with disabilities, raising a human rights concern and creating barriers for entry into the legal profession.

“The status quo is that students with disabilities are still not being properly accommodated,” says Nunez. “It remains to be seen what procedural protections will be put in place to ensure that admissions procedures for students with disabilities are equitable.”

Before coming to law school, Nunez worked as an aid for youth and adults with disabilities, and volunteered with various community organizations in Calgary. “Advocating for persons with disabilities is a cause close to my heart,” she says. “I wanted to raise awareness about the fact that many students are deterred from applying to law school because they do not receive adequate disability accommodations for the LSAT, despite ample medical documentation. A strong case exists for systemic discrimination.”

Nunez wrote the paper as part of an independent study project supervised by Professor Beverley Baines, Law’73, who encouraged Nunez to write on a topic that she was passionate about. “It is a very well researched, significant contribution to the issues raised,” says Baines. “I think people in the legal world, including those in all Canadian law schools, need to read it.”

While publishing a paper in law school was not always a goal of hers, Nunez is proud that her article can educate people about some of the contemporary barriers that persons with disabilities encounter when pursuing law school. “Whatever I do in the future, I hope that I will make a positive mark and help people.”

In a separate email to WLAO, Nunez wrote: I feel "The paper is very important and relevant for the Canadian law profession. For those unfamiliar with the topic, in 2012, the United States Justice Department brought an action against the Law School Admission Council (LSAC), alleging “widespread and systemic deficiencies in the way it processes requests by people with disabilities for testing accommodations.” In 2014, a settlement agreement was reached requiring LSAC to reform its accommodation practices and to pay $7.73 million in penalties and damages. I write about how similar concerns still affect access to legal education in Canada and I offer recommendations for how LSAC and law schools can better address the needs of Canadians with disabilities."

01
Apr
2:00 pm

Sistering Event Invitation for April 1, 2023

Law student’s article spotlights human rights issue impeding entry to profession
Social
18
May
5:30 pm

2023 Annual Awards Gala - Thursday, May 18, 2023

Law student’s article spotlights human rights issue impeding entry to profession
Special Events

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Women’s Law Association of Ontario
1 Toronto Street, Suite 900
Toronto, ON M5C 2V6

Phone

416-410-7267

toll free: 1-888-723-8883

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