Articles 2020

On March 5, 2015, the OBA Women Lawyer’s Forum joined forces with the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, the Women’s Law Association of Ontario and the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) to help to co-ordinate the Law Society of Upper Canada’s International Women’s Day event. The panel discussion was entitled “Sexual violence against women: the more things change, the more they stay the same?”

A question that plagues many young lawyers trying to navigate their way in a stressful and cutthroat profession is how to go about finding a mentor and developing that mentor/mentee relationship. Your first few years as a lawyer are arguably the most challenging, and it is the period during which lawyers need the most guidance and support.

In its 2014 report Women, Business and the Law, the International World Bank presents the results of its study on the legal and regulatory restrictions that determine women’s role in the workforce of 143 economies worldwide.

The Women Lawyers Forum hosted a member outreach networking reception in Ottawa on Monday, February 23, 2015.

This past December’s round of judicial appointments by Justice Minister Peter MacKay puts the issue of judicial diversity squarely back in the spotlight.

Catalyst's 2014 Global Census report revealed that Canadian women held 20.8% of the S&P/ TSX 60 companies' board of director positions in 2014. Increased representation of women in the boardroom has been linked to improved corporate governance. Through gender quotas, strategic recruitment, and informal mentoring, women can continue to climb the corporate ladder all the way to the boardroom.

This is an eclectic quarterly compilation of links to articles curated by Sheryl Smolkin that may be of interest to members of the OBA Women Lawyers Forum. If you come across interesting content for this feature, please email the link to me at sheryl@sherylsmolkin.com.

On September 18, 2014, the OBA Women Lawyers Forum section presented “Transforming Law Firm Culture: Creating Conditions for Career Success.”

Trinity Western University, a private Christian university in Langley, BC, has applied for judicial review of the Law Society of Upper Canada's refusal to accredit its proposed law school. The hearing is tentatively scheduled to take place before the Divisional Court on December 15-19, 2014.