Articles 2024

Indigenous women’s voices are missing—figuratively and literally—in the #MeToo conversation while Indigenous women are over-represented among Canada’s missing and murdered women. The #metoo movement is simply not accessible to the most marginalized women. For some Indigenous women, the safer choice is not to testify about sexual assaults to protect themselves and their families. It’s not safe for them to say, “me too”.

Each edition of the WLF Section Insider will feature short biographies of our section executive members until you have "met" us all.

Erin Cowling reviews Linda Silver Dranoff's, "Fairly Equal: Lawyering the Feminist Revolution" - part legal history book, part memoir, and part “how-to” guide on activism, "Fairly Equal" is a quick, entertaining, and inspiring read, chronicling both Ms. Silver Dranoff's life as a lawyer and her fight for legal reform and the advancement of women's rights in Canada. Read on for more!

“Position pays $100 a week – transportation fees negotiable.” – Advertisement on Law Society’s Articling Registry circa 2015 I studied law abroad and when I returned home I began the National Committee on Accreditation’s accreditation process, intending to develop a practice where I would make meaningful change in my clients’ lives. First, however, I had to contend with the two pressing hurdles of being a “foreign trained” candidate, and the constant murmurs of an articling crisis.

Our long-term, career-fulfilling goals must be shared and supported by the firms at which we work. If all of us, as lawyers, agree that we value having our families alongside our careers, we must ensure that our collective policies reflect that value.

The Ontario Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Forum hosted yet another excellent program in their “Pathways to Power” series. This latest program focused on female founding partners and lawyers “who have emerged as successful entrepreneurs and leaders in the legal profession”. The panelists were Mary Eberts (Law Office of Mary Eberts), Fareen Jamal (Jamal Family Law Professional Corporation), Natalie C. MacDonald (Rudner MacDonald LLP) and Robin Parker (Paradigm Law Group LLP).

A compilation of links to articles, podcasts, and videos that may be of interest to members of the OBA Women Lawyers Forum. Have suggested content for this feature? Email the link to Justine Johnston at justine.johnston@blakes.com.

A quarterly summary of awards and appointments, legislation and cases, and upcoming events. Please send any of the above that you would like announced, to Justine Johnston at justine.johnston@blakes.com

Last week, I topped my list of nerve-wracking, new-lawyer moments when, heart pounding, I telephoned the Honourable Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada from 1987 to 2002 and the second woman in Canadian history to be appointed to that position. I was calling to see if Justice L’Heureux-Dubé would speak with me about her experience receiving the OBA's Women Lawyers Forum's Award of Excellence in 1996, its inaugural year.

Each month we will introduce a different member of the Women Lawyers Forum Executive. Learn a little bit about us, why we joined the executive and what we love about being a lawyer.