OBA Author Series

In 1973, three young lawyers established Heenan Blaikie. It would become one of Canada's highest-profile law firms, counting former prime ministers, premiers, and Supreme Court justices in its ranks. It was like a family, according to many who worked there. But it was a dysfunctional family. In 2014, the firm's dramatic collapse became front-page news.

Based on extensive interviews with firm lawyers and legal industry insiders, Heenan Blaikie is the story of a respected law firm that ultimately buckled under weak governance and management. Heenan Blaikie seemed to punch above its weight: bilingual, humane, national with international aspirations. But beneath its unique culture as a kinder, gentler law firm lay workplace bullying, challenges for women and visible minority lawyers, and sexual harassment.

Adam Dodek, an unbiased outsider, situates the firm's evolution within the context of a changing legal profession and society, producing an account that is gripping from beginning to end.

Adam has been a Professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law, Common Law Section since 2008.  He is an author and editor with more than 50 book chapters and journal articles, and he has written/edited 11 books. His book The Canadian Constitution, 2d ed. (Dundurn, 2016) was named one of the top books on Canadian Public Policy by the Hill Times and his book Solicitor-Client Privilege was the winner of the Walter Owen Book Prize.

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mcnallyrobinson.com  Amazon

Ann Douglas knows what it’s like to parent a child diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  Ditto with depression, anorexia, Asperger’s syndrome and ADHD.  Each of her four children has struggled with one or more conditions that fall under the “children’s mental health” umbrella.  From a bestselling Canadian author and trusted parenting authority comes this honest and indispensable compendium of advice for parents living with children who have mental illness.  Join us for what promises to be an enlightening conversation with Ann.

Book Purchase – you will find Parenting Through the Storm on Amazon or at Indigo.

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With consideration toward our new president, Kelly McDermott’s mandate to supporting one another, we have chosen the book Bold Decisions – Memoirs of a Judge, Lawyer, Teacher and Working Mom by The Honourable Sandra Chapnik for our fall session. In clear, compelling language, The Honourable Sandra Chapnik tells you how she overcame her fears and disappointments to live her purpose over a lifetime. In relating her intriguing experiences as a judge, lawyer, teacher and working mom, she answers the recurring questions: How did you balance your interests and priorities? Why did you choose law? What hurdles did you face?

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Beverley McLachlin’s debut novel, Full Disclosure, which introduced readers to Jilly Truitt, was a #1 national bestseller and short-listed for the Arthur Ellis Best First Crime Novel Award.  Her memoir, Truth be told, was an instant bestseller and won the prestigious Writers’ Trust Shaughnessy Cohen Prize and the Ottawa Book Award for Non-Fiction.  From 2000 to 2017, McLachlin was Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada.  She is the first woman to hold that position and the longest-serving Chief Justice in Canadian history.  In 2018, McLachlin became a Companion of the Order of Canada, the highest honour within the order.  Now, she brings us her latest book Denial, a taut new thriller starring tough-as-nails defense attorney Jilly Truitt in a murder case that makes her question her own truths.

You can purchase a copy of Beverley’s book online or in person at your local bookstore.

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In this book club discussion, we’re diving into an intimate and no-holds-barred memoir by one of Canada’s top defense lawyers, Marie Henein.  Nothing But The Truth weaves Marie’s personal story with her strongly held views on society’s most pressing issues.

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The book Gender Ambiguity in the Workplace – Transgender and Gender-Diverse Discrimination discusses long ignored nuances of transgender identity through narratives of non-binary, gender-fluid, and genderless experiences, in the context of workplace discrimination amongst a host of other topics like workplace policy and best practices surrounding such policy.  

Purchase: Gender Ambiguity in the Workplace – Transgender and Gender-Diverse Discrimination

Written by lawyer, and long-time OBA member, Jacqueline King, 25 Rules for Success & 10 Tips to Enjoy the Practice of Law provides unique insight into everyday practice rules that apply to lawyers in different areas of the law and across all jurisdictions. The tips and advice that the book presents will create easy conversation during our book club discussion as we consider our observations about law practice, our everyday stresses, our ongoing quests for professional development and improvement.

Purchase: 25 Rules for Success & 10 Tips to Enjoy the Practice of Law

Following up on one of our most popular Work that Works podcast episodes, the OBA is bringing back best-selling author Minda Harts to discuss with us how women of colour navigating their corporate careers.  Minda’s book, The Memo, is packed with strategic and tactical wisdom, and we’ll take the opportunity to hear her advice, share strategies for success, and learn how we can support women of colour in our workplaces.

Purchase: The Memo

A novel that skillfully mixes legal narrative with compelling personal drama in a story about motherhood, love, and law.
Purchase: Not Your Penance

 

Author’s Andrew Stobo Sniderman & Douglas Sanderson to discuss their book Valley of the Birdtail. Valley of the Birdtail is a heart-rending true story about racism and reconciliation Divided by a beautiful valley and 150 years of racism. It shares how two communities became separate and unequal—and what it means for the rest of us. In Rossburn, once settled by Ukrainian immigrants who fled poverty and persecution, family income is near the national average and more than a third of adults have graduated from university. In Waywayseecappo, the average family lives below the national poverty line and less than a third of adults have graduated from high school, with many haunted by their time in residential schools.

This book follows multiple generations of two families, one white and one Indigenous, and weaves their lives into the larger story of Canada. It is a story of villains and heroes, irony and idealism, racism and reconciliation. Valley of the Birdtail has the ambition to change the way we think about our past and show a path to a better future.

Valley of the Birdtail was published by HarperCollins and is available through HarperCollins, can be ordered online from Amazon and is available at Indigo.

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