Resources, Articles, & Advocacy
Advocacy | May 01, 2026
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of April 27
Municipal Codes of Conduct: The Province indicated it will move on long-delayed reforms to Municipal Codes of Conduct before Municipal elections occur in October. It would create a province-wide Code and provide for the removal and disqualification of sitting councilors in serious cases.
Legislative Update | April 27, 2026
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of April 20
OCJ Self Represented Trial Booking: Effective April 27, 2026, the Self Represented Trial Booking Calendar will launch to streamline the scheduling of eligible self-represented trials. These dedicated SharePoint calendars will be accessible to the Judiciary and Crown to allow eligible self-represented trials to be booked directly in the Self-Represented Court (SRC) Courtroom 101.
Article | April 25, 2026
Beyond the Weather: A Newcomer Lawyer's Guide to Small Talk
In this personal reflection, Dr. Ningjing (Natalie) Zhang shares what she learned about small talk after arriving in Canada as a new immigrant in her thirties, the first in her family to attend post-secondary education. Drawing on the T.A.L.K. framework by Harvard Business School Professor Allison Wood Brooks, she walks through four practical principles, Topics, Asking, Levity, and Kindness, and applies them to the everyday conversations that shape a legal career: client intakes, networking receptions, mentor coffees, and difficult phone calls. Written for lawyers who, like her, were never handed the unwritten manual on Canadian small talk, the article offers both a framework and a quiet permission to keep learning.
Legislative Update | April 10, 2026
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of April 6
To The Moon and Back: The Artemis II mission is returning to Earth and will splash down off the coast of San Diego Friday evening. Artemis II was the first journey to the moon in more than 50 years, and paves the way to a moon landing in the near future.
Advocacy | March 27, 2026
Your OBA LegUp Policy and Legislative Update Week of March 23
2026 Ontario Budget: On Thursday, the Ontario government released the 2026 Budget, A Plan to Protect Ontario. Justice sector spending is projected at $7.3 billion in 2026-27, and the overall deficit for 2026-27 is $13.8 billion, up from the $7.8 billion figure in the 2025 budget. You can read more about the budget and view the full document here.
