In an interview with OBA Criminal Justice Section newsletter editor Allison Lee, Jeff Carolin, a criminal defence lawyer with a restorative-justice-informed practice, recounts his experience representing a sexual assault complainant in a restorative justice process in Toronto, the first of its kind.

A law student with a passion for employment law reflects on a thorny topic that formed the focus of a recent OBA program – enforcing COVID-19 vaccination policies – and dissects the latest intel and insights from adjudicators in the know.

How to stay on top of jurisprudential developments as a junior lawyer and maintain the requisite level of competency to represent your clients.

Criminal defence lawyer Hamna Anwar makes a request to senior counsel: When you are giving advice to junior lawyers who look up to you, please be mindful of the power of your words. Please do not provide advice that teaches young, racialized women to minimize themselves or play it small.

Stairway accidents result in numerous serious injuries and significant financial losses. A forensic structural engineer outlines the various aspects of stair construction that could affect its safe use, and the responsibilities of those connected to a stair slip-and-fall incident: the property owner, designer, homebuilder, and handrail installer.

After summarizing two recent Human Rights Tribunal decisions that, for the first time, considered the issue of misgendering of gender non-conforming employees in the workplace as well as their employers' failure to address their complaints of discrimination seriously or at all, the authors highlight key findings and provide practical tips for organizations in light of these decisions.

In a year that saw continued rejigging of our workspaces and schedules and, for some, a return to old routines, we wondered where busy lawyers were most frequently able to find focus and foster creativity. So, we asked members: “Where do you do your best thinking?”

The Honourable Mary Jo Nolan has devoted her decades-long career to advocating for access to justice for society’s most vulnerable, achieving many firsts along the way: first female case management master in Ontario, first female judge appointed to the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in Essex County, and now, first recipient of the OBA Award of Excellence in Alternative Dispute Resolution from the Southwest Region.

An overview of the language obligations set out in the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Law Society of Ontario (LSO Rules) and examination of the scope of “language rights” contemplated by the LSO Rules, including recent legislative changes regarding access to justice in French in the province.

For an increasing number of legal employers, offering a defined benefit pension plan is not only good business but the right thing to do.