Voting for the 2019 Law Society of Ontario Bencher Election is now open. Lawyers elected to Convocation will be in a position to influence governance, regulation and the provision of legal services to the public for the next four years, so it's critical to consider how candidates will effectively serve in the role when it comes to tackling the most pressing issues.
Many of the people running for election are active members of the Ontario Bar Association. Before votes are cast, the OBA is encouraging members to find out more about these Bencher hopefuls by checking out the online Voter's Guide.
With comprehensive OBA-candidate profiles, a professional and demographic diversity dashboard, and ballot builder tool, this guide offers people everything needed to acquaint themselves with member candidates, select desired slates and have ballots handy before casting their vote.
Member candidates from OBA Sections are:
| SECTION |
CANDIDATES |
|
Aboriginal Law
|
Jeff G. Cowan
Orlando Da Silva |
| Administrative Law |
Jeff G. Cowan
Michael M. Lerner
Isfahan Merali |
| Alternative Dispute Resolution |
Michael M. Lerner
Sidney H. Troister |
| Business Law |
Barbara Hendrickson
Atrisha Lewis
E. Patrick Shea
Quinn Ross
Heather L. Zordel |
| Canadian Corporate Counsel Association - Ontario Chapter |
Orlando Da Silva
Jayashree Goswami
Julia Shin Doi |
| Charity and Not-for-Profit-Law |
Heather L. Zordel |
| Child and Youth Law |
Rebecca Bromwich
|
| Civil Litigation |
Jeff G. Cowan
Orlando Da Silva
Jeremy Devereux
Jayashree Goswami
Michael M. Lerner
Atrisha Lewis
M. Steven Rastin
Mirilyn Sharp |
| Class Actions Law |
Jeremy Devereux
Mirilyn Sharp |
| Construction and Infrastructure Law |
Orlando Da Silva |
| Criminal Justice |
Orlando Da Silva
Michael Demczur
Michael M. Lerner |
| Elder Law |
M. Anne Vespry |
| Family Law |
Michael Demczur
Robert Shawyer
Deepa Tailor
M. Anne Vespry |
| Franchise Law |
Sylvie Patenaude |
| IT and Intellectual Property Law |
Howard Philip Knopf |
| Insolvency Law |
E. Patrick Shea |
| Insurance Law |
M. Steven Rastin
Jayashree Goswami |
| Law Practice Management |
Ian Speers |
| Municipal Law |
Jeff G. Cowan
Sidney H. Troister |
| Natural Resources and Energy Law |
Heather L. Zordel |
| Public Sector Lawyers |
Jeff G. Cowan
Orlando Da Silva
Isfahan Merali |
| Real Property Law |
Craig R. Carter
Rene E. Larson
Quinn Ross
Ian Speers
Sidney H. Troister
Jerry B. Udell |
| Sole, Small Firm and General Practice |
Ryan Alford
Robert Shawyer
Barbara Hendrickson
Robert Shawyer
Deepa Tailor |
| Women Lawyers Forum |
Rebecca Bromwich
Orlando Da Silva
Signa Daum Shanks
Rebecca Durcan
Isfahan Merali
Quinn Ross
Caryma Sa'd
Mirilyn Sharp
Robert Shawyer
Julia Shin Doi
Deepa Tailor
M. Anne Vespry
Heather Zordel |
| Young Lawyers Division |
Douglas Judson
Atrisha Lewis
Caryma Sa'd
Deepa Tailor |
Voting closes April 30, so, please utilize the OBA’s unique online Voter's Guide today.
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