As the Crypto Evolution continues, Brent J. Arnold provides an overview of client onboarding, virtual law offices, videoconferencing and privacy/security considerations pertaining to practicing in the metaverse.

Navigating appeals to the Court of Appeal for Ontario can be a challenge for any lawyer, but new lawyers navigating their first appeal are probably doubly stressed, particularly if they are working alone, and especially where the appeal is complicated by a motion to quash. Nancy Sarmento Barkhordari offers a fantastic ensemble of gems from the gurus of appellate advocacy.

We asked members to tell us about a time they got to meet one of their heroes or about one they would most like to meet. Responses show the many forms role models take and the myriad ways a chance encounter can make a day or even change a career.

The legal community came together on June 9 to celebrate outstanding members of the profession who have made exceptional contributions to the practice of law in Ontario and to the Ontario Bar Association. This was the first OBA Awards Gala in three years, after the popular event was sidelined due to public health measures brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The OBA’s Supreme Evening brought together admiring members of the bench and bar to pay tribute to The Honourable Rosalie Abella and The Honourable Mahmud Jamal and celebrate “a passing of a precious baton from safe, strong hands to safe, strong hands.” The gala’s highlight were the remarks from the guests of honour, whose praise for each other conveyed respect, kinship, humour, and genuine affection – excerpts from which they have kindly shared.

From establishing limits and availing yourself of resources, to building your back-up network and creating routines that capitalize on your capabilities and capacity, a sole practitioner shares his advice on balancing a busy practice with fatherhood.

The Court, which has the final word on many issues affecting Canadians from all walks of life, should mirror the diversity of this country. Why? Because we know that a diverse bench only enhances the public’s confidence in our legal system, and diversity enhances the quality of decision-making on the bench.

Allow me to reintroduce you to Samantha Peters (she/her/they/them) – no stranger to the spotlight. Samantha, who proudly identifies as a Black queer femme, was called to the bars of Alberta and Ontario in 2020. In that short time, she has made a palpable impact on the legal profession because of her innovative and rebellious approach to the practice of law and the seemingly fearless way in which she navigates the margins that contemporary Canadian society imposes on her intersecting identities.

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.

We have all been on the receiving end of unsolicited, vaguely undermining, or completely cringeworthy career advice at some point in our professional progress. From the questionable to the objectionable, we asked members to share the worst advice they ever received – and, thankfully, disregarded!