At the OBA

As an essential ally and advocate for members of the legal profession, the OBA promotes fair justice systems, facilitates effective law reform, upholds equality in the legal profession and is devoted to eliminating discrimination.

Today
Today
SOGIC logo with Rainbow on O. Man looking through binoculars

SOGIC: Celebrating History, Setting New Goals

  • December 04, 2020
  • Teddy Weinstein

SOGIC leaders tell us about the opportunities that involvement in this vital community offers lawyers today, and where they see the section making an impact – in the profession and in the advancement of equality – in the future.

Charlene Theodore

President's Message: Turning introspection into action

  • December 04, 2020
  • Charlene Theodore

In the last year, the justice sector has advanced by leaps and bounds in modernization. By next year, I hope we’ll be able to look back on similarly substantial –and carefully plotted – progress when it comes to innovation and inclusion in our own legal workplaces.

President’s Message: There’s no turning back now

President’s Message: There’s no turning back now

  • August 26, 2020
  • Colin Stevenson

The OBA has a long history of leading the charge on EDI, lawyer mental health and wellness, access to justice and innovation, but in this game-changing year, our work in these areas has converged with greater impact than ever before. When I introduced my Innovation mandate at the outset of my presidency,

Charlene Theodore

Catching Up With Charlene Theodore, OBA Incoming President

  • August 26, 2020

Gearing up to take the wheel as OBA president in September, with a mission to reinvent the legal workplace, Charlene Theodore takes time to talk to us about what drives her and where she plans to blaze new trails in the profession in the year ahead.

Doug Elliot with SOGIC logo behind him

Unafraid of Controversy: An interview with Douglas Elliott

  • June 02, 2020
  • Teddy Weinstein

In the second article in a series celebrating SOGIC’s 25th anniversary, Douglas Elliott, one of the section’s first co-chairs, talks about his part in producing lasting change in the fight for equality, from his time working on the OBA’s report on AIDS, up to the final decisive vote in Mont Tremblant that created SOGIC’s national section.

Two Hands Grasping

Lawyers Helping Lawyers

  • June 02, 2020

Meet the team that is anticipating your needs and ensuring your voice is heard in policy and professional development.

Colin Stevenson

President's Message: The OBA role in advancing modernization

  • June 02, 2020
  • Colin Stevenson

When I laid out my practice innovation mandate last fall I knew that evolution was imperative for lawyers to remain relevant and trusted advisors in a rapidly changing business climate. I also knew that the OBA and our members could play a pivotal role in advancing modernization. What I didn’t know, of course, was just a few months later how accelerated the pace of change would become, how urgent the need to adapt, or how critical a role our Association would play.

Chris Ellis and Paul Saguil with SOGIC logo

SOGIC at 25: Reflections from two former chairs

  • February 27, 2020
  • Teddy Weinstein

The Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community (SOGIC) is celebrating 25 years at the forefront of LGBTTIQ2S advocacy in Canada. Founded during World AIDS Day, 1994, SOGIC now has chapters and representatives in every Canadian Province. In the first in a series of articles featuring retrospectives of the group’s founding and work, former SOGIC Ontario Branch (OBA) chairs, Chris Ellis and Paul Saguil reflect on their involvement.

Colin Stevenson

President's Message: Fulfilling our promise and potential amidst change in the profession

  • February 27, 2020
  • Colin Stevenson

The old Irish witticism, “youth is wasted on the young,” clearly arises from the perceived wisdom of tired elders and perhaps their jealousy of opportunities available only to the young. If you are looking for good reason to be jealous of or, better still, be inspired by the new generation of up-and-comers, you just have to attend any OBA Student or Young Lawyers Division event.