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.

After attending the idea-packed RODA Annual Diversity Conference in Partnership with the OBA, Celeste M. Young considers how the intersection of conscious allyship and advocacy can be the catalyst for action and how lawyers can come together to advance important change.

The forthright new memoir from renowned criminal defence attorney Marie Henein formed the basis of a fascinating OBA Community Book Club event. Attending virtually and answering questions on everything from public perception of law to double-standards that plague powerful women, Henein lived up to her reputation for candour and acuity.

Notwithstanding the fact that section 23 expressly refers to the right of instruction in the minority language at the primary and secondary levels, the authors argue that a large, liberal and purposive interpretation can include instruction at the post-secondary level.

The former managing partner of Gowling WLG’s Hamilton office sat down for a Q&A session to talk about what has made chairing the Hamilton Commonwealth Games Bid Corporation such a revelatory and rewarding experience and what all lawyers might gain from taking a more “holistic and humanistic” view of their purpose and value.

We asked OBA Section members to share with us their most enjoyable or enriching virtual networking experience from the past year-and-a-half of Zooming, Teams-ing, Skyping, sometimes Slacking, but always Rallying.

Call for a new part to be added regarding the substantive equality of official languages within the National Capital.

A community-minded lawyer has assembled a team of single moms to provide free child care to parents in the hours immediately following their vaccination appointments – one small but significant step to mitigate the disproportionate impact COVID-19 continues to have on women.

The new Tenant-Lawyer Connection Portal introduces tenants who are facing eviction for non-payment of rent and who have scheduled hearings before the Landlord Tenant Board to volunteer OBA members across Ontario.

It’s time to recognize those who wrote, spoke, sang, marched, and made history alongside so many well-known figures in the fight to end racial injustice, but who are often left out of history books or, if mentioned, have their queer identities sensationalized or entirely ignored.