The Community

Written by lawyers for lawyers, by its very nature JUST. is an extension of the OBA community. Learn how your peers are dealing with common challenges; read about the struggles and achievements of your favourite legal icons and hear what other lawyers have to say about the state of affairs within the legal profession.  This section is all about learning, sharing and exchanging, lawyer to lawyer.

Today
Today
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.

Jennifer Roggemann

An Incredible Cascade

  • February 27, 2020
  • Emily Sinkins

Shortly after immigrating to Canada from South Korea as a teenager, Jennifer Roggemann had an encounter with our justice system that opened her eyes to the impact someone with her particular background, academic drive and desire to help could have on the lives of other newcomers.

Woman with a question mark on forehead

Can You Ask Someone Where They Are From? A Black Female Lawyer’s Perspective

  • February 27, 2020
  • Ludmilla Jarda

“Where are you from?” Have you been asked this question before? If so, who asked you? Was it someone you just met? Was it at a networking event, a client meeting, a job interview, or something along those lines? Did the person who asked you the question look anything like you? If this line of questioning does not make any sense to you, you should definitely keep reading.

Audrey Ramsay

Nourishing Hope in the Fight Against Slavery

  • December 05, 2019

Committed to the mission to end human trafficking, lawyer and volunteer Audrey Ramsay sheds light on the devastating extent of this crisis, what’s being done to combat it, and why there is cause for optimism.

Doug Downey

Attorney General Doug Downey – At Home at Queen’s Park

  • June 26, 2019
  • OBA Staff

With his June 20th appointment as Attorney General for Ontario, Downey assumes a critical role in cabinet, acting as Chief Law Officer of the Crown responsible for the administration of justice in the province. For those who’ve worked alongside him, his rapid rise comes as no surprise.

Black man staring off contemplatively

Why Vote in the Bencher Election?

  • March 14, 2019
  • Emily Sinkins

When voting opens for the 2019 Law Society of Ontario Bencher Election in mid-April, eligible voters will have a robust roster of 128 lawyer candidates, nearly half of whom are OBA members, from which to choose. With issues like access to justice, the articling crisis, and the competency and reputation of lawyers looming large, participating in the election is not only your opportunity to effect improvements, it is your responsibility.