Despite having been written into the Ontario legal profession’s “moral code”, sexist language continues to be a problem in the practice of law. This is at least in part because our governing laws formally prohibit discrimination and harassment, but do not create a positive obligation to address repetitive, ubiquitous, and insidious forms of sexism that disempower women within the profession.

Each month we will introduce a different member of the Women Lawyers Forum Executive. Learn a little bit about us, why we joined the executive and what we love about being a lawyer.

In the recent decision of Sanzone v. Schechter, the Ontario Court of Appeal provided insight regarding the evidentiary burden that a defendant must meet in moving to dismiss an action by way of summary judgment, and in particular what expert evidence may be required.

Two recent Supreme Court of Canada decisions, Canada v. Chambre des notaires du Québec, 2016 SCC 20, and Canada v. Thompson, 2016 SCC 21, confirm that a client's right to solicitor-client privilege applies prima facie to shield a lawyer's accounting records (including invoices and any other records disclosing facts about the client relationship) from disclosure to the Canada Revenue Agency.

A compilation of links to articles, podcasts, and videos that may be of interest to members of the OBA Women Lawyers Forum. Have suggested content for this feature? Email the link to Justine Johnston at jvjohnston@stikeman.com.

A quarterly summary of awards and appointments, legislation and cases, and upcoming events. Please send any of the above that you would like announced, to Justine Johnston at jvjohnston@stikeman.com.