A new name heralds the future of the Ontario Bar Association’s (OBA) charity, and the acquisition of the prestigious Chief Justice of Ontario Fellowships in Legal Ethics and Professionalism.
The OBA Foundation, formerly the Advancement of Legal Education and Research Trust (ALERT), will now administer the unique fellowships. A grant of $15,000 will be awarded annually to full-time teachers at a Canadian university or college. A second grant will be open to students and lawyers. “It was the perfect fit,” says OBA Foundation chair Steven Rosenhek. “Legal ethics and professionalism underline the public’s trust in the justice system. We will use it as a launch pad for new endeavours.”
The foundation will continue to pursue a wide range of projects. Since its creation, the foundation has supported several significant initiatives including: the Canadian Bar Association Bertha Wilson Task Force on Gender Equality in the Legal Profession, a joint project with school boards in the Halton and Peel regions which assisted with conflict resolution in schools, how-to videos to assist members of the public represent themselves in Small Claims Court, to secondary school mock trial competitions for OBA Law Day, to tribute dinners for exceptional judges.
A unique feature of the OBA Foundation is its funding model. In addition to traditional charitable fundraising, the OBA has donated speaker honoraria in lieu of cash or gifts. “Every time an expert lectures at an OBA educational seminar, he or she is also contributing to legal education and research,” says Rosenhek. Rosenhek continued by saying, “it is literally the gift of Ontario lawyers’ expertise that keeps giving. A cash token is not that meaningful compared to the work that goes into a seminar presentation. A donation made to charity foundation promoting legal education is much more worthwhile.”
To celebrate the foundation's relaunch and the launch of a new website devoted to legal education and research, a fundraising reception and charity auction will be hosted at Twenty Toronto Street Conference & Events (200-20 Toronto Street, Toronto, ON), the OBA meeting space, on Thursday, June 13.
Further Details
About the OBA Foundation
ALERT was established in 1987 to as a vehicle for OBA members to give back to the Ontario public and benefit the justice system. Donations to further the OBA Foundation's work, including those made in memoriam, may be sent to OBA Foundation at 3rd Floor, 20 Toronto Street, Toronto, Ontario M5C 2B8.
To attend the June 13 relaunch event or to learn more: oba.org/foundation