Q&A with Diana W. Dimmer, OBA Award of Excellence in Municipal Law Recipient

  • May 19, 2020

“I feel very fortunate that I have had such a satisfying and rewarding career in the public service where I am challenged regularly but also have the good fortune of making a valuable contribution.” 

Diana W. Dimmer, Director of Litigation, City of Toronto Legal Division, is being honoured this year with the OBA Award of Excellence in Municipal Law for her outstanding leadership and contributions to the field of municipal law. Gain a glimpse of what motivates her in this quick and candid Q&A.

  1. What does a ‘good day’, or success, look like for you in your work?

I am very fortunate to work with and manage a talented group of litigation lawyers at the City of Toronto. It is a very supportive and collaborative working environment where everyone contributes. We deal with a large variety of different legal matters which keeps our practice challenging and interesting.  I think a "good day" or "success" for me is feeling that I have made a valuable contribution which can be achieved in various ways, such as tackling a difficult matter and coming up with a helpful strategy to move the matter forward, providing helpful advice to a client, mentoring a young lawyer, or drafting persuasive court materials. 

  1. What challenges or motivates you most about your particular area of practice?

I have had a long career at the City and I am always amazed at the breadth of interesting legal issues that the City and municipalities are involved with.  Municipal law is a very interesting legal subject area. As litigation lawyers we are exposed to the wide variety of municipal law issues.  This can range from dealing with litigation involving public health, buildings, construction contracts, planning and other matters. This is very stimulating and intellectually challenging as we are often dealing with new legal issues.  Again, I feel very fortunate that I have had such a satisfying and rewarding career in the public service where I am challenged regularly but also have the good fortune of making a valuable contribution and working in a supportive and collaborative workplace.