Articles 2022

“The pursuit of justice creates injustice.” Thus opens the memoir of Laura Coates, a Black former federal prosecutor in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice during the Bush and Obama years. Through a series of vignettes, she peels back the curtain to expose the inner workings of the criminal justice system, and lays bare the ways in which a system ostensibly set up to secure justice often fails those who become wrapped up in it.

Last year, just a few days before Christmas, I sat down with my fellow OBA WLF Exec and OBA Council member Christine Roth to talk about her career path, personal motivators, and passion for Indigenous rights and access to justice. I was surprised to learn that she grew up in Iran and was one of the first people to be blacklisted during the Islamic coup d’état. As our discussion drew to a close, I was left feeling that I had barely scratched the surface of her complex and rich experiences.

Here at the OBA Citizenship & Immigration Law Section, we are proud of our volunteers and we are constantly looking for ways to highlight their work and achievements. Member-at-Large Nandi Deterville was born and raised in the sunny Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia. She was called to the Bars of England & Wales and Saint Lucia in 2008 and practiced in a small general practice firm before immigrating to Canada. Read on to find out what motivated her to join the OBA and our Section Executive.

It is often said that “the wolf does not walk alone; she always carries her pack.” Indeed, one is left to wonder whether Julie DeWolf, the SOGIC Executive’s outgoing Chair, derives her unwavering commitment to service to the legal and broader community as well as her democratic and affiliative leadership style from her surname!

Though no stranger to relocating and adapting, I found it challenging as a newcomer to Canada and as a law student because I knew absolutely nothing about Canadian society or Canadian law. Fast forward three years, and I am an articling student with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General. So, what helped me land on my feet in Canada? If I was to offer one answer, it would be the conscious effort to build contextual intelligence.

Allow me to reintroduce you to Samantha Peters (she/her/they/them) – no stranger to the spotlight. Samantha, who proudly identifies as a black queer femme, was called to the bars of Alberta and Ontario in 2020. In that short time, she has made a palpable impact on the legal profession because of her innovative and rebellious approach to the practice of law and the seemingly fearless way in which she navigates the margins that contemporary Canadian society imposes on her intersecting identities.

The author, criminal defence lawyer Hamna Anwar, makes a request to senior counsel: When you are giving advice to junior lawyers who look up to you, please be mindful of the power of your words. Please do not provide advice that teaches young, racialized women to minimize themselves or play it small.