OBA Council Member Responsibilities
Council members serve as ambassadors and liaisons for the OBA, communicating with constituents, identifying regional issues, and advising the Board. Their key responsibilities include:
- Advocacy & Representation: Raise regional and professional issues that would benefit from OBA advocacy, judicial system improvements, and professional development needs.
- Board Elections: Annually elect the Board of Directors.
- Meetings & Communication: Attend four Council meetings per year, submit agenda items, review materials, and share updates with members.
- Engagement & Outreach: Regularly communicate via email/social media, participate in regional calls, organize local meetings, and promote OBA membership.
Council members ensure the OBA remains active and engaged within their regions, fostering meaningful connections and opportunities.
Adil Abdulla
Biography
Adil is a lawyer at Sotos, working on class actions, public interest litigation, and commercial litigation. His current cases include claims against governments for systemic discrimination against Indigenous children and students with disabilities, claims against Google for anticompetitive conduct in AdTech, and claims against McKinsey for enabling the opioid crisis. He has published textbook chapters on civil procedure; peer-reviewed articles on class actions, securities law, competition law, and legal theory; and shorter pieces on intellectual property, franchise law, and legal ethics. He has also lectured on privilege, privacy law, and consumer protection law. He is currently the Chair of the Ontario Bar Association Civil Litigation section and on the Young Advocates Standing Committee of The Advocates’ Society.
Brent Arnold
Biography
Brent J. Arnold is the founder of Capstan Legal, specializing in cybersecurity and commercial litigation. Brent is a twenty-year Bay Street veteran with extensive experience in litigation and arbitration, appearing in various administrative tribunals and in all levels of court including the Supreme Court of Canada. His experience includes: Cyber risk analysis Data breach and privacy breach disputes Class actions defence Web3 (including cryptocurrency and metaverse) and other technology, software and e-commerce disputes Administrative and insolvency law Shareholders' rights Employment contracts and wrongful termination Product liability Collections General contractual disputes Brent is a sought-after speaker and thought leader in the areas of cybersecurity and privacy, technology, artificial intelligence, Web3, and the modernization of courts. He has appeared on national television and radio programs (including CTV News and CBC’s The National) and been quoted in the Globe & Mail, the Toronto Star, and the Canadian Press. He is a leader in the legal profession, serving on the executives of several law organizations’ cyber and privacy committees, including the Canadian Bar Association, the Ontario Bar Association, the invitation-only International Association of Defense Counsel, and the U.S.-based Defense Research Institute (DRI), and participates in various Sedona Conference working groups. Brent served on the E-Hearings Task Force established by The Advocates' Society, the Ontario Bar Association, the Federation of Ontario Law Associations, and the Ontario Trial Lawyers' Association to work with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice to expand virtual access to the courts in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and co-authored the Task Force's Best Practices for Remote Hearings. He has chaired two committees of The Advocates' Society and was General Editor for its Advocacy Matters publication. Brent co-authored the Society's Paperless Trials Manual and is a member of its litigation skills teaching faculty. Brent currently serves as Chair and a director of the Canadian Internet Society, a think tank devoted to ensuring access to a free and safe internet for all Canadians, and hosts its Net Positive podcast. He is also a member of the Canadian Technology Law Association and the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP).
Jody Berkes
Biography
Jody Berkes received his B.A. from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California and his B.C.L. and LL.B. degrees from McGill University’s Faculty of Law, where he was selected valedictorian by his graduating class. After articling and practicing in Vancouver, British Columbia, he moved to Toronto in 1999. In 2012, he formed a partnership with Apple Newton-Smith. Since her appointment to the bench, Mr. Berkes founded Berkes Law. Mr. Berkes practice includes the defence of individuals, as well as corporations, charged under the Criminal Code of Canada, as well as other Federal and Provincial criminal and quasi-criminal statues, and professionals charged before discipline and competency panels. He appears in all levels of courts in Ontario. Jody Berkes is the Past Chair of the Ontario Bar Association Criminal Law Executive Committee, the Legislation and Law Reform Liaison of the National Criminal Section of the Canadian Bar Association, as well as a member of the Criminal Lawyers Association. His cases have been reported in both Ontario and British Columbia. Mr. Berkes is certified as a specialist in Criminal Law by the Law Society of Upper Canada.
