OBA’s province-wide Robe Bank offers professional inspiration and practical assistance to a new generation of lawyers.

It is through thoughtful, incremental steps – raising awareness, engaging in discussions, exploring the issues, identifying solutions – that, together, we build our momentum toward full-scale equality.

Leading up to this year’s Law Society of Ontario bencher elections, the OBA reached out to three former presidents who served in their role within the last decade. We asked them to link their time as president with their current aspirations as bencher hopefuls.

Over the past several months, I have been working closely with OBA staff to develop and deliver productive support to members and to build our collective momentum for advancing gender equality within the profession. Now, at the halfway point of my term as OBA President, I find myself contemplating the enormity – and importance – of this mandate.

The OBA is introducing a series of Solution Circles this year to bring as many diverse perspectives as possible to the table to share experiences of marginalization and exclusion; to unearth and expose the forces at play; and to explore avenues to address these root causes and create a more inclusive, rewarding, progressive profession.

When trusts and estates lawyer Rebecca Fisch ventured outside her own neighbourhood to lead a Make a Will Month session in a traditionally underserved area, she discovered a community eager for legal resources and appreciative of the opportunity to better understand the importance of careful estate-planning.

A new OBA program aims for a ripple effect in recognition.

This year's RODA conference, held in partnership with the OBA, Accelerating a Culture Shift in the Legal Profession, took a fresh approach to advancing diversity by focusing on hot topics that have been making headlines in the media and waves in the legal profession.

In a recent Q&A session, Lynne Vicars shared her thoughts on technology, gender equality and meaningful mentorship, offering a preview of her plans for her OBA presidency.

The OBA has launched a groundbreaking initiative that will bring to the profession the practical tools and technologies lawyers and law firms can use to enhance their practices.