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Login to watch this video if you have a subscription. Learn more about subscriptions.During this presentation and debate, the panel members will discuss current issues in the legal profession including the challenges of making the profession more diverse and achieving equality for those underrepresented at the bar; the statement of principles and licencing issues and barriers. (LSO value of diversity and inclusion 6.1 and 6.4)
Brian practises commercial litigation, competition law, criminal and regulatory law, discipline proceedings, general civil litigation and administrative law. He has consistently been given an AV Preeminent® rating by the Martindale-Hubbell Peer Review Ratings system. He acts on behalf of private clients, as well as for numerous regulators and administrative agencies and serves as Court Counsel for the purposes of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, Canada’s largest and most complex class action settlement. Brian joined Stockwoods in 1994. Prior to that, he was counsel in the Crown Law Office - Criminal within the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney-General. As Crown counsel, Brian argued appeals before the Ontario Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada and conducted special prosecutions. Brian subsequently served as the Executive Legal Officer to Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice from 1991 to 1993. He is a Fellow of both the American College of Trial Lawyers and the International Academy of Trial Lawyers. Brian has frequently acted as counsel on federal and provincial Commissions of Inquiry. In that role, he has served as Commission counsel on the Walkerton Inquiry, Arar Inquiry and the Air India Inquiry. He was lead counsel for the Office of the Chief Coroner of Ontario at the Goudge Inquiry and represented the Commissioner of the Cornwall Public Inquiry. Brian speaks and writes on a broad variety of topics and is a frequent speaker at continuing legal education programs. He has served as adjunct faculty at The University of Western Ontario (“Western”) law school and at Osgoode Hall Law School, where he was a Trial Practice instructor and an Adjunct Professor, teaching administrative law. He is an alumnus of Western (B.A., 1978; LL.B., 1981) and was admitted to the Ontario Bar in 1983. Brian is currently President of The Advocates’ Society.
Jaye Hooper has practiced in Ottawa since her call to the bar in 2001. Jaye has extensive trial experience as well as dozens of appearances on motions and appeals. Jaye has appeared before all levels of court including the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. Jaye is an active member in the legal community. She served as President on the executive of the County of Carleton Law Association (CCLA) for the 2012-2013 term and continues to participate in various committees including the Federation of Law Associations (FOLA), a provincial body representing the interests of the practicing bar in Ontario. Jaye is the past Chair of FOLA. Personally, Jaye and her husband Paul have a very rich life enjoying their four children. Jaye lives in the Westboro community and has been active in local initiatives including the rebuilding of Broadview Public School.
Malcolm M. Mercer was re-elected as Treasurer for a second term by the Law Society’s governing body on June 27, 2019. The Treasurer is the top-elected official of the Law Society, which regulates Ontario’s lawyers and paralegals in the public interest. Elected as a bencher in 2011, 2015 and 2019, he became Treasurer in June 2018. Prior to that, he served as Chair of the Advertising and Fee Arrangements Issues Working Group, Chair of the Professional Regulation Committee and Co-Chair of the Alternative Business Structures Working Group. He also served on numerous other Law Society committees, task forces and working groups and was an active member of the Law Society Tribunal. Committed to issues of legal ethics, he is a member of the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics and Co-Chair of the CBA-FLSC Ethics Forum. He is also an adjunct professor at Osgoode Hall Law School at York University, where he teaches legal ethics. In 2013, he was recognized by the Canadian Bar Association with the prestigious Louis St. Laurent award. He is a former director of Pro Bono Law Ontario and is currently Chair of the board of the Victorian Order of Nurses Canada. He is also a member of the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board. In 2014, he was voted one of the Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers. Treasurer Mercer was called to the Bar of Ontario in 1984 after receiving an LLB from the University of Toronto (1982). He also holds a B.Sc., in systems design and engineering (1977). He is a partner in McCarthy Tétrault LLP’s Litigation Group in Toronto, with a focus on commercial and corporate matters and professional negligence. He was the firm’s General Counsel and is the former co-leader of its National Litigation Practice Group.
Karen was called to the Ontario bar in 1984. She obtained her law degree from the University of Ottawa and articled for McGuire and Mills. She is a sole practitioner defending those charged with criminal offences, having fled the terrors of general practice about ten years into her call, forsaking in particular Real Estate and Family Law to those of far greater mettle. She is a member of the Defence Counsel Association, Ontario Justice Education Network, and Barristers for a Better Bytown. She currently shares chambers with Ron Guertin, Ayesha Kumararatne, and Rebecca Rosenstock. First elected to the CCLA’s Board of Trustees in 2010, Karen has been a member of the Executive Committee since 2015. During her time with the Board, she has participated in various CCLA projects, and is chair of the Membership Subcommittee. She and her husband enjoy low-key activities interspersed with phone calls from the cell block.
Lynne Vicars is a banker turned lawyer whose extensive experience in both business and complex litigation management has fostered a passion for bringing technology to the legal profession. In her role at Scotiabank, Lynne leads the e-Discovery team, which designed, implemented and continuously improves the Bank’s internal e-Discovery capabilities and its worldwide eDiscovery strategy. As President of the Ontario Bar Association, Lynne is committed to advancing gender equality, innovation and engagement in the profession. With an M.B.A. in International Business, a J.D. from the University of Alberta, an LL.M. in e-Business Law from Osgoode Hall Law School, and a certificate in Lean Six Sigma from the University of Toronto, Lynne brings a unique perspective to her work – one that connects business principles with legal vision.
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