It could be the first YouTube video in the 2011 Bencher Election:

The voting list for the 2011 Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) Bencher Election is set on March 25, 2011, with a voting deadline of April 29, 2011 at 5:00 pm EDT.

This means that the July 2011 calls to the bar are ineligible.  Since I can’t vote this year, the next best thing to do is offer my endorsement of the following candidates:

Emir Aly Crowne casts an enormous shadow, well beyond the University of Windsor where he teaches.  He is The Essential Guide to Mooting, and has founded or administered more moots than I can keep track of.  I’ve done relatively well in internal and external moots, but the few times I’ve been clearly trumped has been at the hands of some of his proteges.  His dedication to students is also manifested through his participation in the Canada Law Student Conference, hosted by the Windsor Review of Legal and Social Issues.  Having participated in the conference and the law journal, I can say first-hand that both are executed absolutely professionally.  He’s also a prolific writer, as evidenced by his SSRN page.  Given all of his academic and professional activity, it’s no surprise he was awarded the Young Practitioner Award at the 2010 South Asian Bar Association (SABA) Gala.  For everything that Prof. Crowne has done, not only for his students but for law students across Canada, a word of support is the least that this law student can do in return.

Michael M. Lerner doesn’t share a surname with Lerners LLP by coincidence.  I went to law school at the University of Western Ontario, in London, Ontario, the same city where the litigation boutique was originally founded in 1929.  During my time there, Michael Lerner was conspicuously present as a representative of Lerners LLP, who supported many aspects of my student life including the Mature Students Club while I was President, the 2009 UWO Law Alumni Dinner,  and of course, the highly-coveted Lerners LLP Cup, where I finished as a finalist and was awarded the Justice C.D. Stewart Trophy.  The Lerners Moot is UWO Law’s premier advocacy competition, used to rank and finalize all of the school’s external mooters, and Michael Lerner personally awarded the trophies.  All of these law school activities would not be possible without the support of Michael Lerner, who is also a graduate of Western Law.

Stephen G. A. Pitel is a former litigator at a prominent Toronto litigation boutique, and currently teaches at the University of Western Ontario.  I was introduced to him very early during my time at Western, when he would pick on me to answer questions in Ethics, even when I didn’t raise my hand.  Not that I had a problem answering the questions.  I got to know him much better through the 2009 Davies LLP Corporate Securities Moot, where he tirelessly offered countless hours assisting our team, even though he was not formally our coach.  I attribute my placement in the top 15 largely due to his support.  He also provided considerable career advice and guidance when it came to considering a career in litigation.  I got to know him further when I took his International Commercial Litigation class.  The the Van Breda case was released by the Ontario Court of Appeal at the time of this course, and his insight and commentary on the subject was extremely informative. Given my extensive interaction with him over 3 years of law school, I believe Stephen Pitel would be a good candidate for bencher.

R. Lee Akazaki is the current President of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA).  In my capacity as Articling Student Ambassador for the Toronto Region in the past year, I have the privilege of attending many OBA events and have gotten to know Lee Akazaki relatively well.  He has made a concerted effort to broaden the mandate of the OBA and expand participation in the organization beyond its traditional base.  For example, I’ve made a strong case for extending free OBA memberships for law students, a case that has positively received by Lee and the OBA.  He is also strengthening the ties of the OBA with practices outside of Toronto.  Despite running for bencher in the Toronto region, Lee would be an asset to the entire province by bringing fresh ideas and a new outlook.

Basil Alexander is the one bencher candidate I’m nominating that I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting.  An associate at Klippensteins, his practice is largely comprised of social justice and pro bono work.  We simply don’t have enough people making the sacrifices to do the work that most of us appreciate so much, and giving those who are making the effort a greater voice simply makes sense.

Raj Anand is running for re-election as a bencher this year.  As a former Chief Commissioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, equity issues is a high priority for him.  You can see a sample of his many activities on his LSUC bio, recognized in 2003 by the Law Society Medal.  I first met Raj in 2009 at a Labour Law Conference at UWO, and continue to run into him repeatedly at various legal events and activites since. He most recently a recipient of the Distinguished Career Award at the 2010 South Asian Bar Association (SABA) Gala.

Christopher D. Bredt is another bencher running for re-election.  To understand why I’m endorsing him you’ll have to listen to this podcast interview I did with him last year.

Julian N. Falconer is the third bencher running for re-election that I’m endorsing, as a strong advocate for marginalized communities.  One of Julian’s notable projects includes legal assistance for Maher Arar.  The legal system is the last defence against governmental abuses, and those who have already demonstrated the courage and fortitude to take a tough stand are exactly what is needed for the law society.

Monica Goyal is the founder of My Legal Briefcase, a website dedicated to assisting the public with Small Claims Court, with fees ranging from $24.99 to $249.  Access to justice is one of the most pressing needs in Canadian society today, and self-represented litigants are clearly on the rise in Ontario.  Technology can play a central role in addressing these concerns, and someone already involved in the delivery of cost-effective information to educate the public can certainly spearhead similar projects within LSUC.

Nabeel Haque will probably be one of the least renown candidates for bencher this year.  However, he also happens to be one of the few lawyers I’ve actually known before considering a legal career (to understand how, see the Chris Bredt podcast mentioned above).  With a small family-based practice based in western Toronto, primarily serving visible minorities, his perspectives of an entirely different type of legal career should be useful for addressing niche concerns.

Mitch Kowalski is best know for his column in the Legal Post.  As an information junkie I certainly appreciate anyone who makes the effort to keep track of trends and challenges in the industry, and is willing to share these findings with others.  The law society plays an important role in communicating with not just lawyers, but the public as well.  Lawyers who have already developed a communication network and infrastructure can assist the law society in delivering their messages more effectively.

There are many other candidates that I have not mentioned above, which is not meant as a snub or opposition.  It simply means that I have not had the opportunity to interact with any of them and appreciate what I am certain has been a career full of public service and advocacy.

You can read more about the use of social media and the Internet during these elections on Slaw.

Chris Guly profiles Omar Ha-Redeye in this week’s issue of The Lawyers Weekly:

	Articling Student Eyes Litigation
Profile on Omar Ha-Redeye

A web version of the article is available here.

Articling student eyes litigation

Starting September 1, 2010, new amendments to the automobile insurance system were enacted affecting the medical and care benefits that litigants can receive in motor vehicle accidents.

The Law Society of Upper Canada and the Ontario Bar Association hosted a session, The New Auto Insurance Regime – Practical Strategies for Radical Change.

Speakers included John A. McLeish and Dale V. Orlando of McLeish Orlando LLP, and Roger G. Oatley and James L. Vigmond of Oatley, Vigmond LLP.

The topics discussed included the definition of minor and catastrophic injuries,and rehabilitation, housekeeping, caregiver and attendant care benefits.

The new Statutory Accident Benefits Schedule (SABS)  can be found in Ontario Regulation 34/10 to the Insurance Act.  A table of time periods is available through Taran Virtual Associates.

For more on this talk see the notes on Slaw. The Tournay v. Dominion of Canada General Insurance Company FSCO decision referred to in that post can be found here.

The Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) hosted The Six-Minute Employment Lawyer.

Chairs of the event were Malcolm J. MacKillop of Shields O’Donnell MacKillop LLP and Christine M. Thomlinson of Rubin Thomlinson LLP.

Speakers included:

The Honourable Madam Justice Susan G. Himel of the Superior Court of Justice

Sharan K. Basran, Legal Counsel, Manager of Legal Services, Human Rights Legal Support Centre

Scott D. Bergman, Cooper and Sandler LLP

Lauren M. Bernardi, Bernardi Human Resource Law

Matthew L.O. Certosimo, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Richard J. Charney, C.S., Ogilvy Renault LLP

Mary Beth Currie, Bennett Jones LLP

Michael P. Fitzgibbon, Watershed LLP

Jeffrey Goodman, Heenan Blaikie LLP

M. Norman Grosman, Grosman, Grosman & Gale LLP

Michael F. Horvat, Ogilvy Renault LLP

Malcolm J. MacKillop of Shields O’Donnell MacKillop LLP

Dan Michaluk, Hicks Morley

Natasha A. V. Miklaucic, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

N. Nicole Nussbaum

Jim Patterson, Bennett Jones LLP

Michael E. Royce, Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP

Janice Rubin, Rubin Thomlinson LLP

Stuart E. Rudner, Miller Thomson LLP

Jason Squire, Lerners LLP

Christine M. Thomlinson, Rubin Thomlinson LLP

Elizabeth Traynor, Siskinds LLP

Michael D. Wright, Cavalluzzo Hayes Shilton McIntyre & Cornish LLP

John Yach, Shields / Hunt

Andrea York, Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

Loreta Zubas, LLM, C.S., Zubas + Associates

The Law Society of Upper Canada held the 5th Annual Solo and Small Firm Conference and Expo.

Speakers included:

Michele R.J. Allinotte, Allinotte Law Office

David J. Bilinsky, BSc., LL.B., MBA, The Law Society of B.C. Thoughtful Legal Management

Cettina Cornish, Law Society of Upper Canada

Colleen M. Cowan, BCom(Hons), CGA, Certified Independent Consultant for PCLaw, Colleen M. Cowan, BCom(Hons),

Pascale Daigneault, Fleck & Daigneault

Rodney S. Dowell, Esq., Director, Massachussets Law Office Practice Management Assistance

E. Susan Elliott, LSM

Paul Everett, CTDP, Corporate Training Specialist, Law Society of Upper Canada

Richard G. Ferguson, Lynass, Ferguson & Shoctor

Jordan Furlong, Senior Consultant, Stem Legal

Paul E. Harte, Paul Harte Professional Corporation

Dale Herceg, Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company (LawPRO)

Jacob Jesin, Rotenberg Shidlowski Jesin

Mike McArthur, C.S., Cline, Backus & Nightingale & McArthur

Amer Mushtaq

Donna S.M. Neff, T.E.P., Neff Law Office Professional Corporation

Daniel E. Pinnington, Lawyers’ Professional Indemnity Company (LawPro)

Richard Sage, Research Librarian

Michael Seto, General Counsel, edCetra Training Inc.

Victoria Starr, Starr Family Law

John G. Starzynski, Ontario Lawyers Assistance Program

David Whelan, The Law Society of Upper Canada

The Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and Health Law Club worked with the Office of the Minister of Health Promotion for the Minister to come to Western. Minister Margarett Best was educated at U of T and Osgoode Hall, and has an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Northern Caribbean University in Jamaica.

Margarett Best and Omar Ha-Redeye during the 2007 Provincial Election

She was a First Vice-President of the Black Business and Professional Association, member of the board of Urban Financial Services Coalition, sat on the Law Society of Upper Canada Solicitors’ Examination Blueprint Committee, and on the board of the Women’s Multicultural Resource and Counselling Centre of Durham (WMRCC).

In 2007, Minister Best was nominated for the Lincoln Alexander Medal and she was awarded an African Canadian Achievement Award in 2006.

Over 200 people heard Min. Best speak at UWO.

Omar Ha-Redeye is the President of the Black Law Students Association (BLSA) and Health Law Club.