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.

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

University of Toronto Faculty of Law and the Law Foundation of Ontario presented the third biennial symposium – Combating Hatred in the Twenty-first Century: Legal Remedies.
The Use of the Criminal Code to Combat Hate
Introductions & Overview
• Mark Sandler, Lawyer – Cooper & Sandler LLP, Barristers and Solicitors
Panel Discussion
• Acting Inspector Steve Irwin, Toronto Police Service
• Deputy Director Howard Leibovich, Crown Law Office – Criminal
Use of Civil Remedies to Combat Hate
Introductions & Overview
• Marvin Kurz, Lawyer – Dale Streiman & Kurz LLP
Debate: Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act
• Professor Richard Moon, Faculty of Law – University of Windsor
• Mark Freiman, Lawyer – Lerners LLP
A Menu of Innovative Remedies
• David Matas, Lawyer
• Professor Patrick Monahan, Vice President Academic & Provost –
York University
• Douglas Elliott, Lawyer – Roy Elliott O’Connor LLP

1:30 pm Fighting Hatred in Europe: A View from the Front Lines
(Colony Ballroom)
• Right Honourable Denis MacShane, MP – British Parliament
Concurrent Workshops
1. Hate on the Internet (Terrace Suite)
• Saleha Khan, Instructor – Ontario Police College
• Marvin Kurz, Lawyer – Dale Streiman & Kurz LLP
• Dr. Abbee Corb, Open Source Intelligence Specialist – Hate Crime Extremism Investigative Team

Campus Issues
• Professor Lorne Sossin, Faculty of Law – University of Toronto
• Julia Hanigsberg, General Counsel – Ryerson University
• Nouman Ashraf, Former Director of the University of Toronto’s
Anti-Racism and Cultural Diversity Office
• Bram Freedman, Vice President, External Relations and
Secretary General – Concordia University
3. What do Human Rights Laws have to do with Hate?
• Raja Khouri, Commissioner – Ontario Human Rights Commission
• Raj Anand, Lawyer – WeirFoulds and Chair, Ontario Human Rights
Legal Support Centre
• Nathalie Des Rosiers, General Counsel – Canadian Civil Liberties
Association
4. Sentencing for Hate Motivated Crime
• Mark Sandler, Lawyer – Cooper & Sandler LLP, Barristers and Solicitors
• Sandra Bacchus, Deputy Crown Attorney – Attorney General
• Julia Sandler, Assistant Crown Attorney – Attorney General

4:00 pm Voices of Experience
Moderator
• Justice Harry LaForme, Ontario Court of Appeal
Panelists
• The Honourable Irwin Cotler, M.P. for Mount Royal, Québec
• Zubeda Vahed, Senior Policy Advisor – Ministry of Education
• Reverend Dr. Brent Hawkes, Senior Pastor – Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto
• The Honourable Zanana Akande, M.Ed., B.A

This year marked the law school’s 50th anniversary.

The Western Law Alumni of Distinction Award was presented to Doug Ferguson, Director of the Clinical Legal Services (CLS) at Western and outgoing President of the Liberal Party.

The event was sponsored by Lerners LLP.

Omar Ha-Redeye, Doug Ferguson, and Lawrence Gridin at the 2009 UWO Law Alumni Dinner.

He was awarded the Mr. Justice CD Stewart Trophy for Appellate Advocacy.  The award is given to the team with the highest score during any of the preliminary rounds.  Omar shared shared the trophy with his partner Lawrence Gridin, who also writes on Law is Cool.

The winner of the Lerners LLP Cup this year was Christopher Crighton.

Lawrence Gridin, Leitch J, Kileen J (ret), O'Reilly J, Omar Ha-Redeye

Coverage of the event can be found on the UWO Law website.  A special thanks goes to Prof. Mysty Clapton and Lerners LLP for hosting the event.

The competition discussed a theoretical review of the recent Supreme Court Case R. v. A.M., (2008) SCC 19, over the constitutionality of sniffer dogs in schools.  Omar had coincidentally met with Justice Binnie, who ruled with the majority in this case, and briefly spoke to him about the decision the previous week.

The University of Western Ontario describes the competition,

The Faculty runs an internal appellate advocacy competition called the Lerners LLP Cup. This voluntary competition gives upper-year students the opportunity to argue a hypothetical case before an appellate court. Judges, practicing lawyers and third-year students generously volunteer their time to act as judges for the competition. The top students advance to the final rounds to compete for the Lerners LLP Cup. Doing well in this competition is the gateway to qualifying to represent Western Law in one of several external advocacy competitions.

Omar was selected as one of 8 finalists from 66 competitors from among all upper year students at the school.  His partner in the competition, Lawrence Gridin of Law is Cool, was also selected as a finalist.

He will proceed to the final competitions next week,  which is actually judged by members of the bench from the Court of Appeal.  Although junior lawyers rarely speak at the Court of Appeal, these competitions (called moots) are a good indicator of comfort for the purpose of speaking to motions, a common task for many barristers.

Omar will also be eligible to represent UWO at one of the external moots during the January Term, 2009, which include:

Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition, sponsored by McCarthy Tétrault LLP
Laskin Memorial Moot Court Competition (Administrative and Constitutional Law)
Wilson Moot (Constitutional Law on minority Issues)
Niagara International Moot Court Competition, sponsored by Lerners LLP
Gale Cup Appellate Moot Competition (Criminal Law and Charter issues)
Canadian Corporate/Securities Law Moot Court Competition

On the first day of school, Omar Ha-Redeye welcomed incoming first-year students at the Mature Students Reception during Orientation Week.

As President of the Mature Students Club, Omar related a common law school saying,

In 1L they scare you to death,
In 2L they work you to death,
In 3L they bore you to death.

He warned the students not to let others scare them during their first year, reminding them that many brought skills and experiences that their peers lacked.

Omar also thanked Lerners LLP for hosting the reception for the students.  The reception would also not have been possible without the assistance of the Orientation Week Committee.

The Dean of UWO Law, Ian Holloway, also gave a moving welcome, both at the Mature Students Reception, and to the entire incoming class.  Dean Holloway elaborated on the importance of lawyers in democratic societies,

Many of you will be familiar with the line from Shakespeare, “The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers”.  It’s generally taken as one of the early lawyer jokes – and as a sign of how long we’ve actually been unpopular, but the truth is that Shakespeare offered this as proof of the opposite. The passage, which is taken from Henry VI… is uttered by a character named “Dick the Butcher”. Dick is part of a gang led by a character named Jack Cade, whose goal is to stage a coup d’etat – to overthrow the government. The line – uttered as it was by a murderous bully – was intended by Shakespeare to highlight the precariousness of our tradition of the rule of law, and to make the point that the surest way to chaos and tyranny even then was to remove the guardians of independent thinking.