McCarthy Launches New Role Nominations Open For Bencher Elections Ontario Lawyer Named To Senate Secondary Wills Case Appealed Law Times Poll
MCCARTHY LAUNCHES NEW ROLE
Nikki Gershbain will join law firm McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Toronto in a newly created role as senior director of inclusion and community engagement.
Gershbain — who has been national director of Pro Bono Students Canada since 2010 — says she believes her role at McCarthy’s to be the first of its kind because it is a “combination of the equity and social responsibility pieces into one portfolio.”
Gershbain says that, often, when it comes to diversity and inclusion work, these portfolios can focus on “inclusive work environments and recruitment, retention [and] professional development.”
She says more Canadian firms are creating professional roles when it comes to diversity and inclusion.
“Those areas are super-critical. It should be a huge priority for every law firm in this day and age, but there is more to diversity and inclusion than just the talent side,” she says.
“There’s also the opportunity to link with the community in a very meaningful way and make sure that both the diversity goals and the social impact goals are aligned.”
NOMINATIONS OPEN FOR BENCHER ELECTIONS
The Law Society of Ontario says it is accepting nominations for bencher candidates ahead of an election on April 30, 2019. Nominations close on Feb. 8, 2019 at 5 p.m. Both paralegals and lawyers will be elected for the first time together in April, says the LSO. More information is available from the Office of the Elections Officer, which can be reached at 416-947-3404 or 1-877-947-3404 or [email protected].
ONTARIO LAWYER NAMED TO SENATE
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Oct. 11 that Josée Forest-Niesing, a trial lawyer in Sudbury, Ont., will fill a vacancy in the Senate. Trudeau’s announcement said Forest-Niesing has also served as a Superior Court of Justice Small Claims Court judge and chairwoman of the Ontario Bar Association’s Official Languages Committee.
SECONDARY WILLS CASE APPEALED
LawPRO said in a statement it has appealed Milne Estate (Re), 2018 ONSC 4174, a September decision from Justice Sean Dunphy that lawyers say could affect thousands of wills. The appeal is unlikely to be held for several months, and LawPRO said it is not inviting lawyers to provide notice of a claim except under certain circumstances, such as being unable to contact a client.
LAW TIMES POLL
Ontario’s government plans to review and possibly reverse the former Liberals’ labour and employment reforms. Law Times asked readers if they support the move by the current provincial government to reverse some of the reforms.
The majority, 63 per cent, said they disagree with the move, voting that the new expectations of employers were reasonable and should stand.
A minority, 37 per cent, said they support the move, voting that the possible reversal is an appropriate way of correcting an overreach by the prior government in terms of expectations of employers.
