The human rights advocate was once legal director at Egale Canada
McCarthy Tétrault has appointed its inaugural dedicated pro bono counsel in human rights advocate Bennett Jensen.
Jensen has defended marginalized groups and individuals throughout his career. He will bolster the firm’s relationships with current and new community partners as it tackles public interest matters.
Litigation and dispute resolution group leader Tom Sutton confirmed that Jensen would also be part of McCarthy Tétrault’s litigation group.
“Innovation is one of the firm’s core values, and that extends to how we deliver our pro bono services. There are always opportunities to extend our reach individuals to communities who can benefit from the passion and expertise of our lawyers. While Bennett is joining the litigation group, his role is most certainly bigger than that, and we look forward to seeing how he’ll build the connections between our groups and clients, allowing us to support more programs and initiatives,” Sutton said in a statement.
Before joining McCarthy Tétrault, Jensen was director of legal at Egale Canada. During his tenure, he re-established Egale Canada’s internal legal function and spearheaded its strategic vision for progressing 2SLGBTQI legal rights as well as a nationwide response to anti-trans policy and legislative efforts.
He was instrumental to the passage of Bill C-4, which blocked conversion therapy in Canada. He also worked with the federal government as director of legal to the justice minister and attorney general. In this role, he advised the attorney general, prime minister’s office, and other ministers on high-profile litigation involving the federal government.
Jensen was once a litigator and pro bono attorney at US firm Paul Weiss, where he spearheaded responses to wide-scale national human rights and civil rights crises, such as the Muslim travel ban and the child-parent separation crisis at the US-Mexico border. Last year, the Law Foundation of Ontario awarded him the Guthrie Award for his contributions to access to justice.
He also received the Canadian Bar Association’s National SAGDA Hero Award and Start Proud’s Leader to be Proud of Award. Canadian Lawyer included him among its Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada last year, recognizing his work in human rights, advocacy, and criminal law. Moreover, he was among the American Bar Association’s Top 40 Young Lawyers.
“McCarthy Tétrault has a proud history of providing pro bono services that confront some of Canada’s most pressing social and human rights issues. Bennett will take that service to the next level. His record is truly remarkable, and we’re thrilled that he’s bringing his immense passion and skill to the firm to help our lawyers help their communities,” said Steeves Bujold, McCarthy Tétrault’s chief inclusion officer.
