Commisso will succeed Kathryn Manning as president of the Ontario Bar Association this fall
For incoming Ontario Bar Association President Katy Commisso, supporting lawyers as they adjust to new phases in their careers benefits not only individual practitioners but also the entire legal profession.
As she prepared to step into her new role, which she starts in September, Commisso began reflecting on all the career and life changes she’s gone through, including becoming a mother last fall. Having the proper support during these transitions “allowed me to be a better lawyer and take on the types of leadership roles I’m taking on now,” she says.
“We’re living in a world that’s really in flux. I think the bedrock of some of what this profession has been built on is shifting in a certain respect,” Commisso says.
“The stronger our lawyers are, the stronger their voices are, and the more motivation and confidence they have in navigating transitions in their own life and practice, I think the better the profession will be equipped to deal with the bigger changes that we're seeing.”
Commisso says she will strengthen existing OBA initiatives, such as its mentorship program, to help lawyers navigate early and mid-career changes, like taking on a first job after law school or moving into a partnership role. That program currently connects lawyers “with the right support at the right time,” Commisso says, but she aims to further develop it so that lawyers can access more accessible and tailored resources.
Commisso says the OBA is also dedicated to helping lawyers adapt to changes in the legal profession, including new technology and challenges to the rule of law. She highlighted the organization’s AI Academy, which aims to teach lawyers how to leverage AI tools effectively and responsibly, as well as a summit last year on trends involving the notwithstanding clause.
“I’m just really hoping to deepen our impact by connecting the existing strengths of the OBA to evolving needs,” Commisso says. “I think that everyone will agree that embracing, or responding to, or addressing change is a significant need of the profession.”
Commisso, who previously served as the OBA’s first vice president, is a partner and litigator at Thunder Bay firm Buset LLP. She does not take succeeding the current OBA president, Kathryn Manning, lightly.
“I’m hoping I do my community proud in the next year by taking on this role,” Commisso says. “The fact that me, as a lawyer from Thunder Bay, can become the OBA president is reflective of the diversity we have in [the OBA’s’ leadership] that’s also reflective of the diversity we have in engaged OBA membership.”
