OBA HONOURS LEGAL VETERANCrown lawyer Leslie McIntosh is receiving the Ontario Bar Association’s Tom Marshall Award in recognition of her long career in the public service.
The award recognizes excellence by lawyers in the public sector. A 32-year veteran of the Ontario public service, McIntosh, a senior lawyer with the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Crown law office, has done everything from represent Ontario at the Maher Arar inquiry to acting as lead counsel for the province at the Cornwall sexual abuse inquiry.
In announcing the award, the OBA noted McIntosh’s reputation for mentoring articling students, activities as a public speaker, and her work as an adjunct professor of administrative law at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. She’ll receive the award during a reception and dinner on May 2 at the OBA Conference Centre.
NEW HEALTH-CARE PRACTICE GROUPShibley Righton LLP is sharpening its focus with a new practice group related to professional regulation in the health-care sector.
The new professional regulation and discipline group will act for professionals and regulatory bodies in areas such as massage therapy, dental technologists, optometrists, physiotherapists, and others.
“Despite the increasing regulation of the health-care sector, this is a very specialized area of law,” said group leader Marc Spector. “Only a handful of people are doing it in Ontario.”
LAWYERS CHALLENGED TO AID DIABETES RESEARCHThe Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is challenging lawyers to hop on a bike for research.
The Ride for Diabetes Research takes place on Sept. 9 and involves teams of five people raising pledges and riding a stationary bike at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre at six-minute intervals over the course of an hour. The organization is looking for the legal industry to get involved and will be hosting a law challenge kickoff lunch on June 7 to get the ball rolling. For more information about the ride, visit
jdrf.ca/ride.
NEW HEAD AT CANLIIColin Lachance is the new president of the Canadian Legal Information Institute.
Lachance, a member of the Law Society of Upper Canada, most recently worked as director of federal government affairs at Telus Communications Co. “Our challenge is to identify the evolving needs of the legal profession and to serve the public interest by establishing alliances with groups or other institutions pursuing similar goals of free access to Canadian primary legal information not only for the legal profession but for the public at large,” Lachance said.
HOCKEY EVENT RAISES $53KThe legal and financial industries stepped up recently by raising more than $53,000 for the Shoot for a Cure foundation during the fifth annual Personal Injury Bar Charity Hockey Challenge.
Howie Sacks & Henry LLP hosted the event on March 30 in Toronto. There were eight teams: Elements Toros, Lofranco Red Wings, McKellar Sharks, FMT Stars, Soma Leafs, Garda Knights, Zuber Devils, and YorkStreet Bull Dogs. The Bull Dogs, captained by Dwain Burns, won the grand championship.
Last year’s tournament took in slightly less than $40,000.
