Mercer New Treasurer Of LSO OBA Executive Changes Danef Joins DLA Piper (Canada) LLP Law Times Poll
Malcolm Mercer was elected as the Law Society of Ontario’s 67th treasurer.
Mercer defeated Jacqueline Horvat, founding partner of Spark LLP, in a second round of voting. Ross Earnshaw, partner at Gowling WLG, also ran for the position.
Regulation of paralegal licensing, as well as evolving views around inclusion, advertising and technology will be part of Mercer’s focus going forward.
“The traditional and still centrally important role of a self-regulator of professions to ensure entry-level competence is assured. When people come into practice, to ensure professional competence is maintained and developed and ensure professional conduct is maintained is not a small challenge. It’s a central challenge,” says Mercer, who will serve in the role for a two-year term.
“We are considering how to deal with the reality that many lawyers and paralegals don’t practise by themselves but practise in groups, and we are working to address how to take that reality into account in regulation.”
Charlene Theodore was elected second vice president of the Ontario Bar Association, putting her in line to be the first black woman at the helm of the organization. Board executives get elected to the one-year second vice president position, then serve as first vice president and, finally, as president.
Quinn Ross, managing partner of The Ross Firm PC, will end his term as president on Sept. 1. He will be succeeded by Lynne Vicars, senior legal counsel at Scotiabank. Since it was founded in 1907, the OBA has had only eight women serve as president; Vicars will become the ninth when she assumes the role.
“Equality, diversity and inclusion are a top priority for the organization, and I am looking forward to serving the OBA as the first black female president in its history,” says Theodore.
Ilia Danef has been named a partner at DLA Piper (Canada) LLP, where he is lead counsel for lenders and borrowers in financing matters, the firm has announced.
Danef joined the firm from Baker McKenzie LLP and has previously worked in both international law firms and as in-house counsel at a Dutch financial services firm.
“Ilia’s international experience and familiarity with banking and finance across multiple jurisdictions is an ideal fit for our global platform,” said Robert Seidel, managing partner of DLA Piper (Canada), in a statement.
Lawyers told Law Times that changes to the federal Criminal Code could negatively affect immigrants who are convicted of impaired driving offences inside or outside Canada. We asked readers if they agreed with the changes.
About 64 per cent said no, while impaired driving is not to be taken lightly, deportation and inadmissibility appear to be out of proportion with the level of the crime. About 36 per cent said yes, impaired driving is a serious offence and consequences of the new laws are justified.
