WINKLER HONOURED BY YORK UNIVERSITYYork University has honoured Ontario Chief Justice Warren Winkler with a doctor of laws degree.
Winkler received the honorary degree for his work in the legal profession on June 14 at York’s Keele campus.
In announcing the honour, OsgoodeHall Law School dean Lorne Sossin revealed planning is underway for a new Winkler Institute for Dispute Resolution.
The institute will also house a group of Winkler fellows who will give public lectures, collaborate on research papers, and develop pilot projects.
“Chief Justice Winkler has made tremendous contributions to the development of dispute resolution in Ontario,” said Sossin.
“Given Osgoode’s rich tradition of leadership in the field, it is fitting that a leading global institute on dispute resolution should be launched here, and we are honoured that the chief justice has agreed to be its namesake.”
THREE LAWYERS APPOINTED TO BENCHThe province has appointed three lawyers to the Ontario Court of Justice bench.
Franco Giamberardino will become a judge at the Ontario Court of Justice in Cornwall, Ont. Giamberardino has been a sole practitioner in Ottawa since 2001.
Joining him at the court is Steven Harrison, a sole practitioner in Peterborough, Ont., who will become a judge in Owen Sound, Ont.
In addition, Carolyn Jones, a family lawyer at Di Cecco Jones, becomes a judge in Toronto.
The three will take their posts on June 20.
2012 ESSAY WINNERS NAMEDThe Law Society of Upper Canada has announced the winners of the 2012 Rueter Scargall Bennett LLP prize in legal ethics.
Jeremy Tatum, a law student from the University of Windsor, received the top prize for his essay on using truthful evidence to discredit truthful testimony.
Joining Tatum were Megan Seto, a law student from the University of Ottawa, and Kaitlyn MacDonnell, also of the University of Windsor.
Seto, an online columnist for Canadian Lawyer 4Students, wrote about depression as an institutional, workplace, and professionalism problem, while MacDonnell wrote about ethics among class counsel.
RIGHTS CODE TURNS 50Ontario’s Human Rights Code turned 50 last week.
Celebrations for the anniversary of the code, the first of its kind in Canada, took place June 11 to 15 with a commemorative plaque and a proclamation project across Ontario.
As part of the project, the Ontario Human Rights Commission invited municipalities to declare last week Ontario Human Rights Code Week or June 15 as Ontario Human Rights Code Day.
“Municipalities provide direct services that affect people’s lives in their homes and communities, so they are often the first level of government to see barriers or discrimination,” said commission chief commissioner Barbara Hall.
“By celebrating this anniversary, they all celebrate the important role they have played along this historic road.”
POLL RESULTSThe results of last week’s Law Times
online poll are in.
Fifty-nine per cent of respondents agreed with the findings of a Law Society of Upper Canada interim task force report on articling that the majority of lawyers don’t want to see major changes to the current articling system.
The report indicated that the majority among the bar was opposed to significant changes to articling despite the growing shortage of positions.
50TH ANNIVERSARY OF HUMAN RIGHTS CODEOntario’s Human Rights Code turned 50 last week.
Celebrations for the anniversary of the code, the first of its kind in Canada, took place June 11 to 15 with a commemorative plaque and a proclamation project across Ontario.
As part of the project, the Ontario Human Rights Commission invited municipalities to declare last week Ontario Human Rights Code Week or June 15 as Ontario Human Rights Code Day.
“Municipalities provide direct services that affect people’s lives in their homes and communities, so they are often the first level of government to see barriers or discrimination,” said commission chief commissioner Barbara Hall.
“By celebrating this anniversary, they all celebrate the important role they have played along this historic road.”
Proclaimed in 1962, the code initially prohibited discrimination in signs, services, facilities, public accommodation, and employee and trade-union membership because of race, creed, colour, nationality, ancestry, and place of origin.
Subsequently, legislators added more prohibited grounds of discrimination, such as age, disability, and sexual orientation. In addition, it now includes systemic discrimination.
TORONTO LAWYER HONOURED The Law Society of Upper Canada has honoured trial lawyer Brian Greenspan with an honorary doctor of laws degree.
Greenspan, a founding partner at Greenspan Humphrey Lavine in Toronto, received the degree on June 13 for his contributions to the legal profession and commitment to legal education. The LSUC also commended him for his work as a trial and appellate advocate.
Greenspan received the honour from law society Treasurer Laurie Pawlitza during its call-to-the-bar ceremonies last week. Others receiving the honour included Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi.
NEW PRESIDENT OF ADVOCATES’ SOCIETYLenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP managing partner Peter Griffin is the new president of The Advocates’ Society.
“It’s an honour to lead such an organization that plays such an important role in advancing the practice of advocacy in Ontario and increasingly across Canada,” said Griffin.
“The Advocates’ Society is the premier organization for litigators in Ontario.”
Griffin began his one-year term following the organization’s end-of-term dinner.
NEW OTLA PRESIDENTThe Ontario Trial Lawyers Association has named Andrew Murray as its president.
Murray, who was elected on June 8 at the association’s annual general meeting in Toronto, has served on its board of directors since 2006. He has also been a member of its executive committee for the past four years.
Murray will oversee the organization during the 2012-13 year.
“We will continue to work shoulder to shoulder with like-minded organizations — both in and outside of Ontario — who share our concerns,” said Murray.
“We will use our collective wisdom as positive agents for change not only for our association members but for the clients we represent.”
