REARRANGING THE BENCHUniversity of Toronto Prof. Michael Code is moving from the ivory towers to the judges’ chambers as he takes a position with the Ontario Superior Court.
Code replaces Justice J.D. McCombs in Toronto. For the last three years, he taught at the University of Toronto following stints at law firms Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP and Ruby & Edwardh. In between, he was Ontario’s assistant deputy attorney general. More recently, he co-wrote a report on speeding up major criminal cases for the Ontario government along with former Superior Court chief justice Patrick LeSage.
Other moves on the bench include the Honourable Justice Craig Perkins, who switches from his current job with the family court branch to replace Justice S.N. Lederman in Toronto. Taking Perkins’ place is Heather McGee, a founding partner with McGee and & Fryer in Markham.
SYMPOSIUM HIGHLIGHTS ALTERNATIVE CAREERSLooking for alternatives to high-stress full-time work at a law firm?
The Women in Transition program next month may have some answers for you. It aims to outline options to do non-traditional legal work in places like regulatory bodies, community organizations, government, and academia as well as present opportunities to work part -time.
The program, run by the University of Toronto’s summer institute for executive legal education, is aimed at practising lawyers thinking of switching out of traditional legal work, including people with parental or family responsibilities or those planning to return to the legal field under alternatives such as a work-sharing arrangement.
It runs on June 17 and 18 at the Verity Women’s Club in Toronto. For more information, contact the program at
[email protected].
TORONTO LAWYER GETS MEDICAL NODHe’s a lawyer, but his longtime association with the medical field has earned Stewart Saxe recognition as an honorary member of the Ontario Medical Association.
Currently, 10 people have that honour, one Saxe’s Toronto law firm, Baker & McKenzie, says is rare for a lawyer to receive. It recognizes people who have made significant contributions in science or humanities through service to the OMA or to medicine.
Saxe himself has been active with the OMA as a labour and employment lawyer assisting in negotiations with the Ontario government. Last year, he became the OMA’s lead negotiator, Baker & McKenzie noted in a release.
EVENT OFFERS LESSONS IN INTERNATIONAL ADRDoing an arbitration isn’t the same as litigating in court.
That’s the message organizers plan to impart at the upcoming International Arbitration Symposium next month in Toronto.
The goal is to help both senior and junior lawyers who are unfamiliar with international commercial arbitration through presentations by 20 experts from around the world. They include:
Pierre A. Karrer, Zurich
Louise Ellen Teitz, Roger Williams University School of Law
Hon. L. Yves Fortier, Ogilvy Renault LLP
Edoardo F. Ricci, University of Milan
Raed Fathallah, Bredin Prat, Paris
Kaj Hobéer, Stockholm
Jennifer Smith, Baker Botts, Houston
Audley Sheppard, Clifford Chance LLP, London
Barry Leon, Torys LLP
The symposium will involve a mock procedural hearing as well as a session on lessons from international commercial arbitration that will take participants through proceedings blending both civil and common law.
It takes place on June 5 at the The Advocates’ Society Education Centre. For more information, see www.iapl2009.org.
LSUC TACKLES SOUTH ASIAN IMMIGRATION ISSUESThe Law Society of Upper Canada recognized South Asian Heritage Month through a forum on immigration and family law three weeks ago.
The May 5 event included discussions about legal problems South Asian immigrants face, including how laws can be a barrier to family reunification and sponsorship. The panellists were lawyers Maria Deanna Santos, El-Farouk Khaki, Asmaa Kadim, and Janice Joyce Lepiten.
Avvy Go, director of the Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic and Shalini Konanur, executive director of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, also spoke.
FASKENS GETS BIG P3 CONTRACTFasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP has won a contract as specialized legal counsel for a massive road reconstruction project, the firm announced.
The project, called the largest road infrastructure effort ever undertaken in urban Quebec, will see a major revamp of the Turcot Complex. The province’s public-private partnership agency is leading the $1.5-billion project that will involve the creation of a transportation corridor through the relocation of Highway 20 and existing railroads.
DEAN HONOURS OSGOODE GRADSSeven graduates of Osgoode Hall Law School received honours for their contributions to the legal profession and society and at the dean’s annual alumni reception last week.
“These awards are our way of recognizing exceptional alumni who have brought distinction to the profession of law and the law school,” said dean Patrick Monahan. “They are highly respected professionals whose accomplishments in the field of law are truly extraordinary.”
Honourees included Eva Marszewski, Gordon Kirke, Alison Youngman, Lorraine Land, Douglas Ewart, Doug Lewis, and Charles M. Gastle.
