Herman Wong wants to provide a gateway for people to learn how the law interacts with their lives
Growing up, Herman Wong lacked role models working in the legal profession who could explain to him how the law and the justice system work.
Wong is a lawyer and incoming associate at Torkin Manes LLP. Before law school at Osgoode Hall, he studied journalism at Carleton University in Ottawa. He learned to produce and edit podcasts and knew he wanted to create one, but he was initially unsure of what to talk about.
In his third year of law school, he decided to make a podcast about the legal system. While there is no shortage of law-focused podcasts, he saw a gap in content that served someone, like a younger version of himself, who wants to understand the law but does not have an explanatory guide to help them get started.
“Having the journalism background and now having this legal education, I wanted to create something that was really accessible.”
He hears from his non-lawyer friends that the legal system is difficult to understand, too complex, and dense. But what they lack is an entry point, he says.
Wong’s desire to provide accessible legal information aligns with the mission of the Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN), which is to promote “understanding, education, and dialogue” on the Canadian justice system.
“We are all part of the law,” says Jean-Paul Bevilacqua, program developer and legal education consultant at OJEN. “It is not something that is separate from us. It is something that we interact with on a day-to-day basis.”
“This forum for bringing a diverse set of individuals who interact in their own specialized unique ways hopefully demonstrates to our audience of listeners and young people that they are part of the legal fabric of our country.”
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With Wong as host, OJEN recently launched the Law Syrup podcast, which has three episodes out so far.
In naming the show, Wong wanted to highlight its fun, casual, and conversational nature. He thought “Syrup” evoked sweetness – something that “goes down easy, and it’s good for you.”
He wanted the podcast to be “a gateway to more people finding out for themselves what the law means to them and how it impacts their daily lives.”
For the debut episode, Wong interviewed Supreme Court Justice Michelle O'Bonsawin. A Pride month roundtable and an episode on s. 2(b) of the Charter followed that. Upcoming episodes will feature Wong’s former journalism professor, who will discuss her career reporting on the Supreme Court, and an episode on criminal law with Ontario Court Justice Mabel Lai. Also in the works is an episode on inter-partner and gender-based violence with executive Pam Hrick, director and general counsel at Women's Legal Education and Action Fund, and a conversation between Wong and two high school classmates whose paths in life had diverged but then reconverged in the legal profession.
In their interview, Justice O'Bonsawin echoed the importance of accessibility.
“The courts are meant to be accessible. The justice system is meant to be accessible,” says Wong. “Even though there are things that we can definitely improve, she is there to make sure that there is some sort of communication and transparency between judges and the general public. I really liked talking to her about that.”
Read more: Top Canadian legal podcasts to listen to right now.