Gathering seeks to come up with concrete solutions to address diversity issues in the law profession
Capping off a year’s worth of efforts to advance gender equality in the legal profession, the Ontario Bar Association will hold the Momentum Summit to bring together leaders working towards applicable and sustainable solutions for putting equality into practice.
The summit will be held on Sept. 10 in Toronto. It will feature expert insights from diversity trailblazers — both Canadian and foreign — who offer context for the inequality that continues to plague professions, including law. It also seeks to come up with concrete methods to address the root causes of inequality.
According to the OBA, its members have been ardent, vocal advocates for more flexible, inclusive and engaging legal spaces that allow lawyers of all backgrounds equal opportunity to contribute and reap the professional rewards. The OBA invites them to carry that commitment forward by exploring and adopting in their own practices initiatives that have significantly levelled the playing field within other organizations.
“In my travels throughout Canada during the past year, I’ve talked with countless members of the legal community who have not only shared with me their experiences of gender-based exclusion or unfair treatment, but who have envisioned ways to break the barriers and dispel the biases that gave rise to them,” said OBA president Lynne Vicars.
“The summit will give lawyers the tools we need to transform our natural aptitude for problem-solving into meaningful momentum that will not only create immediate impact but continue to foster a more equitable, diverse and inclusive profession far into the future.”
