Osgoode hall

By Jacques Gallant Legal Affairs Reporter Wed., Feb. 20, 2019 Ontario’s legal regulator will create a gender-neutral room at Osgoode Hall where lawyers can network and change into their robes prior to appearing in court. The announcement by the Law Society of Ontario comes in the wake of a petition, started by Toronto lawyer Breanna Needham, that highlighted that the women’s robing room — known on some signs at the courthouse as the “Lady Barristers” room — had just 12 lockers, versus nearly 70 lockers and a lot more space on the men’s side. This despite the fact 43 per cent of lawyers in Ontario are women. “We’re working to create one dedicated gender-neutral space for all barristers to robe and network in what’s now the men’s robing room,” the law society said on Twitter Wednesday. “Modifications are needed to support personal privacy in the washrooms. Once complete the … [Read more...] about Lawyers will get gender-neutral robing room at Osgoode Hall following petition

By Jacques Gallant Legal Affairs Reporter Mon., Feb. 11, 2019 At the Ontario Court of Appeal at Osgoode Hall, there are only 12 lockers for female lawyers who must change into their robes before appearing in court. There are about 70 lockers over on the men’s side, which has a lot more space and was once described in a legal publication as “opulent.” “What it says is that ‘We think your numbers will continue to be limited,’” lawyer Lori Anne Thomas said of the cramped quarters in the women’s robing room. “It says ‘We don’t expect growth.’” Yet numbers from the Law Society of Ontario, the province’s legal regulator, show that the profession is approaching a 50/50 split between male and female lawyers; about 57 per cent of lawyers are men and 43 per cent are women. With that in mind, a Change.org petition that has already gathered more than 500 signatures is calling on the … [Read more...] about Petition asks why Osgoode Hall’s cramped ‘Lady Barristers’ room has just 12 lockers, but the men get about 70

By Betsy Powell Court Reporter Fri., March 23, 2018 The crackdown on city pot dispensaries in May 2016 was on solid constitutional ground based on a Toronto judge’s decision released Friday. The decision means the case of a compassion club owner charged with marijuana trafficking will be heading back to court this fall, when the drug will be legal across the country. Justice Heather McArthur was asked to decide whether the laws were valid in May 2016 when Toronto police conducted raids as part of Project Claudia. Lawyers representing Marek Stupak, one of more than 90 people charged, argued his charges should be dismissed because Sect. 5(2) of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the law under which he was charged, breached his charter rights because a valid program making medicinal pot readily available did not exist in 2016. He was charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and possession of the proceeds of crime. Article … [Read more...] about Toronto judge rules drug law constitutional at time of Project Claudia pot raids