Law Times

Page 16 June 27, 2016 • Law Times www.lawtimesnews.com LAWYERS LOOK TO RAISE $500K FOR ST. MICHAEL'S When Shara Roy was first transferred to St. Michael's Hos- pital with her twin daughters last June, she was scared. The Toronto lawyer gave birth to her babies six weeks early and what was supposed to be an other- wise joyous event had become traumatic. But any worries she had quickly disappeared as the doctors and nurses at the hospital's Neo- natal Intensive Care Unit doctors worked to reassure her. Roy, who is a partner at Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP, is now joining a group of lawyers who are putting on a fundraising dinner — called Malachy's Soiree — to raise $500,000 for the St. Michael's NICU. "This will really go towards modernizing the equipment that is available at the St. Mike's NICU," Roy says. Last year, the dinner raised $200,000, which went towards buying a ventilator resuscitator machine. The event's second year hopes to fund infant resuscitator beds for the delivery room, incubators, venti- lators, as well as breastfeeding equipment. Others in the group of lawyers organizing the event include Marie Henein of Henein Hutchison LLP, Kerry O'Reilly of Vale, Carol Hansell of Hansell LLP, and Anne Ristic of Stikeman El- liott LLP, among others. Malachy's Soiree will be hosted at the Four Seasons Hotel Toronto on the evening of Sept. 29. For more informa- tion, visit www.malachyssoiree.org. IADC STARTS ONLINE REFERENCE GUIDE The International Association of Defense Counsel has un- veiled a reference guide that of- fers guidelines of civil justice sys- tems for defendants and lawyers around the world. The Survey of International Litigation Procedures provides details of justice systems in 49 different countries and seeks to help lawyers who practise in multiple jurisdictions. The guide can be found at the IADC Foundation's web site. LOUISE ARBOUR NAMED 2016 TANG PRIZE LAUREATE A former Supreme Court justice has been honoured as a laureate in the 2016 Tang Prize's rule of law category. Louise Arbour served on the Supreme Court of Canada from 1999 to 2004 and now works as counsel to Borden Ladner Ger- vais LLP. "Louise Arbour is one of the most inf luential legal minds of our times, and we are very proud to have her on our team, sharing her knowledge and ex- perience with our lawyers and clients," said Sean Weir, the national managing partner and CEO at BLG. YES, I AGREE 64 % 36 % NO, I DO NOT AGREE LAW TIMES POLL Law Times reported recently that Joseph Groia is turning to the Supreme Court of Canada in his fight against the Law So- ciety of Upper Canada over discipline for "unprofessional" behaviour. Readers were asked if they support his move. Almost 64 per cent of re- spondents said yes, Groia should take the case to the SCC, as the case has wider implications for the profession and what's con- sidered to be "unprofessional" behaviour. More than 36 per cent of voters said no, Groia is grand- standing and this fight has al- ready dragged on for years. They agreed he should take his lumps and let it die peacefully. LT u Bizarre Briefs By Viola James u The InsIde story © 2015 Stewart. All rights reserved. We put legal professionals front and centre and we put our efforts into keeping real estate transactions where they belong – in your office. Learn more about our level of support, call (888) 667-5151 or visit stewart.ca. Ally Untitled-4 1 2016-03-02 10:19 AM WHO LEAVES AN OLYMPIC MEDAL IN A CAR? THIS GUY. ATLANTA, Ga. — A 1992 Olympic gold medal stolen from champion canoeist Joe Jacobi's car in Atlanta was found recently by a 6-year-old girl and returned to him. The girl spotted the medal in a wooded area while on a walk with her family. The family contacted Jacobi through a web site he established after the medal he won in the two-man canoe slalom event in Barcelona was stolen from a nearby restaurant parking lot. The medal was missing its base when found, Jacobi said in a phone interview, but appeared mostly intact. Jacobi, 46, displays the medal in speaking events and had it with him for a television ap- pearance in Atlanta the next day. He was inside a restaurant when three men in a Volkswagen Passat drove up and broke car win- dows in the parking lot, Atlanta police said. Jacobi, who lives in Tennessee, launched a so- cial media campaign with his wife to recover the medal. Although the medal could possibly be restored to its original state, Jacobi said he may keep it the way it is as a reminder of the story behind its loss and recovery. VIRGINITY TESTS RULED UNCONSTITUTIONAL JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — A contro- versial scheme offering university scholarships to young South African women who remain virgins is unconstitutional, says the Commis- sion for Gender Equality. The "maiden's bursaries" offered by a local mayor sparked a nationwide debate in January, with critics slamming the scheme's emphasis on virginity as outdated while traditionalists said it would help preserve African culture. The gender commission said the program discriminated against women because male students were not subjected to the same tests. "Any funding by an organ of state based on a woman's sexuality perpetuates patriarchy and inequality in South Africa," the commission said in a statement. Rights groups applauded the ruling. "It is not the cultural practice that is the problem here; it is the allocation of state funds on the basis of girls' sexuality that violates the constitutional protection to equality, dignity and privacy," said Sanja Bornman, an attorney with Lawyers for Human Rights. Recipients of the scholarships, which were offered only to women, were required to un- dergo virginity testing each time they returned home for holidays, and they could lose their scholarships if it was determined that they had engaged in sexual activity. Dudu Mazibuko, the mayor who initiated the program, said in January it would help re- duce teenage pregnancy and the spread of HIV/ AIDS as well as widening job opportunities for women in her small municipality in KwaZulu Natal province. Mazibuko, a member of the ruling African National Congress, argued that there was al- ready a strong culture of virginity testing in the poor eastern coastal province. But, gender activists and some political par- ties condemned the practice. DRAMATIC CLIMB ON FAMOUS LANDMARK SYDNEY, Australia — A man was arrested re- cently after climbing up an arch of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, with morning traffic in Aus- tralia's biggest city brought to a standstill, as police rescue teams closed roads around the world-famous span. The man, dressed in dark clothing, white shoes, and sunglasses, took a taxi to the bridge and climbed up, before perching himself on the Sydney landmark with his arms crossed, Aus- tralian media said. The man, whose motive was unknown, climbed down about two hours later. He was arrested and taken to Royal North Shore Hos- pital for assessment, Seven Network television said. LT Shara Roy and other lawyers are organizing a fundraising dinner to benefit the St. Michael's Hospital Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit.

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