Law Times

Law TiMes • May 26, 2014 Page 5 www.lawtimesnews.com Trio of prominent lawyers seeking LSUC's top elected job BY Yamri Taddese Law Times ith Law Society of Upper Canada Treasurer omas Conway's term coming to an end this summer, a trio of benchers are in the running to become the next face of On- tario's regulator of the legal profes- sion. e nominees for the law so- ciety's highest elected office are benchers Raj Anand of Weir- Foulds LLP, Janet Minor, general counsel at the Ministry of the At- torney General, and Christopher Bredt of Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. eir ideas range from plans to consider law firm regulation to addressing diversity issues within the legal community and better managing disciplinary matters involving lawyers with mental ill- nesses. All candidates say doing more to improve access to justice is one of their top priorities. For Bredt, who has been a member of Convocation since 2008, it's time the law society achieves "solid" progress on access to justice. "Speaking for myself, I will re- gard my treasurership as a failure if, during the course of my two years, there are not solid achieve- ments that have been made on the access to justice front," says Bredt, who says he will have an open door if he becomes treasurer. Anand says the law society could be a facilitator that brings together people and organizations to work on access to justice issues but notes it can also play a role on its own through changes in areas like alternative business structures and the scope of paralegal prac- tice. Beyond the larger issues like access to justice, the candidates are calling for many other changes within the law society itself. Disciplinary cases take too long to resolve, says Bredt. In addition to efficiency, he says the law society needs to look at mental health as an issue that deserves special attention. "I think we can learn from how other professions are dealing with mental-health issues," he adds. "Within Convocation, we have some benchers who have exper- tise in this area and my inclination is to get a working group appoint- ed, which would look at the issue and come back with recommen- dations." For Anand, part of being ef- ficient in the disciplinary process involves making law firms do some of the work. e law society could either require or urge law firms to audit themselves in order to turn the existing complaint- based process into a more proac- tive one. It's something Minor is also thinking about. "Being proactive, not just reac- tive" is something the law society should strive for, she says. But Mi- nor, who led the law society's path- ways project that saw the launch of the law practice program and changes to articling, also notes mentoring is "sorely needed" in many areas of the profession. Treasurer candidates are also looking at how Convocation makes its decisions. Bredt and Anand say benchers should be in the loop about the work of Convocation committees instead of having to make tough calls through a vote once they've com- pleted a project. "Convocation needs to play a role and it needs to play a role early on as the issues develop," says Bredt. At times, benchers disagree with the path taken by commit- tees aer they've completed their work, according to Anand, who suggests a monthly reporting pro- cess that allows for more input from benchers. Instead of having a particular proposal presented to benchers for approval, Anand says he would like to see Convocation presented with options. Minor, who describes her lead- ership style as "decisive but reflec- tive," says the law society should also amend its timeline for set- ting priorities. At the beginning of their terms, benchers go on a retreat to set objectives. But at that time, newer benchers "aren't always aware of the issues," she says. "I think [setting priorities] a few months later would be more helpful." Before he became a bencher seven years ago, Anand, who previously served as chief com- missioner of the Ontario Human Rights Commission, had been part of the law society's equity advisory group. If elected as trea- surer, he says he'll work to address the unique barriers faced by law- yers and paralegals from different backgrounds. "e public is entitled to a diverse bar; it's entitled to a bar which more closely reflects its makeup," says Anand. He wants to win the top job on his merits but says that if he becomes treasurer of the law so- ciety, young minority lawyers will know "there are opportunities and that it is worthwhile striving for excellence." For Minor, inclusion of wom- en and racial minorities into the law society's governing body helps engage segments of the profession who feel sidelined. She says if she becomes treasurer, taking actions that "knock down barriers or min- imize them at least" will be one of her priorities. Convocation will elect the new treasurer in June. LT NEWS Nouveau processus de commande de transcriptions À compter du 9 juin 2014, un nouveau processus de commande de transcriptions sera mis en œuvre en Ontario. Vous devez choisir et contacter l'une ou l'un des transcripteurs judiciaires indépendants autorisés figurant sur la Liste des transcripteurs judiciaires autorisés de l'Ontario disponible à : > courttranscriptontario.ca Visitez le nouveau site Web à compter du 2 juin 2014, pour information sur les nouvelles procédures, notamment sur la manière de soumettre une commande de transcription. MinistryAttorney-2_LT_May26_14.indd 1 14-05-20 4:04 PM New Process for Ordering Court Transcripts As of June 9, 2014, there will be a new process for ordering court transcripts in Ontario. You must now select and contact an independent, authorized court transcriptionist from the List of Authorized Court Transcriptionists for Ontario available from: > courttranscriptontario.ca Visit the new website, from June 2, 2014, for information on the new procedures, including how to place a transcript order. MinistryAttorney-1_LT_May26_14.indd 1 14-05-20 4:01 PM Christopher Bredt is running for treasurer against fellow benchers Raj Anand and Janet Minor. W

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