Law Times

www.lawtimesnews.com THE LAW SOCIETY OF UPPER CANADA BENCHER ELECTION 2015 Page 12 March 30, 2015 • Law Times lSUC hoping for boost in voter turnout this year By anasTasiya Jogal Law Times ith voter t u r n o u t h a v i n g lagged in recent Law Society of Upper Canada bencher elections, the regulator is hoping efforts this time around will help boost the numbers. Despite turnout of just 37 per cent in 2011, there has been some progress on the overall number of ballots cast. According to the law society, there were 10,086 bal- lots cast in 1995. In 2011, members cast 15,592 ballots. Elections officer James Varro says the law society made a number of efforts to en- courage members to vote in the 2011 elec- tion. They included regular e-mail commu- nications sent to all lawyers and providing an online voting guide. This year, it offered a webcast about the election in January. Michael Kainer, a retired lawyer who's active in politics, says increasing voter turnout remains an uphill battle. Drawing people to the polls, he notes, often requires having a major issue at stake, a scandal of some kind or significant unhappiness with the way the law society is governing the profession. There's one thing that seems to get law- yers riled up every time. "The one that typically has the most impact among lawyers is things that affect their in- come," he says. The candidates are competing for 40 elected spots at Convo- cation with 20 of them from Toronto and the rest from other regions. "For each of the eight regions, one bencher will be elected on the basis of the votes cast by electors residing in the electoral region," says Varro. "For Toronto, this means that one bencher who receives the most votes from Toronto voters is the regional bencher and 19 benchers will be elected on the basis of the votes cast by all electors." Outside of Toronto, voters will elect one bencher for each of the seven elector- al regions on the basis of the votes cast in each area with the remaining 13 bench- ers elected on the basis of the votes cast by all electors. So how many votes does each person get? "Each voter may cast one vote per candidate," says Varro. "A voter may vote for up to 40 candi- dates, 20 inside Toronto and 20 outside Toronto." LT Untitled-3 1 2015-03-20 9:22 AM www.howellforbencher.ca x Immediate Past-President of the Hamilton Law AssociaƟon and endorsed by the Hamilton Law AssociaƟon x Business and Tax lawyer with 30 years experience x A pracƟcal and thoughƞul problem solver CANDIDATE FOR BENCHER (CENTRAL SOUTH) "An effec�ve and strong profession requires lawyers who are fullled, respected and successful." DAVID W. HOWELL Evans_LT_Mar30_15.indd 1 2015-03-20 9:09 AM w w w. D o u g D o w n e y. c a • Certifi ed Specialist in Real Estate • Sec/Treasurer, OBA (5 years on Executive) • LSUC Library Services Treasurer's Advisory • Law Practice Program Chief Volunteer "The executive of the Simcoe County Law Association are all agreed to pledge our support. The simple fact you are a past recipient of the highest award the SCLA has to offer, speaks volumes about you." - Ted Chadderton, President BENCHER FOR CENTRAL EAST D o u g D owne y Lewis_LT_Mar30_15.indd 1 2015-03-25 2:00 PM Re-Elect Barbara Murchie Re-Elect Barbara Murchie For Sensible and Effective Regulation For more, go to: electmurchie.wordpress.com A bencher committed to: ¾ A competent, honourable and diverse profession with higher entry standards ¾ Proportional, fair and effective regulation ¾ Increased access to justice through support for soles and smalls and increased legal aid ¾ Support for local libraries A bencher with a track-record for: ¾ Taking her duties as a bencher and LawPro director seriously ¾ Sitting as an adjudicator on panels hearing discipline matters ¾ Supporting the advancement of women and working on competence initiatives BennettJones-BarbaraMurchie_LT_Mar2_15.indd 1 2015-02-25 12:13 PM W Law Society of Upper Canada

• Cover