Law Times

PAGE 4 Bencher, first black MPP mourned T Leonard Braithwaite BY KENDYL SEBESTA Law Times "He was always willing to speak plainly and bluntly," says former Law he legal profession has lost a "great fellow" who was a trail- blazer as Ontario' MPP. s first black Society of Upper Canada Treasurer Vern Krishna, who knew lawyer Leon- ard Braithwaite during his time as a bencher. "He was very forthright and spoke to what he was passionate about without fear or reservation." Braithwaite died on March 28 at the ket during the 1930s, Braithwaite grad- uated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1958 and represented a Toronto-area riding from 1963-75 as a Liberal. His achievements included a call for diverse, and caring place it is today." Raised in Toronto's Kensington Mar- age of 88. A memorial service for him will take place this week. Known for speaking out against racial segregation in Ontario's public Leonard Braithwaite became an LSUC bencher in 1999. schools, Braithwaite "was a trailblazer, a champion, and a friend, "His determination to see Ontario do what was right and just by all its citizens helped make our province the open, lived a long, remarkable life — one that was characterized by his strong convictions, passion for public service, and powerful sense of justice, " McGuinty said in a statement. " according to Premier Dalton McGuinty. "Leonard "His contribution to the profession was extremely valuable," says Krishna. "I really hope he enjoyed his last Matthias' Anglican Church at 1428 Royal York Rd. in Toronto. LT ber Braithwaite as a "great fellow" who was never afraid to speak his mind. Some of his passions included a strong interest in the self-regulation of the legal profession and equity issues, he says. the admission of female legislative pag- es in 1966; service during the Second World War as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force; and his election as the first black bencher on the governing council of the law society in 1999. Krishna notes he'll always remem- few years. He certainly never let anything stand in the way of what he wanted to accomplish." A memorial service will take place on April 21 at St. NEWS April 16, 2012 • lAw Times Pro bono SCC project launched BY KENDYL SEBESTA Law Times L preme Court will help eligible litigants determine the mer- its of their leave applications at the court's request and will supply clients with additional legal assistance. The project, which Through the project, roughly 40 former clerks of the Su- ow-income and self-represented Ontarians seek- ing leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Can- ada can now get help through a pilot project that provides free legal services. The process of determining launched on April 5, is the re- sult of efforts by Pro Bono Law Ontario, the Canadian Bar As- sociation, and the Supreme Court. "The project was cre- ated to make sure people who have a valid case but may be lacking in means can successfully have their day in court," says Jacqueline King, chairwoman of the CBA's Supreme Court liaison committee. "Roughly 25 per cent of Supreme Court litigants are self- represented, and the project aims to supply them with the expertise they need. " headed the project, according to King, who notes it wanted to en- courage and support self-repre- sented litigants while increasing access to justice. "The process of determining The Supreme Court spear- merits for a leave application is very, very difficult even for the most experienced lawyers. merits for a leave application is very, very difficult even for the most experienced lawyers," says King. "Now imagine being a self- represented litigant doing that. The Supreme Court works very hard to help those people, but at some point there's only so much they can do. The project was de- signed to help with that process." PBLO WEBCAST OPTION AVAILABLE FOR EACH COURSE! Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Toronto - June 18, 2012 Canada's New Anti-Spam Legislation: a Very Wide Objective, a Very Wide Swath Toronto - May 28, 2012 Vancouver - May 30, 2012 Calgary - May 31, 2012 e-Discovery: Current Litigation and Records Management Strategies Toronto - May 9, 2012 Calgary - May 10, 2012 Vancouver - May 15, 2012 Franchising: Diving Deep Toronto - June 11, 2012 Calgary - June 12, 2012 Vancouver - June 13, 2012 LEXPERT LEGAL EDUCATION SEMINARS SPRING 2012 SCHEDULE Oil and Gas: Current Issues and Trends Calgary - May 31, 2012 Social Media Law Conference: Cutting Edge Practical Advice From Canada's Advertising Law Experts Toronto - May 28, 2012 Vancouver - May 30, 2012 Calgary - May 31, 2012 Tendering and Procurement: Mastering the Complexities Toronto - June 6, 2012 Vancouver - June 12, 2012 Calgary - June 13, 2012 The Evolution of Renewable Generation Projects Toronto - June 20, 2012 For more information or to register for these seminars, please visit www.lexpert.ca/events Lynn Burns notes the bar and the Supreme Court have been very supportive of the project so far and hopes it'll expand later on to help more people. "We hope to find some of the executive director people who are unable to access legal services in Ontario, whose cases have merit, and provide them with very experienced law- yers who will ensure they have meaningful access to the justice system. If we can do that, I think the program will be very suc- cessful. " LT Untitled-3 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 12-04-10 8:16 AM

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