I am really proud to have this article published today.
It appears in this journal, the Windsor Yearbook of Access to Justice:
https://wyaj.uwindsor.ca/index.php/wyaj/issue/view/582
here; https://wyaj.uwindsor.ca/index.php/wyaj/article/view/6565
Indebted forever to co-authors Dr. Ruby Dhand, Maya Kotob, Michael Kennedy and Rebecca Ye (a #100interns intern!)
This article was a difficult one to write for all of us.
Clients in psychiatric detention have suffered great losses of liberty and are scared as COVID enters institutions or while they wait for it to come.
Our clients have been through a lot. Some have died.
We hope this Article will be helpful to academics, lawyers, clients, health practitioners – anyone trying to understand options in terms of response to COVID in psychiatric facilities and adjudication of related litigation.
About Anita Szigeti
• Called to the Bar (1992)
• U of T Law grad (1990)
• Sole practitioner (33 years)
• Partner in small law firm (Hiltz Szigeti) 2002 - 2013
• Mom to two astonishing kids, Scarlett (20+) and Sebastian (20-)
• (Founding) Chair of Mental Health Legal Committee for ten years (1997 to 2007)
* Founding President of Law and Mental Disorder Association - LAMDA since 2017
* Founder and Secretary to Women in Canadian Criminal Defence - WiCCD - since 2022
• Counsel to clients with serious mental health issues before administrative tribunals and on appeals
• Former Chair, current member of LAO’s mental health law advisory committee
• Educator, lecturer, widely published author (including 5 text books on consent and capacity law, Canadian civil mental health law, the criminal law of mental disorder, a law school casebook and a massive Anthology on all things mental health and the law)
• Thirty+ years’ experience as counsel to almost exclusively legally aided clients
• Frequently appointed amicus curiae
• Fearless advocate
• Not entirely humourless
anitaszigeti 