Very kind of the inimitable Maya Shukairy to interview me for this Profile on August 3, 2021.

I had a lot to say. I first spoke to Maya about this Profile in early August of 2021. A lot has happened since then and I’ve been reflecting on my “CLA story” recently.

Having been a member of the CLA since 2009 (coming on 13 years now), I had both benefited from and contributed a great deal to the work of the Association.

My relationship to the CLA was a special one. I would describe it as uniquely close and collaborative the entire time I was on its governing board for seven of the last eight years (2013-2021).

I am especially proud of the bridges we built, the teams we put together, together.

I had acted as counsel to the CLA on several occasions, both as intervention counsel on several SCC matters where mental disorder was engaged (Conception & Ewert), and on a very long inquest into the death of 17 year old G.A., who died by suicide by hanging while awaiting a delayed NCR assessment. That Inquest closely examined the issue of appointment of amicus curiae in mental disorder matters. Linked to that was my role as counsel to another intervener organization in support of the CLA’s position on fees for amicus curiae, which was at the heart of CLA’s boycott of some Legal Aid matters in 2009. On December 12, 2012, I argued in the Supreme Court of Canada in support of CLA’s position, alongside now Justice Andras Schreck and with Lou Strezos and others. It was another highlight of my career, despite the truly terrible, lamentable outcome of that Judgment, ultimately.

It wasn’t just me personally working for and with the CLA throughout these last 13 years. Association to Association collaborations were perhaps the greater accomplishment, reaching many members of both.

My Association, LAMDA, opened up all our CPDs for free to all members of the CLA including to appellate criminal defence lawyers, the DCAO and the inmate / duty counsel roster when we co-hosted six Justices of the Court of Appeal for Ontario with CLOC in January of 2021. LAMDA reserved a bunch of limited seating for members of CLA’s Recent Calls to make sure they had access to learning before they were doing the work we were discussing, even if they were just interested in appellate litigation.

It was a pleasure to co-host LAMDA’s Mental Disorder Conferences annually with the CLA. Or for LAMDA to co-host CLA’s annual mental disorder conferences. Either way, those conferences grew out of mental health and the law conferences I started chairing outside of both organizations, before LAMDA was born, which we imported to the CLA starting in 2013 when I joined the Board. It has all been collegial, collaborative, successful and fun.

I have enjoyed my time as an active member of the CLA and its governance. It was an important part of my career and work in the criminal law, especially (but not exclusively) where mental disorder was the focus and where women’s concerns were highlighted.

While I worked on a whole lot of diverse issues and committees that had nothing to do with mental disorder or women, including legal aid, mentorship, membership, Indigenous issues, various ad hoc committees regarding matters as they arose in the ordinary course, the things I am most invested in generally, were the portfolios where I am most proud of our efforts to improve things together.

Chairing the Mental Disorder Portfolio / Committee, which I started in 2013 for six years, and co-Chairing the Women’s Committee for the 2020-2021 year of this past term were great honours and highlights of my career.

I am grateful for the opportunities that membership and leadership in the CLA afforded me over the years, including the opportunities to collaborate personally and between Associations.

I have learned a great deal from these experiences, which continue to serve me well as models for future associations and genuine collaborative teamwork.

I would be remiss in closing out my “CLA Story” as it were, if I didn’t pause to recognize one person in particular. John Chagnon, the current Executive Director of the CLA. John has been instrumental, in one role or another, in making everything I did with and for the CLA a uniquely enjoyable experience. There is literally no one more competent, more decent, more responsive, more supportive, on God’s green earth.

If you want to review the current Profile, it appears here:

With the text of my answers to the Questions posed to me by Maya Shukairy here:

Funnily enough, about 10 years ago, my good friend, then Vice-President of the CLA, now His Honour Justice Joe Di Luca, profiled me as a new(ish) member of the Association, before I was elected to the Board. I love that profile so much, it hangs framed in my office, which I have not seen in almost two years.

It’s a funny read not because of anything I said, but because the Editor was hilarious. Read it here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1f4LGrGWk3Gsgl_cYSxf5Teusa219pHpR/view?usp=sharing

Thank you for everything, Criminal Lawyers’ Association!!