On February 22, 2022 LAMDA and WICCD will co-host this special panel, the first of its kind of which we are aware, entitled: “Targeted online harassment of lawyers: Balancing the Tension Between Professional Responsibility and Personal Safety”

Many lawyers have experienced online harassment, but few have spoken out about it. As a result, there is not much guidance available for those of us who become targeted or stalked. Whether the targeted online harassment originates with a client, a colleague or a member of the public, whether the social media account responsible identifies the person or uses an “alt” – an anonymous account, the impact on the targeted lawyer can be severe and traumatic.

The combination of social isolation engendered by the pandemic, the increased use of social media and screen time, and escalating mental health issues exacerbated during this time, combine for a perfect storm that is fuelling online harassment and cyber-bullying. Women generally, and women who are lawyers or other professionals are disproportionately at risk.

These behaviours also present difficult and challenging ethical dilemmas as we wrestle with our potentially conflicting professional responsibilities while trying to ensure our personal health and safety.

At this important session we will hear the experiences of four lawyers who have been personally affected by targeted online harassment. We will also explore the professional obligations lawyers owe to their clients when they believe the client is the stalker / harasser, and options for addressing the situation. We will look at practical strategies the lawyer can employ to take some control over the situation. We will also talk about how to safe-guard your own mental health during these traumatic and stressful experiences.

SPEAKERS ON PANEL

BIOs

ROBIN PARKER

Robin Parker practices criminal, human rights and Indigenous law in Ontario and the Northwest Territories. She also investigates workplace human rights issues for academic institutions. Robin started her career as a prosecutor and worked on wiretap, organized crime and terrorism cases, with a special focus on international criminal law issues. After leaving government, Robin worked on the security certificate cases, but also expanded her practice to assist professionals with regulatory issues and represent witnesses in criminal cases. Robin has worked in and with Indigenous communities in Northern Ontario and the Northwest Territories, and recently expanded her human rights work to include Indigenous rights cases.

Robin was called to the Bar in 1996, after completing her law degree at Dalhousie. In 2008 she received an award of Distinction from Oxford University for her Master of Studies in International Human Rights Law. She is passionate about legal education, and is an instructor for Osgoode, the Advocates Society, the Ontario Bar Association, the NJI, and the Law Society of Ontario. She has a chapter in the forthcoming Transnational and Cross-Border Criminal Law: Canadian Perspectives about the intersection of criminal law and Indigenous rights at the border.

Robin is a former Director of the Criminal Lawyers Association. She is on the Board of Directors of the House of Compassion, which provides long term housing for people living with severe mental illness and is a co-founder of the Indigenous Voices Awards.

DAVID CONNALLY

David has practiced criminal law in Ontario exclusively since 2009. He has extensive trial experience in both the Ontario Court of Justice and Superior Court of Justice. David focuses his practice on the intersection of serious criminality and mental health, and has a wealth of experience with fitness, criminal responsibility and DO/LTO matters. He frequently assists clients with hearings before the Ontario Review Board. 

David is a member of The Advocates’ Society, the Ontario Bar Association, the Criminal Lawyers Association, and the Law Society of Ontario.

NAOMI SAYERS

Naomi Sayers is a lawyer and Indigenous feminist, called to the Ontario (2018) and Alberta (2020) bars with nearly a decade of consultation experience. Previously in-house counsel at Hydro One, she officially launched her own practice in early 2020. She regularly advises on issues relating administrative law, human rights, police abuse/violence, constitutional issues, lobbying and law reform initiatives, and non-profits. Naomi is proud to bring nearly a decade of consulting work to her clients and their files. She has previously provided consultation services to federal, provincial, and regional (municipal) governments. Some of her clients include other non-profit organizations engaging in advocacy work, Native Youth Sexual Health Network, Amnesty International’s International Governing Body and the federal government’s Status of Women, to name a few. Government and public relations groups often reach out to Naomi on critical and niche issues their clients are experiencing. Naomi is frequently invited by the media to comment on pressing issues and issues of national importance or public interest, ranging from regulatory work to human rights commentary. She created an online reporting tool to help people document online harassment at https://online-harassment.indigibot.ca/ and provides people with non-judgmental tips for a safer online experience that does not blame the victim for their online harassment.

Naomi represented Work Safe Twerk Safe, the first and only federally incorporated non-profit advocacy group dedicated to strippers’ rights to work safely in Canada. Her advocacy on their behalf resulted in a precedent setting decision resulting in the Court recognizing the harms that sex workers experience in trying to access justice. That decision was also cited by the Supreme Court of Canada, affirming stigmatized groups’ right to privacy in litigation processes. 

Naomi is a member of the Criminal Lawyers’ Association and its Indigenous Committee; Canadian Bar Association and its Aboriginal Law section executive; the Law and Mental Disorder Association; the Ontario Bar Association’s Constitutional and Human Rights section executive, the Aboriginal Law section executive and the Women’s Lawyer Forum section executive.  

MODERATOR

ANITA SZIGETI

ANITA SZIGETI is a Toronto lawyer specializing in mental health justice. During COVID, she became the target of online harassment, cyber-bullying and stalking by anonymous accounts operated by lawyer colleagues.