Some Memorable Finds at the Office at 400 University as ASA transitions some of our space – Treasures Everywhere! A Photo Essay June 25 2022

Posted on June 25, 2022 by Anita Szigeti
Credenza Custom Built for me by the Founding Owner of Style Garage for the 94 Cumberland Offices of Hiltz Szigeti LLP originally in 2002 – still going strong literally 20 years later – my 1990 Graduating Class Photo – U of T Faculty of Law, my CLA Profile by (now Justice) Joe Di Luca (circa 2012), my Award from MHLC (1997) and children’s art and letters

Office Gems 400 University Avenue, Suite 2001 University Chambers June 2022

All of this to say I am a lawyer in Ontario – that is all I am and all that I have – biggest one is the Notarial Certificate

July 17, 2003 Edition of the DLRs – contains Starson, decided June 6 2003 – fast turn-around on this one! And check out the Editor and Associate Editors of this reporter series at the time!
Starson v. Swayze firs reported in the July 17 2003 Edition of the Dominion Law Reports
The Factum Cover as filed in the SCC on Starson – When I handed this to the last courier the night before it was due for filing with the SCC at 7:30 pm at the Cumberland Office, the other hand held a very poopy diaper of newborn daughter who was with me in a bassinet at the office while I worked – I was so tired I actually worried about mixing up the contents of the package to be delivered to our country’s top Court.
Me Mapping out the SCC Justices while starting to draft oral argument in the middle of the night up with new baby at the Ottawa Albert Suites – imprint of baby bottle of pumped breast milk – up at 4 am to feed baby and prep argument
The first draft of that oral argument in Starson – middle of the night work product
Hung onto this from 1987 – my 1st year of law school – never liked it – always hated it – finally tossed it 35 years later
This was our textbook – a 1985 SECOND EDITION of this precious volume – Alan Mewett was a giant
First Year Contracts Text – Steve Waddams was a legend of a professor – still recall many of his lectures
Got an A in this class by Professor Waddams too – these were my best grades – Contracts, IP, Remedies, Real Estate Law…
The Only Such Conference of its kind ever held – by the Queen Street Patients Council together with the Urban Alliance on Race Relations led to this Amazing Report – still the basis of Deescalation Training today
The First Edition of Our CCB Guide now being printed for the 19th consecutive time as the 2023 Edition comes out in a few weeks – I was expecting my second child when Danann Hawes (then of Lexis Nexis) heard me giving a speech somewhere and suggested we write this book in six weeks – I had to do it before my son was born – we DID it!! Published in 2005
As many annual volumes of the CCB Guide as I kept from 2005-2018 – I do have 2019-2022 elsewhere
Mostly baby and toddler daughter, the kids’ Dad and me as young people and some important books – where is our son??
It was a true honour and a privilege to be retained by the Office of the Provincial Advocate for Children and Youth for this very important project many years ago when they were still in existence – that organization did so much to help our kids – it is missed
All Amazing Contributors to this Project on Youth and Adolescent Health Care Consent – the “I Do Care Project”
An article by Dr. Ruby Dhand and I wrote on Representing Clients with mental Health Issues in February 2012 – a starting point for our next book together coming out in 2023 – working on it now, 10 years after this little introductory piece
The death of Justice Marc Rosenberg in 2015 was a massive blow to the legal profession. To all of us who knew him personally. I treasure the moments I got to work with His Honour from 2000 to 2014. The amicus curiae program for Review Board appeals was Justice Rosenberg’s idea. I was fortunate that he included me as the defence facilitator for the program at its inception. I resigned from the role when my father died in 2011 but stayed on as a member of the program, assisting as friend of the Court. The program was disbanded ultimately in the wake of CLA v AG out of the SCC. But its legacy survives.
Now Justice Jill Presser and I co-authored this article in this 2017 volume honouring the memory of the late great Justice Marc Rosenberg documenting the work and successes of the Amicus Curiae Program for Mentally Disordered accused in the Court of Appeal for Ontario (2000-20114)
There are now 500+ Review Board appellate considerations of Ontario Review Board cases out of the ONCA – they had their genesis in the Amicus Program spear-headed by Justice Rosenberg. One of the great highlights of my career was being part of that program. Pretty well all the defence colleagues we selected together to participate on our roster to assist NCR accused are now Judges themselves. Justice Paul Burstein, Justice Joseph Di Luca, Justice Jill Presser and Justice Suzan Fraser were among the total of 7 defence lawyers who had ever served as Amicus as part of that program. One is still too young to be appointed but will no doubt get there and the other two (including me) are co-authors on what is now the seminal text in this area of law – the Guide to Mental Disorder Law in Canadian Criminal Justice (MDL Guide – LN).
“Tulikorpi” and “Pinet” in the Supreme Court of Canada, November 3, 2003 – I was there with another lawyer as co-counsel to the Mental Health Legal Advocacy Coalition – an advocacy organization for persons with mental health issues- as Intervener
This is how the SCC hearing in Tulikorpi and Pinet opened at 9:35 am on November 3, 2003 – Court called on the Respondent first – didn’t need to hear from the Appellants – never saw that before or since BUT ever since then, when I am acting for the Appellant, if they call on me I feel a little like I may have already lost – this was a unique moment in history
On November 14, 2005, the SCC heard this case, Mazzei. My client, the MHLAC, led by the late great Randy Pritchard was an Intervener. I had co-counsel but he was not available to attend for us. My second child, my son, was just six weeks old. I got on a midnight Greyhound bus at the Dundas St terminal to Ottawa, got in after 6 am, had breakfast in a diner until 8 am when the local YMCA opened, showered there, ironed my gowns, went to Court and got on the bus back to TO without ever seeing my co-counsel who lived and worked in Ottawa. A very long day, but one I’ve never forgotten – glad I did it.
Next was Conway. I had a behind the scenes role in this one at the Court of Appeal level and many very fond memories of the work and the process. There were many great legal minds on this case. I was proud to be there for this client with co-counsel (now Justice) Paul Burstein. This case went on to have much broader impact than anyone imagined, in administrative law generally, even if its legacy for Criminal Code Review Boards is quite limited in practice.
G v. AG – my involvement in this case for the Empowerment Council started at the Court of Appeal level where we argued the case before a panel presided over by Doherty JA. A memorable day in Court and a beautiful Judgment of the ONCA upheld finally by the SCC. I made submissions in our country’s top Court without mentioning the law. A unique outing for the arguments alone, but a very special day for my daughter and me. She returned to the SCC 17 years after her first visit with me on Starson as a 10 week old infant. I was surrounded that day by a lot of people I loved. This case meant a lot to me.
Mercedes Perez and I wrote an article on the Sex Offender Registries and NCR accused and published it in 2008, some 12 years before the case would reach the Supreme Court of Canada. We litigated the issues together early on and because we lacked resources to mount the Charter challenge we knew had to be brought, we wrote this very comprehensive paper instead early on, so that when the fight ultimately materialized there’d be a record of the cases we did and the arguments to be made when they were fresh in our minds and our research was current. This was one piece I’m always glad we wrote.
In August of 2020, the MDL Guide was published. The first idea for it was hatched in 2003, the first draft of the entire volume was co-authored in 2008. Some 17 years after we first conceived it, we did it. At the time of writing the book, it was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. I had kept copies of the first flyer advertising the publication at the pre-sale stage. The product was worthwhile and appeared to fill a need. It was well received and is beloved by readers.
The case of Joanne Woods relates to the right to an in-person hearing before Criminal Code Review Boards. This transcript reflects one of the toughest days of my litigation career. The ONCA ultimately held the Ontario Review Board was wrong to proceed with this hearing over the objection of the NCR accused, without her consent to video-proceedings.
Fabulous Floor Model Bubble Chair – space age – and my Kandinsky Poster I’ve had my entire career – 30 years and counting
Fully five giant industrial sized Recycling Bins were filled with 30 years of paper and books that finally had to go.
32 boxes of old files went off to shredding, to their final resting place. As I went through it all using all necessary protocols, I reflected on the lives and cases of the hundreds of clients whose lawyer I had been throughout those years. It has been an honour and privilege to serve them As we close this one door behind us, new doors will surely open up. They always do.
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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
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1 Response to Some Memorable Finds at the Office at 400 University as ASA transitions some of our space – Treasures Everywhere! A Photo Essay June 25 2022

  1. Pingback: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times – 2022 recap – Anita’s year-end review December 23, 2022 | anitaszigeti

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