SURVEY SAYS – WOMEN IN CRIMINAL DEFENCE EXPERIENCE UNFAIR CRITICISM FROM THE BENCH – and often experience this as gender and/or racial bias

Posted on February 18, 2023 by Anita Szigeti

We received 36 responses to this Survey of members of WiCCD – their comments are not published and no identifiers were ever collected – the survey is completely anonymous and confidential. Data in the aggregate is shown only in response to the multiple question portions of the survey.

The responses clearly indicate the negative experiences many women in criminal defence have had and how helpless, powerless and humiliated they felt in the wake of incidents of being yelled at in Court, for example. None of this is acceptable and there is much work to be done to improve the current status quo.

Here are the aggregate results of this informal ad hoc survey of women criminal defence lawyers in Canada.

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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 SURVEY SAYS – WOMEN IN CRIMINAL DEFENCE EXPERIENCE UNFAIR CRITICISM FROM THE BENCH – and often experience this as gender and/or racial bias

  1. Pingback: Your Auntie-in-Law Anita*’s SNAFU Saves: How To Survive a Rough Ride in Court | anitaszigeti

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