This was a very welcome surprise – I am genuinely moved by my alma mater choosing to profile my work this month in their Newsletter and on their online site here:
https://www.law.utoronto.ca/news/alumni-spotlight-anita-szigeti-llb-1990
37 years ago very nearly now I entered the hallowed hallways of Flavelle and Falcoher Houses on campus. A lifetime ago as a 20 YO fresh-faced kid. I had a really special time there and am glad to return as often as I can to teach or mentor and coach.
Must say our cohort had inauspicious beginnings……
Our first year Dean (Rob Pritchard) didn’t think much of our class I’m afraid – we had these T shirts made (paid for out of the student council’s funds) and we wore them all on the same day after someone overheard the Dean saying this about us:
My home room – TORTS — 1987 First Year – with Professor Denise Rheaume pictured here.
I coached a moot in this room just before COVID hit. It felt surreal to enter this time capsule – surreal but familiar.
This room still looks the same…………..my seat was just where you see my purse in this photo!
When I go back these days, it’s mostly in the new building and here is what my last guest lecture class in Mental Health Law looked like just this spring term of 2024 – quite literally all women – but one! In Professor Trudo Lemmens’ excellent class.
I guess I’ve come a long way in a mere 37 years………
Here is the lovely profile the staff created of me – very kind and generous in their description of my contributions to the profession.
Alumni Spotlight: Anita Szigeti (LLB 1990)
Wednesday, June 5, 2024
U of T Law graduate Anita Szigeti (LLB 1990) is the founding lawyer of Anita Szigeti Advocates, a Toronto firm focusing on mental health and the law. She is currently co-director of the Mental Health Law course within the Health Law LLM at Osgoode Professional Development, where she obtained a Certificate in Tribunal Adjudication in 2018.
Anita is a co-author of several influential textbooks, including Canadian Anthology on Mental Health and the Law (Forthcoming – 2024), Law and Mental Health in Canada: Cases and Materials (2023), Halsbury’s on Mental Health Law (2023), A Guide to Consent and Capacity Law in Ontario (2024), and A Guide to Mental Disorder Law in Canadian Criminal Justice (2020).
She is a recognized expert in mental disorder law, both in civil and criminal contexts. Since 2014, she has represented clients in Nunavut as a member of the Nunavut Law Society. Anita chaired the Mental Health Legal Committee (MHLC) for a decade and was the founding Chair of Legal Aid Ontario’s Mental Health Law & Policy Advisory Group. Her leadership extends to the Criminal Lawyers’ Association (CLA), where she served as an elected Toronto Director and Chair of the Mental Disorder Portfolio. During the COVID pandemic, she also held the position of CLA’s Women’s Director.
Anita founded the Law and Mental Disorder Association (LAMDA), a national umbrella organization for 250 lawyers practicing mental health law. She is also the founder and Secretary of Women in Canadian Criminal Defence (WiCCD), advocating for women and gender non-conforming criminal defense lawyers in Canada. Additionally, she serves on the Board of Directors of the National Association of Rights Protection and Advocacy (NARPA) and Pilot Place Society.
Anita has litigated thousands of cases at the tribunal level, leaving a lasting impact on mental health law. Anita Szigeti’s tireless dedication to mental health advocacy has shaped the legal landscape and improved the lives of countless individuals. In addition, Anita is a dedicated U of T Law volunteer and frequently coaches our student mooting teams.
Here is lovely Falconer Hall – it looks exactly the same as it ever did, 37 years ago or 137, beautiful.
The good news is our class really overcame whatever shortcomings were perceived by our then Dean.
One of my former classmates is the Associate Chief Justice of Ontario and among the most respected Justices in the country.
The kids are all right.
Indeed, not half bad for the
Also though, I must take one last opportunity to just say – OUR library did NOT look like this.
We had NO LIBRARY – but that’s for another day – for now I’ll just say I am blessed to return to teach and coach in this stunning edifice!!
Post Script – on June 25, 2024, the Alumni Newsletter also contained this lovely and succinct summary of my publications, for which I remain grateful.
| Alumni Spotlight: Anita Szigeti Anita Szigeti (LLB 1990) is a co-author of several influential textbooks, including Canadian Anthology on Mental Health and the Law (Forthcoming – 2024), Law and Mental Health in Canada: Cases and Materials (2023), Halsbury’s Mental Health Law (2023), A Guide to Consent and Capacity Law in Ontario (2024), and A Guide to Mental Disorder Law in Canadian Criminal Justice (2020). She is the founding lawyer of Anita Szigeti Advocates, a Toronto firm focusing on mental health and the law. |
The same newsletter also made me cry, however, as it contained the announcement of the passing of my law school classmate, Peter Rosenthal.
| In Memoriam: Peter Rosenthal It is with immense sadness that the Faculty of Law announces the passing of Peter Rosenthal (LLB 1990), who was a professor in U of T’s Department of Mathematics in the Faculty of Arts & Science when he decided to pursue an advanced law degree at age 47. He also became an adjunct professor at U of T Law following his graduation. |
Oddly enough, this particular addition of the Alumni newsletter mentioned yet another of my classmates, John Burrows who received a teaching award for his work in Indigenous law.
| TRC Teaching Awards Professor John Borrows (LLB 1990, LLM 1991), The Loveland Chair in Indigenous Law, and adjunct lecturer David Walders (JD 2008, LLM 2022) have received TRC Teaching Awards from the Students’ Law Society (SLS) and the Indigenous Law Students’ Association (ILSA). |
Well enough done by “the stupidest class ever”!!
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