This WordPress blog was created by my cherished colleague and good friend Dr. Ruby Dhand in February of 2011, when she decided I should run for Law Society Bencher. I didn’t really know what that was when I first agreed to do it but I did all my homework and by election time, I was ready. I knew everything. I nearly got in too, did really well on a shoestring budget put up against tens of thousands of $$ by Bay Street candidates. When I did not actually win a spot though, I said I’d never try again – the people had spoken.

Indeed, when two other Bencher candidates had tiny chocolates to give out that said “Sweet” on the back of their names, I joked I’d get some with “Anita Szigeti” — “Bitter” to announce the disappointing loss. But it was a worthwhile campaign and the things I learned about our governing body have stood me in good stead since then — 15 years of watching the Law Society and asking questions. I don’t like what I see. On balance, there is room for improvement in almost every realm. I have a LOT to say about the topic and I have been a vocal critic as evidenced by this blog – feel free to peruse at your leisure.

At some point, complaining about how everyone else is getting it wrong is not enough, however. You may just have to put your money where your mouth is. Or I just might.

The truth is I tried to do that. The Society recently put a call out for non-Bencher adjudicators to the Law Society Tribunal and I did my best to compile an application, including my long-form CV, here.

You’d think that perhaps 33+ years of administrative law litigation and more than 300 appeals argued from those Decisions would merit an interview for such a position. Apparently, it did not. I received an email from Tribunal Chair Malcolm Mercer explaining just that. And my view is that if our governing body looks at my career and thinks I’m not worthy of being so much as interviewed to further probe my suitability to adjudicate discipline matters in this province, that’s on them and not me. That means something is amiss. That means they themselves don’t appreciate what they need or why, in order to ensure their own credibility with the profession they do govern or the public they’re to protect.

And it’s perhaps also just time to run for Bencher again.

If I do, I won’t be making alliances or be part of any slate or coalition. I will run alone on my own steam and my unique platform. I would look forward to doing this again with the support of my friends and colleagues who believe in me, my commitment to access to justice, to fairness and to a governing body for the legal profession that is thoughtful and careful as a regulator both to protect the interest of the public we serve but also without undue harm to the consummate professionals killing ourselves all day in furtherance of the administration of justice.

Should I firmly commit to running, I will periodically update this Blog regarding my platform in this campaign, whenever we are allowed to formally announce and seek endorsements etc.

In the meanwhile, what’s fun is looking at the history of the last run at this – the first of I guess possibly now two parts!