Author Archives: Anita Szigeti

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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

Rehabilitating the Forensic Psychiatric System – NEW Article Published in Healthcare Quarterly – May 2025

Posted on June 1, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

My paper “Rehabilitating the Forensic Psychiatric System: What’s Really Broken?” has been published in Healthcare Quarterly. It offers readers some insight into pubic perceptions of the reality vs myths of the situation of unfit and NCR accused and I was … Continue reading →

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Common pitfalls in tribunal adjudication of mental health matters, part two: Potential solutions – Law360 May 29 2025

Posted on May 31, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

This is Part Two of the same series in which I unpack the concerns expressed by reviewing courts about Ontario’s mental health tribunals and offer some potential solutions. For the first part, you can check out my blog post here: … Continue reading →

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Pitfalls in tribunal adjudication of mental health matters: Issues identified by reviewing courts – Part One – Law360 May 28 2025

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

I recently wrote a two part series about two recent court decisions that directly impact this area of practice — in mental health or mental disorder law. However, as I point out in the pieces, the judicial considerations of proceedings … Continue reading →

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New Content Released on My CV – May 2025

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

It has been a busy few months since our last update, with teaching and publishing in high gear over the spring months. Tulip season this year was just kind of sad, I’m crushed to say, but there were still some … Continue reading →

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Mental Health Adjudication and Entrenched Biases

Posted on May 30, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

In the course of reviewing articles related to issues I have been thinking about recently, I came across this coverage of a panel presentation at the Law Society from seven years ago. There are valuable comments by my cherished colleague, … Continue reading →

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Law360 covers SCC Judgment in R. v. J.W. May 23 2025

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

Here is a link to the Law360 piece covering the Judgment in R v. J.W. from the Supreme Court of Canada Law360 Article on R. v. J.W. SCC Judgment Release May 23 2025 I’ve blogged about the Judgment release myself … Continue reading →

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R v. J.W. Judgment Release (SCC) May 23 2025

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

The Supreme Court rendered their Judgment in this important case on sentencing issues and a host of considerations, including mental health concerns and cognitive impairment today. The case is now reported on CanLii here R. v. J.W. R. v. J.W., … Continue reading →

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A Brief History of Mental Disorder Law Conferences I’ve Hosted or co-Chaired Through Various Organizations Over the Course of a Quarter Century

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

There is not much in the way of a record of the very earliest years going back to 1999!! when the Law Society first hosted mental health law conferences I have co-Chaired over the last 25 years. However, there are … Continue reading →

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Mother Lawyering and Lawyer Mothering Survival Guide – Free and Worth Every Penny

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

With the constant stream of messaging from all angles, including our governing body, the Law Society of Ontario, on how to achieve the elusive “work-life balance”, draw your boundaries and protect your mental health, it’s time I weigh in. I’ve … Continue reading →

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Mental Health Law Text Book Sale Extended but only until May 30 2025

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Anita Szigeti

In conjunction with the WiCCD and LAMDA Mental Disorder and the Criminal Law Conference, LexisNexis offered a significant sale of 20% off that was initially to end on April 30. BUT….. BOOK SALE NOW EXTENDED TO MAY 30 – BY … Continue reading →

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