Of Counsel

One person familiar with Will and his career described him as having the "widest range of advocacy skills in all of Canada."

A partner with the elite litigation firm Lenczner Slaght in Toronto, Will's litigation experience includes commercial disputes, public and governmental relations, libel and slander, and regulatory and criminal matters. Looking to some of his appointments by the Courts and government demonstrate the confidence the bar and judiciary has in him as an effective, balanced, and proven lawyer.

From 2005 to 2008, Will caused at Canada's Associate Deputy Minister of Justice and a team leader in complex and volatile areas of litigation. Will's steady and measured approach was essential to resolving many of these governmental disputes during these years.

In April, Will seeks reelection for a third term as Bencher to the Law Society. His experienced leadership during this time has assisted Convocation seek common ground and advance many important initiatives including Mental Health, Governmental Relations, and Professional Regulation. You can learn more about Will's platform at www.litigate.com/WillForBencher. You can also learn more about Will's platform but listening to our new Of Counsel Bencher Series here.

SPONSORED MESSAGE: This episode of our podcast is brought to you by our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada.

Easily track your case progress with powerful interactive dashboards in the latest LexisNexis® CaseMap® software update, new for 2019! Create order from case chaos.

With all the details, facts, figures, dates and locations typically involved in assembling a case, it’s easy to get disoriented. That’s what makes LexisNexis® CaseMap® is so handy—it’s powerful case analysis software that can help you organize your case documents and give you a bird’s-eye view of your entire case.

Learn more about the industry’s leading case analysis tool.

Welcome to the Of Counsel, 2019 Bencher Election Series. This initiative is an effort to increase voter awareness of all candidates in an accessible and no-cost medium. We hope that all bencher candidates will participate in these short interviews prior to the April 2019 election.

The Of Counsel 2019 Series podcast interviews are 9 minutes.  Uniform questions are provided to all candidates in advance. This will allow each guest enough time to convey the highlights of their platform and allow voters to listen to several in succession.

As the former President of the Ontario Bar Association, Law Society Medalist, and an exemplary career in law, Orlando Da Silva enters 2019 well positioned as he seeks election for Bencher with the Law Society of Ontario.

In this episode of Of Counsel, Orlando takes us on his remarkable path into law.

A son of a welder turned to Bay St. phenom. A rising star turned to political aspirations. From depression, and then then to the brink of death when he attempted to take his own life at the age 40.

A lot has changed since then. Now, Orlando is a champion for lawyers facing mental health issues. Through his influence, intelligence, and determination, Orlando has brought the dark recesses of depression into the daylight to expose the reality that none of us are alone facing mental health challenges in this grulling career.

Ultimately, Orlando's story is one of optimism, hope, and determination. One that will hopefully carry on as he moves into the next stage of his career if elected as Bencher to the Law Society of Ontario.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN INTERVIEW OF A GUEST FOR THE OF COUNSEL PODCAST. THE LAWYER / GUEST IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE FIRM ROBICHAUD’S NOR DO THEY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OR LEGAL VIEWS OF THE FIRM. PLEASE CONTACT THE LAWYER DIRECTLY IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THEM.

SPONSORED MESSAGE: This episode of our podcast is brought to you by our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada.

LexisNexis Canada is excited to announce a new product offered called LexisNexis Litigation Advantage. Litigation Advantage is a powerful combination of deep analytical content and practical guidance for one great price.

The Litigation Advantage includes Lexis Advance Quicklaw® Civil Litigation Essentials and your choice of the Lexis Practice Advisor®Litigation & Dispute Resolution or Personal Injury module. For more information on this product and how you can get a free trial visit lexisnexis.ca/litigationadvantage.

For more information on this product and how you can get a free trial visit: lexisnexis.ca/litigationadvantage.

With a long and accomplished career in politics, including acting as the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Peter MacKay is one of Canada's most widely recognized lawyers. During his tenure in Ottawa, Peter was instrumental in developing and shaping the criminal justice system in Canada as we know it today.

In this episode of Of Counsel, Peter fondly reflects on his times as a prosecutor in his home province Nova Scotia, his rationale for the transition into politics, the decisions made during his tenure in the Department of Justice and what it accomplished for Canadian law. Peter also provides us a candid and passionate explanation of his present efforts towards combating human trafficking, while working as a full time lawyer, strategic advisor, and regulatory compliance counsel at the prestigious law firm Baker MacKenzie.

Peter's episode is a perfect way to end our 2018 launch year for the podcast. Our listeners mean a great deal to us at the firm and we could not have obtained the success we have without you. A sincere thank you from all of us here at Robichaud's.

We would also like to extend a special thank you to our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada who joined us midway through 2018. With their support, it has allowed us to extend the reach of our podcast by travelling outside Toronto to Ottawa and other areas of Ontario. The wonderful team at LexisNexis has shown real passion for what the podcast offers our listeners. Their commitment has ensured that their company philosophy towards teaching, innovation, and advancement of the law is actualized through efforts like this.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN INTERVIEW OF A GUEST FOR THE OF COUNSEL PODCAST. THE LAWYER / GUEST IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE FIRM ROBICHAUD'S NOR DO THEY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OR LEGAL VIEWS OF THE FIRM. PLEASE CONTACT THE GUEST DIRECTLY IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THEM.

SPONSORED MESSAGE: This episode of our podcast is brought to you by our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada.

Our sponsored message today is once again brought to you by our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada.

Peter Mackay is no stranger to being in the news. In the legal profession, information is the key to success. You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas and industries. The Lawyer’s Daily provides you with a dedicated feed of Criminal news in the legal industry. Stay ahead of competitors by getting daily updates on important criminal laws and cases.

Visit thelawyersdaily.ca and sign up for a 14 day free trial!

Emilie Taman and Micheal Spratt are a powerhouse couple in Canadian law. In addition to their remarkable accomplishments in Court, Micheal and Emilie's influence is far reaching with their ground breaking and award winning podcast, The Docket.

In 2018, Emilie was named one of Canada's Top 25 most influential lawyers by Canadian Lawyer Magazine for her active roles in practice, her contributions as a professor at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, and her political involvement as a candidate for the NDP in the 2015 federal election. Emilie intends to springboard off that momentum and run again for the NDP in the upcoming 2019 election for the riding of Ottawa Centre.

Anyone who follows Canadian criminal developments in the news, Senate, and Legislature would immediately recognize the name and contributions of Michael Spratt. Micheal's passion for criminal law reform has placed him before the Senate and Parliamentary committees on dozens of occasion where they seek his advice, insights, and unhindered criticisms on proposed improvements to the criminal justice system.

In this episode, we join Micheal and Emilie at the Chateau Montebello during the attendance at the annual CCLA conference discussing what how they manage their active legal lifestyle together.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN INTERVIEW OF A GUEST FOR THE OF COUNSEL PODCAST. THE LAWYER / GUEST IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE FIRM ROBICHAUD'S NOR DO THEY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OR LEGAL VIEWS OF THE FIRM. PLEASE CONTACT THE GUEST DIRECTLY IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THEM.

SPONSORED MESSAGE: This episode of our podcast is brought to you by our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada.

Be in the know. Here are the top five sources that Canadian criminal lawyers find on Lexis Advance Quicklaw:

Sign up for a free demo of Lexis Advance Quicklaw Criminal Essentials at lexisnexis.ca/criminalessentials

Carissima Mathen grew up wanting to dance on Broadway, but today, she serves as the Vice-Dean (Academic) and Full Professor of Law at the University of Ottawa Law School. Prior to her distinguished career in academics, Carissima acted as Counsel and later as Director of Litigation for the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund. 

Carissima’s primary area of expertise is Canadian constitutional law. Her book, called Courts without Cases: The Law and Politics of Advisory Opinionswill be published in 2019. She is also an active media commentator, appearing on programs such as The Current, Power and Politics, CTV National News, CBC Sunday Scrum, the Agenda, and BBC The World. Carissima has published numerous op eds, is regularly cited in national print and online media, and pioneered the practice of live tweeting from the Supreme Court of Canada.

In 2018, Carissima was a recipient of the Law Society Medal, one of the highest honours bestowed by the Ontario legal profession.

SPONSORED MESSAGE: This episode of our podcast is brought to you by our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada.

As proud Canadians we recently celebrated our great country’s 150th anniversary! Our sponsor, LexisNexis, published several texts to stamp this historical landmark, including Canada’s Constitutional Democracy: The 150th Anniversary Celebration.

In this book, insightful perspectives are shared on how historical, legal and political events shaped the development of Canada's Constitution over the past 150 years. It also examines overarching constitutional, political and historic themes that had a profound impact on how Canada evolved, and how these developments set the agenda for the coming years and decades. Forwards are written by the Former Governor General of Canada, The Right Honourable David Johnston, and former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Right Honourable Beverly McLachlin.

You can find the book

In the course of practicing for over 40 years, Donald Bayne has entrenched himself as one of the best criminal defence lawyers Canada has ever known. Despite this, his humility, compassion for human suffering, and pursuit of justice is as vibrant as it was when he first became a lawyer.

Don's remarkable journey in his pursuit of justice takes us from a farm on the prairies, to varsity football fields, to travelling with the KGB in the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War.

His past cases are some of Canada's most well known and include acting as defence counsel for Senator Mike Duffy, acting for the coroner in the Ashley Smith Inquiry, and more recently his endless efforts opposing, and now correcting what seems a clear error and injustice, of his client Hassan Diab's extradition from Canada.

The release of this particular episode comes at a time when Canadian extradition laws are the topic of worldwide media after the recent arrest of Meng Wanzhou of Huawei as she awaits for a bail hearing and likely deportation to the United States on allegations of US Iran sanction violations. 

THE FOLLOWING IS AN INTERVIEW OF A GUEST FOR THE OF COUNSEL PODCAST. THE LAWYER / GUEST IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE FIRM ROBICHAUD'S NOR DO THEY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OR LEGAL VIEWS OF THE FIRM. PLEASE CONTACT THE GUEST DIRECTLY IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THEM.

This week, our podcast brings you Professor Lisa Kerr, from Queen's University Faculty of Law in Kingston.

Lisa's expertise takes us into the concrete corridors and confines of prison law, and the law of sentencing in Canada. Her experience with Prisoners' Legal Services and extensive pro bono work in this field offers us a unique and raw perspective on conditions and treatment for inmates housed in Canadian jails and penitentiaries.

In addition to her extensive knowledge in prison law, Lisa is an activist for social change in the areas of decriminalizing sex work, and solitary confinement. It therefore comes as Lisa's influence in the law, teaching, and even social media is wide reaching. Join us, as we open up her influence into podcasts, in this Of Counsel episode.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN INTERVIEW OF A GUEST FOR THE OF COUNSEL PODCAST. THE LAWYER / GUEST IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE FIRM ROBICHAUD'S NOR DO THEY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OR LEGAL VIEWS OF THE FIRM. PLEASE CONTACT THE GUEST DIRECTLY IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THEM.

SPONSORED MESSAGE: This episode of our podcast is brought to you by our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada.

LexisNexis Canada is the publisher of Halsbury’s Laws of Canada, the premier legal reference in the world of common law. The volume of Halsbury’s Laws of Canada on Penitentiaries, Jails, and Prisons was reissued in March 2018, and provides a review of the law pertaining to federal penitentiaries, provincial and territorial prisons, and the rights and obligations of prisoners. It examines all of the pertinent legislation, regulations and case law regarding a variety of topics under Canadian criminal law.

For more information, visit lexisnexis.ca/bookstore and search for Halsbury’s Laws of Canada

Jordan Furlong is a forecaster of the legal market's future. Law firms and legal organizations retain him to advise their lawyers how to build sustainable and competitive legal enterprises that can dominate the new market for legal services.

After graduating from Queen’s Faculty of Law in 1993 and completing his articles at Blake, Cassels & Graydon, Jordan began a career as a legal journalist, culminating in a decade as editor of three leading Canadian legal periodicals: The Lawyers Weekly, National, and the Canadian Corporate Counsel Association Magazine. In 2007, Jordan launched an award-winning blog called Law21: Dispatches from a Legal Profession on the Brink. 

Join us as Jordan discusses the role, responsibilities, and possibilities of lawyers and courts in the future.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN INTERVIEW OF A GUEST FOR THE OF COUNSEL PODCAST. THE LAWYER / GUEST IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE FIRM ROBICHAUD’S NOR DO THEY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OR LEGAL VIEWS OF THE FIRM. PLEASE CONTACT THE GUEST DIRECTLY IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THEM.

SPONSORED MESSAGE: This episode of our podcast is brought to you by our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada.

For years, LexisNexis has lead the charge for lawyers adopting legal technology and technological advancements in their practices.

With programs like LexisAdvance Quicklaw, PCLaw, and Lexis Practice Advisor Canada, LexisNexis has provided the essential tools for lawyers to evolve their practices and firms in ways that our guest today describes. As lawyers move into the future that Jordan Furlong envisions, LexisNexis will be with them offering the tools and resources they require.  

Right now, LexisNexis Canada has a Customer Appreciation Book Sale going on until December 31, 2018 offering deep discounts on some of your favourite and essential titles. 

Visit www.lexisnexis.ca to learn more. 

Alan D. Gold is one of Canada’s foremost criminal lawyers. He has appeared as counsel before all levels of court in Ontario, as well as in other provinces, and for over 50 cases in the Supreme Court of Canada. He is certified by the Law Society as a Specialist in Criminal Litigation and was the first Chairman of the Criminal Litigation Speciality Committee for five years. In 1993 he was inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. He received the G. Arthur Martin Award for Contribution to Criminal Justice in 1997. Alan is also a past president of the Criminal Lawyers Association of Ontario and a past-elected bencher of the Law Society of Ontario.

Alan is also one of the most respected commentators on Canadian criminal law. He is widely published and has lectured extensively on criminal law. Alan’s Criminal Law Netletter, which is available on Quicklaw, is read by thousands of Canadian and international criminal lawyers each week.

THE FOLLOWING IS AN INTERVIEW OF A GUEST FOR THE OF COUNSEL PODCAST. THE LAWYER / GUEST IS NOT AFFILIATED IN ANY WAY WITH THE FIRM ROBICHAUD'S NOR DO THEY REPRESENT THE OPINIONS OR LEGAL VIEWS OF THE FIRM. PLEASE CONTACT THE LAWYER DIRECTLY IF YOU WISH TO SPEAK TO THEM.

SPONSORED MESSAGE: This episode of our podcast is brought to you by our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada.

Thank you to our exclusive sponsor LexisNexis Canada – who is thrilled that Of Counsel listeners will enjoy a conversation with Mr. Alan D. Gold! Mr. Gold’s weekly Criminal Law NetLetter is an invaluable current awareness source exclusively found in Lexis Advance Quicklaw. It covers recent Canadian caselaw and reviews criminal caselaw from the United States, Australia, the UK, South Africa, and other countries. Law journal articles, legislative news and other items of interest to the criminal defence bar are also summarized.

Mr. Gold is also the main author of Halsbury's Laws of Canada - Criminal Offences and Defences, and Halsbury's Laws of Canada - Criminal Procedure.

His latest print publication, The Practitioner’s Ontario Criminal Practice, 2019 Edition, is slated to be released on November 30, 2018. To place your order for it, and to browse a list of his publications, visit lexisnexis.ca/alangold .

Finally, a giveaway for our listeners from LexisNexis! When Canada marked its 150th anniversary, LexisNexis published a celebratory book featuring a collection of over 50 essays on major political and historical developments in Canadian constitutional history written by key commentators and figures, including Mr. Alan Gold. LexisNexis would like to raffle a copy of this stunning book, to enter your name in the draw visit