Work that Works

How do you advance in a workplace that wasn’t created for you? This is a conundrum many Black women face every day. Bestselling author and CEO of The Memo LLC, Minda Harts encourages us to flip the question by asking ourselves, “How do we create workplaces that work for them ... Black women, Indigenous women, and women of colour … and make their talents, their ideas, their ambitions and leadership abilities part of our organization’s overall success?”

Consumers are increasingly seeking out businesses that care – that are doing right by their people, their community, and their environment – when deciding where to spend their money. Joanne McPhail, a lawyer who helped Barriston Law become the first B-Corp-certified law firm in Ontario, explains how a commitment to caring about more than profit creates a workplace where lawyers and clients find exceptional value.

Financial stress can keep employees from performing at their best. Dawn Marchand, President and CEO of CBIA – Lawyers Financial, explains how astute legal employers are offering state-of-the-art pension plans, like DBplus, as part of a wholistic approach to creating a healthy, productive, modern workplace as well as courting and keeping top talent.

When the settings and sectors lawyers operate within are infected by the same systemic problems that afflict the clients and communities they serve, their ability to maintain public trust and eradicate barriers is diminished. Amid a global reckoning on anti-Black racism, lawyer and renowned racial justice advocate Anthony Morgan lays out what lawyers can do in their workplaces to serve not only as powerful examples of equality and inclusion but effective agents of substantive change.

Beyond an aspiration – more than a memo, statement or story – fostering workplaces where people act inclusively is ongoing work. Sought-after organizational consultant and author of The Ethical Sellout, Lily Zheng shares insight into where organizations most often fall short in achieving their desired equality and diversity outcomes and provides a practitioner’s view on the strategies and approaches apt to have the most impact.

An alienating environment and lack of meaningful motivation may well be driving a new generation of lawyers out of traditional law en masse.

In pioneering a family-friendly practice, Wood Gold LLP, Jennifer Gold and Frankie Wood have redefined legal success and demonstrated that a client-centric approach begins with balance: It’s healthy work-life balance that inspires and equips ambitious lawyers to deliver their very best work.

Quinn Ross isn’t just a challenger – he’s a change-maker. The former OBA president – and current managing partner of The Ross Firm – hasn’t been afraid to examine the old ways of doing things in order to reshape the workplace model into one that is modern and inclusive.

What drives productivity? Why and how does dysfunction creep into today’s workplaces? Why do some lawyers thrive while certain demographics are leaving the profession at alarming rates? These are often-asked questions and the inspiration behind Work that Works. In this episode, OBA President Charlene Theodore shares her experience as a workplace lawyer, and a black woman in law, and shares her vision for how the legal profession can capitalize on the opportunities before us to enrich our discourse, enhance our workplaces, improve legal services, and ultimately enhance access to justice.