Friends Who Argue

This episode of Friends Who Argue features an interview with the recipient of the 2023 Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility, Nader Hasan, conducted by his law Partner at Stockwoods LLP, Gerald Chan. Nader Hasan discusses his experiences with mentorship in his career, handling high-profile cases covered by the media, time management, and receiving the 2023 Catzman Award. Nader Hasan [https://stockwoods.ca/lawyers/nader-hasan/] is a Partner at Stockwoods LLP and the recipient of The Advocates’ Society’s 2023 Catzman Award for Professionalism and Civility. He practises criminal, regulatory and constitutional law at the trial and appellate levels, and defends clients accused of white-collar crime, violent offences, drug offences, and professional misconduct. He has appeared in more than 30 cases at the Supreme Court of Canada. Nader has been repeatedly recognized by Best Lawyers Canada and Benchmark Litigation, and by Canadian Lawyer Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in 2020. Nader is a veteran Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law, where he has taught the Law of Evidence and currently teaches a popular class on crime and punishment. Toronto Life recently named him one of the Top 50 Most Influential Torontonians of 2024. Gerald Chan [https://stockwoods.ca/lawyers/gerald-chan/] is a Partner at Stockwoods LLP practicing criminal, administrative, and select civil litigation, with a special focus on white collar criminal and regulatory defence. He has been named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada (Canadian Lawyer, 2019), White-Collar Crime/Enforcement Litigator of the Year (Benchmark Litigation, 2023), and Criminal Defence Lawyer of the Year, Toronto (Best Lawyers, 2024). Gerald is a fellow of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers and he has been recognized twice as one of the Top 50 Trial Lawyers in Canada (Benchmark Litigation, 2023-2024). He is also an advocacy advisor with the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute, having been counsel in over 20 appeals in the Supreme Court of Canada. Land Acknowledgement The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples.  We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.   While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.   We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.

In this episode, Samantha Chang of Dentons Vancouver interviews Adrienne Smith, a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer, and winner of the 2024 Joe Arvay Award. The award recognizes an advocate in British Columbia for advancing a claim or area of law under challenging circumstances. Adrienne reflects on their work advocating for, among others, workers, women, and drug users. Join us for an inspiring conversation about navigating advocacy and justice as a sole practitioner. Adrienne Smith [https://adriennesmithlaw.com/] is a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer. They recently argued a BC human rights case which clarified employers’ obligations to recognize correct pronouns for transgender and non-binary workers. Adrienne appeared at the BC Cout of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada where they argued about the deleterious effects of mandatory minimum sentences for women, Indigenous people, and drug users, and made submissions in defense of transgender children under section 15 of the Charter. As a trade union activist, they advocate for transgender inclusion in our unions and workplaces. Adrienne is the litigation director at the Catherine White Holman Wellness Clinic where they give free legal advice, take on human rights cases, and notarize name and gender change documents for trans people. Samantha Chang [https://www.dentons.com/en/samantha-chang] is a senior associate in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution group in Dentons’ Vancouver office. She acts as counsel in complex commercial litigation, class action defense, and commercial arbitrations and mediations, with a focus on shareholder disputes, oppression proceedings, contested transactions, securities litigation, contractual disputes, professional negligence, and competition law. Samantha is a member of the British Columbia Regional Advisory Committee of The Advocates Society. Land Acknowledgement The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples.  We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.   While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.   We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.

This is the third and final segment of the Right to Disconnect limited series podcast. In this segment, Young Advocates Standing Committee Member James Hardy moderates a discussion with Dr. Ghebrehariat, who practises as a psychiatrist and lawyer in Toronto, focussing on the right to disconnect and burnout in both the medical and legal professions. Dr. Lwam Ghebrehariat, JD, MD, FRCPC [https://lwam.ca/?page_id=5] is a psychiatrist and lawyer in Toronto. He is a graduate of the National Theatre School of Canada (Acting, 2003), the University of Alberta (BA Hons First Class, Philosophy, 2007), the University of Toronto Faculty of Law (JD, 2011), McMaster University Medical School (MD, 2017), and the University of Toronto psychiatry residency program. Dr. Ghebrehariat provides psychotherapy, independent medical and psychological evaluations, and speaking services throughout Ontario. James Hardy [https://www.tgf.ca/people/bio/james-hardy] is an associate at Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP in Toronto and a member of The Advocates’ Society’s Young Advocates’ Standing Committee. James has a broad commercial litigation practice, which includes contractual disputes, auditor and other professional negligence actions, director and officer liability disputes, regulatory proceedings, and construction litigation. Prior to articling at Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP, James trained as a lawyer in the UK, including a Masters in Law at the University of Cambridge with a specialization in Commercial Law. Land Acknowledgement The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples.  We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.   While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.   We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.

This is the second of three segments in a limited series on the Right to Disconnect. In this segment, Young Advocates' Standing Committee Member James Hardy moderates a discussion with Ms. Erin Durant, who founded Durant Barristers in Ottawa after practising law as a partner at a large national firm and who was recognized by Canadian Lawyer in 2022 as one of Canada’s most influential lawyers, in part in connection with her advocacy on mental health in the profession. This podcast segment focuses on the right to disconnect and mental health and wellness in the profession. Erin Durant [https://www.durantbarristers.com/erin-h-durant] founded Durant Barristers in Ottawa, after practicing law as a partner at a large national firm and a litigation-focused boutique. Erin's dispute resolution experience includes a wide variety of personal injury/insurance matters, defending professionals in negligence claims and disciplinary complaints, real estate disputes, commercial litigation, and investigations/reviews of all sorts. In 2022, Erin was recognized by Canadian Lawyer as one of Canada’s 25 Most Influential Lawyers. Erin is a frequent speaker on mental health and wellness in the profession. James Hardy [https://www.tgf.ca/people/bio/james-hardy] is an associate at Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP in Toronto and a member of The Advocates’ Society’s Young Advocates' Standing Committee. James has a broad commercial litigation practice, which includes contractual disputes, auditor and other professional negligence actions, director and officer liability disputes, regulatory proceedings, and construction litigation. Prior to articling at Thornton Grout Finnigan LLP, James trained as a lawyer in the UK, including a Masters in Law at the University of Cambridge with a specialization in Commercial Law. Land Acknowledgement The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples.  We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.   While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.   We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.

This is the first of three podcast segments in a limited series on ongoing practice and procedural issues affecting young lawyers inspired by the Right to Disconnect policy incorporated into the Employment Standards Act, 2000 on December 2, 2021, and on how lawyers can proactively balance their professional and ethical obligations through the right to disconnect.  In this first segment, Young Advocates Standing Committee Member Teodora Obradovic moderates a discussion with Mr. Strathy about mental health in the profession and issues faced by both lawyers and the judiciary with respect to disconnecting. The Honourable George R. Strathy served as the Chief Justice of Ontario for eight years and as a trial and appellate judge for nearly fifteen years. He was appointed Chief Justice of Ontario in 2014, after sitting as a judge of the Ontario Court of Appeal beginning in 2013 and a judge of the Toronto Superior Court of Justice beginning in 2007. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Strathy practiced civil litigation for three decades and specialized in maritime and transportation law. In recent years, Mr. Strathy has advocated for the importance of addressing mental health issues in the legal profession. In the post-pandemic world, Mr. Strathy has sparked a national conversation about legal professionals and their mental health. Teodora Obradovic (Prpa) [https://www.foglers.com/people/teodora-prpa-obradovic/] is a member of TAS’ Young Advocates Standing Committee, and an Associate in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution Group at Fogler, Rubinoff LLP in Toronto. Her passions and experience reach a range of practice areas, including debtor and creditor disputes, shareholder and corporate disputes, bankruptcy and insolvency issues, and privacy matters. Teodora has appeared as counsel before all levels of court in Ontario. Teodora volunteers her time with Pro Bono Ontario providing legal advice on civil litigation to low-income Ontarians, and supervises students at the Toronto Metropolitan University's Law and Business Clinic who provide pro bono business law services to entrepreneurs and small businesses. Land Acknowledgement The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples.  We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.   While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.   We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.