What was your path into law and onto the bench?
I am a family court judge for the Ontario Court of Justice. Currently, I serve the communities in the Region of Peel and Dufferin County.
I had never thought about being a lawyer until I was getting close to finishing my undergrad. As a kid, being an animal lover, I thought I would be a veterinarian – until grade nine biology class convinced me otherwise. I then set my sights on the Hotel and Food Administration program at Guelph University but last minute, I decided instead to attend the University of Western Ontario with the goal of getting into its well-known business school after second year undergrad. However, when I was not accepted into business school, I had to pivot.
Without a work plan laid out for after graduation, I wrote the LSAT and was accepted to Osgoode Hall Law School. As I started law school, my plan was to combine my interest in business with law and to find a job in the corporate world.
Family Law was a mandatory course in first year and it opened my eyes to another possibility. My career direction fully changed after I took a seminar course called Children and the Law, taught by a well-known family lawyer. I was introduced to child protection law, and I was hooked. I articled for the Official Guardian (now the Office of the Children’s Lawyer), then went into private practice for three years before joining the legal department of the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto, where I worked for 19 years until my appointment to the bench.
I never thought about being a judge until one day – mid-way through my career - a colleague told me I should apply. Still, I did not consider this suggestion very seriously, but it did plant a seed in my head. This gentle nudge made me think of becoming a judge as a potential next step for me. I was happy doing what I was doing, but the notion of becoming a judge continued to percolate in my thoughts for several years. When I felt the time was right for me and for my family, I took the steps to apply and was appointed in the fall of 2018.
What experience in your legal career best prepared you for work on the bench?
The intensive litigation experience I got from being a lawyer for a children’s aid society prepared me for the work I do today. Work as a CAS lawyer is fast-paced and hectic. You have to learn to triage, prioritize, think on your feet and be very organized because you cannot always control nor predict the influx of work that comes in. These are skills I use everyday on the bench as a case management judge and as local administrative judge.
I grew up as a lawyer in the OCJ family courts. During this time, I lived and breathed family litigation process as well as statute-driven legal principles. I worked with others in the sector trying to achieve fairness and positive outcomes for children and families in a population heavily burdened with a variety of socio-economic challenges. The lessons learned in my two decades of work in this legal field have helped me immensely in my judicial practice.
What advice to you have for counsel who appear before you?
When appearing before the court, your reputation with the court is everything. It takes years to build a solid reputation, but it doesn’t take long to damage it. Make decisions about how you will conduct yourself in court keeping this in mind. Every court appearance is an opportunity to hone your skills and to build a strong reputation with the court.
Recognize that the court system is overloaded and do things in a manner to alleviate this problem:
- Come to court early, prepared, having talked with the other side or having made genuine attempts to do so. Don’t leave resolution discussions to five minutes before the start of the case.
- Advocate responsibly and with civility. Persuade the court with the evidence and the facts, not with dramatics. Avoid the urge to engage in unhelpful bickering with the lawyer on the other side of the case.
- Make sure all written materials are filed with the court in advance in accordance with the rules of practice so that the court has time to read it before the court day starts.
- If you have a lengthy court event scheduled that you know cannot go forward, use proper process to alert the court as early as possible so that the unused time can be offered to another family that might urgently need it.
For your own professional development and growth:
- Don’t be afraid to step outside your comfort zone – do not shy away from tough cases or trial opportunities that may arise from time to time when matters cannot settle. Every time I did a trial, not only did my trial advocacy improve but I learned lessons that taught me how to do things better at an earlier stage of a file.
- Get involved with your local law association or family law lawyers group – create connections with other lawyers who will become your professional support networks. Every family lawyer needs this kind of support.
- Get involved in continuing legal education, mentoring and other teaching opportunities – no doubt as a young, new lawyer in the practice, you were helped by someone more senior. Pay it forward.