"The Top 25 is about a level of respect, the ability to influence public opinion and help shape the laws of this country; contribution to the strength and quality of legal services; and social and political influence and involvement," writes Gail Cohen, editor of Canadian Lawyer magazine, in her introduction to "The Top 25 Most Influential".

For the second year in a row, Osgoode Hall Law School Dean Sossin made the list in the Changemakers category. Sossin was praised for his important role in Canadian legal education with the magazine making a special note of his leadership role in experiential education. "With the Law Society of Upper Canada planning radical changes to legal licensing in Ontario, Sossin's novel and creative approaches to legal education promise to play an important role in the profession in the coming years," noted the magazine.

Justice David Brown, a judge on the Ontario Superior Court in Toronto, was also included in the Changemakers category. Brown was lauded for his colourful delivery and outspoken judgements. Canadian Lawyer magazine noted Brown's criticism of "the motions culture" in which he decried the actions by "lawyers preferring to bring complex motions rather than settle matters through a civil trial".

Making the list as part of the In-house Counsel category, Osgoode grad Norie Campbell, top legal counsel for the Toronto Dominion (TD) Bank, leads a team of more than 60 lawyers. She also appears on the top 40 under 40 list. Canadian Lawyer made special mention of Campbell's important role in the bank "at a time when TD is making serious inroads into the US market". Campbell is also active in the United Way.

In the Corporate-Commercial Law category, University of Ottawa Professor and Canada Research Chair in Internet and E-commerce Law, Michael Geist, is marking his third year on the Canadian Lawyer list. His column appears in the Toronto Star and Ottawa Citizen newspapers, and he is an author and blogs regularly on copyright law. "Through his academic work and public outreach, Geist illuminates issues surround copyright law and the Internet," noted the magazine.

Appearing in the Criminal Law/Human Rights category, Osgoode alumnus Brian Greenspan, a partner in the Toronto firm Greenspan HumphreyLavine, made the list for his continuing leadership in Canadian criminal law. The publication referred to his work to help "redefine the scope of the defence of duress now available to all accused". Greenspan appeared on the magazine's first top 25 list that was published in 2010.

Also appearing in the Criminal Law/Human Rights category is Justice Rosalie Abella, a judge of the Supreme Court of Canada. Abella was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1991 by 91ŃÇÉ« for her leadership role in human rights law. "Abella was the sole dissenter in the 2012 case of R. v. N.S.," noted the publication, "where she argued that requiring a witness to remove her niqab would effectively force her to choose between her religious beliefs and participating in the justice system."

Full details are available on the  magazine website.

The post Strong showing for Osgoode in Canadian Lawyer's top 25 ranking appeared first on Research & Innovation.

Robert Haché, vice-president research & innovation, and Lorne Sossin, dean of Osgoode Hall Law School, are co-hosting the event, which takes place from 12 to 2pm in Room 1014, Ignat Kaneff Building, Osgoode Hall Law School, Keele campus. Everyone is welcome to attend the free celebration, but an RSVP is requested. You can RSVP or call Lia Cavaliere at ext. 33782. Light refreshments will be provided.

The panel features Osgoode Hall Law Professors Trevor Farrow, Giuseppina D’Agostino, Dayna Scott and Stepan Wood. Each professor will deliver a short presentation on the panel theme “Celebrating Community Engagement”.

Farrow will discuss the dilemma faced by low income Canadians who find themselves unable to access the justice system. His presentation will discuss the various research initiatives that are designed to look at the complex problems associated with accessing justice and access to legal services, as well as the related problem of not providing meaningful access to legal services in today's complex and pluralistic societies.

Trevor Farrow

 Many low income Canadians find themselves unable to access the justice system, says Farrow. Courtrooms are filled with litigants who struggle to navigate the complex demands of law and procedure – often without representation by counsel. Early and effective resolution is central to avoiding the clustering and escalation of legal problems.  However, Farrow posits, a lack of knowledge about how to seek help, coupled with a pervasive sense of powerlessness, limits meaningful action for those who need it most. The most advanced justice system in the world is a failure if it does not ultimately assist in providing justice to the people it is meant to serve, he says. A number of stakeholders have a direct or indirect connection to the issue of access to legal services, including the bench, the bar, the academy, governments, NGOs, the private sector and the public. 

Speaking in her capacity as founder and director of IP Osgoode, Osgoode Hall Law School’s flagship Intellectual Property (IP) and Technology Program, D’Agostino will outline three initiatives she spearheaded through IP Osgoode, along with their promises and challenges, to assist the University in playing a more active role in the complex IP and technology research communities in Canada and around the world.  

Giuseppina D’Agostino

She will discuss the IP & Technology Intensive Program piloted in the Fall of 2011, which provides students with on-site research opportunities in government, industry and expert organizations in IP and technology; the Ontario Centres of Excellence and IP Osgoode Innovation Clinic, a needs-based innovation-to-market legal clinic staffed by volunteer law students piloted in 2011-2012; and the first blog of its kind, the IPilogue, promoting evidence-based research and showcasing new and unexplored viewpoints to public policy discussions.

Engaged scholarship implies a different set of relationships and expectations as between a community and a university researcher. For legal scholars, these can be even more complicated dynamics. In this short presentation, Scott will share some of the tensions encountered in a four-year research partnership with the Health and Environment Community of the Aamjiwnaang First Nation. The project explored questions of environmental justice stemming from the Band's experience of chronic pollution emanating from Sarnia's nearby Chemical Valley. Scott and the research team employed participatory action research techniques and arts-based methods such as PhotoVoice, to learn from and with community members, including youth.

Dayna Scott

Wood will focus on the challenges and opportunities surrounding community-engaged research in relation to various research projects affiliated with 91ŃÇÉ«'s Institute for Research & Innovation in Sustainability (IRIS). His presentation will look at research on local community empowerment in water governance in developing world megacities, community members' perceptions of international corporate social responsibility standards in Colombia and Canada, and University-community collaboration on sustainable furniture design for the new Centre for Green Change in the Jane-Finch community.

Stepan Wood

Following the presentations, visitors will have an opportunity to engage with the panelists. Osgoode Hall’s research celebration is part of an ongoing series of events that highlight interesting and innovative research underway at 91ŃÇÉ«. For more information on each of the presenters and other research underway at the law school, visit the website.

Republished courtesy of YFile– 91ŃÇɫ’s daily e-bulletin.

The post Osgoode law profs examine community engagement at Research Celebration appeared first on Research & Innovation.