Lexpert magazine features articles and columns on developments in legal practice management, deals and lawsuits of interest in Canada, the law and business issues of interest to legal professionals and businesses that purchase legal services.
Issue link: https://digital.carswellmedia.com/i/688578
44 LEXPERT MAGAZINE | JUNE 2016 merous initiatives to improve the work- place for female lawyers and raise the firm's overall inclusiveness. She regularly can- vasses associates for their views on issues that affect them. Her efforts have led to im- provements within the firm, such as track- ing gender and minority demographics; introducing industry-leading flexible-work and parental-leave policies; developing pro- grams to foster women's networking and business development; and annual training of partners and decision makers to recog- nize unconscious bias and address inequi- ties. She is the firm's representative for the Justicia Project, addressing evidence that women leave law practice at a higher rate than men. Karen supported best-practice policies of the LSBC, including flexible working arrangements and advancement to partnership. Loretta Manning COX & PALMER > HALIFAX Loretta Manning encouraged Cox & Palmer to become the first firm in Atlantic Canada to join the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network (LFDIN). is led to the creation of a firm-wide diversity com- mittee that formulated a plan for educa- tion, external sponsorship, policy review and updates. As Chair of this committee, she led the firm to become the first busi- ness in Atlantic Canada to join Pride at Work Canada, supporting the inclusion of LGBT employees. She also spearheaded a firm-wide diversity survey and unconscious bias training and worked with each office throughout the region to coordinate sur- vey delivery and training sessions. Loretta values the perspective and strength that diverse teams bring to an organization and believes that enhancing diversity and inclu- sion will improve attraction and retention and strengthen client relationships. Rita Maxwell MINISTRY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR ONTARIO > TORONTO Assistant Crown Attorney Rita Maxwell prosecutes criminal cases, including homi- cides, child abuse, exploitation and human trafficking. As a mentor for minority law students, Rita has assisted in their pursuit of summer and/or articling positions with Bay Street firms, the government and in- ternational opportunities. With the Law Alumni Association, Rita developed and supported financial aid programs, making law school more accessible to historically under-represented groups. She has been a guest lecturer for the University of Toron- to's International Human Rights Clinic and advised numerous students from di- verse backgrounds on internships and job opportunities with international tribunals, as well as on litigation and/or criminal law practice. Rita has been actively involved in the University of Toronto's See Your- self Here, an annual student-led initiative, which encourages high school students from under-represented minorities to pur- sue a legal education. Kael McKenzie PROVINCIAL COURT OF MANITOBA > WINNIPEG Justice Kael McKenzie became Canada's first openly transgender judge in 2015. He is a member of the Manitoba Métis Nation and served in the Canadian Armed Forces. Before taking up his judicial appointment, Justice McKenzie served five years as a Crown prosecutor in family, commercial and civil law. He has been an active mem- ber of the legal and LGBTQ communities and co-chaired the CBA's sexual-orien- tation and gender-identity conference for three years. He has served on the Manitoba Women's Advisory Council and was presi- dent of the Rainbow Resource Centre. He also advocated for Bill 18, which enabled gay-straight alliances in Manitoba high schools. His appointment was recognized as a victory for quality, equality and diver- sity on the Manitoba Bench. Zeïneb Mellouli LAVERY, DE BILLY, L.L.P. > MONTRÉAL Zeïneb Mellouli promotes fundamental rights through constant work involving the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. She helped Lawyers With- out Borders dra its protest in the case of Raif Badawi, who was sentenced in 2012 to a decade in prison and 1,000 lashes for crit- icizing Saudi Arabia's clerics. Zeïneb works to effect diversity and change through the Canadian and Québec Maghreb Associa- tions, the ethno-cultural diversity commit- tee of the Montréal Bar (2011 to 2014), the Montréal Bar's inclusive profession forum and the Groupe de travail-forum sur la diversité ethnoculturelle, which promotes diversity in large Québec law firms. She is also a member of the board of the Fon- dation du Centre de réadaptation Lucie- Bruneau, raising money for integration of individuals with physical disabilities. Anthony Morgan FALCONERS LLP > TORONTO Anthony Morgan is an advocate for the rights of black citizens through regular | ZENITH AWARDS |