Lexpert Magazine

48 LEXPERT MAGAZINE | JUNE 2016 an Osgoode-focused video and unique displays on black lawyers. is year, the BLSA created a composite photo of all of the black law students who have graduated from Osgoode and officially unveiled it at the Lincoln Alexander Award Ceremony. BLSA President Kyle Elliott said the BLSA wanted to briefly change the conversation from broader issues of racial profiling, po- lice brutality and racial inequality to focus on a celebration of black excellence and "how we might properly acknowledge, celebrate and pay tribute to those Black students at Osgoode who have gone before us." ey discovered, incidentally, that Os- goode's first black law graduate was in the Class of 1900. Katrina Pacey PIVOT LEGAL SOCIETY > VANCOUVER Katrina Pacey is Executive Director of the Pivot Legal Society, Vancouver's non-profit legal-change advocate for social justice, housing rights, homeless people, equality and safety of sex workers, police account- ability and humane drug policy. Before joining Pivot, Katrina advocated for the rights of sex workers in Southeast Asia and for child soldiers and victims of forced la- bour in the civil war in Myanmar. With Pivot, she has worked as an advocate for sex-trade workers on Vancouver's Down- town Eastside and intervened at the Su- preme Court of Canada in the Canada v. Bedford case that struck down three major provisions of Canada's prostitution laws. She has challenged the findings of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry and Canada's new laws on adult prostitu- tion in response to the Bedford decision. Tiffany Paulsen ROBERTSON STROMBERG LLP > SASKATOON Tiffany Paulsen works to ensure politics is inclusive and that her community gets maximum advantage from the skills and energy women offer. Within the legal pro- fession, Tiffany is a strong advocate for bal- ance between the practice of law and fami- ly priorities, making Robertson Stromberg a more inclusive and diverse employer. She was named one of the "100 most dis- tinguished graduates" at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law Centen- nial Celebrations. As a City Councillor, she regularly provides support to women entering politics and she participates fre- quently in forums to discuss women's participation in politics and the law. She is a mentor in the University of Saskatch- ewan Betty-Ann Heggie Womentorship Program and mentors female law students through the Canadian Bar Association (Saskatchewan) program. She also donates her time supporting immigrant women experiencing domestic violence. Catherine Peters HICKS MORLEY LLP > TORONTO In 2014 Catherine Peters, along with part- ner Jeffrey Goodman, co-founded Hicks Morley's diversity and inclusion com- mittee. As the current committee Chair, Catherine has been instrumental in devel- oping policies that promote inclusivity and a respectful workplace, fostering creativity, legal innovation and excellence. A few key examples include: membership in the Law Firm Diversity and Inclusion Network and employer partnership in the Cana- dian Institute of Diversity and Inclusion; surveying and training her firm's people to understand their diversities, promoting inclusiveness and conducting unconscious- bias training; identifying and articulating value gained through diversity; and par- ticipating in initiatives to increase diversity in her firm and the profession. Drawing upon her 20-plus years of human rights expertise, Catherine was key in developing Hicks Morley's diversity, equity and hu- man rights policies, as well as policies on accommodating disabilities and the needs of parents. Michelle Pockey FASKEN MARTINEAU DUMOULIN LLP > VANCOUVER For two decades, Michelle Pockey has helped hundreds of lawyers and business- women become established, connected and successful, making her a highly re- spected business leader. She mentors male and female lawyers in and outside her firm. In 1997, she co-founded and con- tinues to chair the Professional Women's Network (PWN), which expanded to Calgary in 2008 and, in 2015, she helped create an Aboriginal Women's chapter of PWN. She's a founding member of the Women's Economic Business Advi- sory Council; an advisory board member for GroYourBiz.com; a founding mem- ber of the WEB Alliance; and a former director of the WBE Canada Business and Networking Association and the Women Lawyers Forum of the CBA. Mi- chelle serves as Vice-chair for the Sarah McLachlan School of Music Society, pro- | ZENITH AWARDS |

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