Ontario paralegals and lawyers: Vote now. The 2023 bencher election is underway.

TORONTO, April 19, 2023 /CNW/ - From now until 5 p.m. EDT on April 28, 2023, Ontario paralegals and lawyers can vote for the candidates of their choice through online and telephone voting systems.

All Law Society licensees whose license on April 12, 2023 was not suspended are eligible to vote in the election. Eligible voters will receive voting information, including a unique control number for voting, through their Law Society Portal account. They should also receive an email with this information from Computershare, the company providing the online and telephone voting systems.

The Voting Guides for lawyers and paralegals with information about the candidates and how to vote are available at LSO.ca/BencherElection2023.

Eligible voters who have not received their control number must contact Computershare:

• Lawyers should call 1-888-344-2805 or 514-982-2391, if outside of Canada or the United States.
• Paralegals should call 1-866-301-2518 or 514-982-8711, if outside of Canada or the United States.

The names of the 40 lawyers and five paralegals elected as benchers will be announced on May 1, 2023. Benchers elected for the 2023-27 term will take office at the May 25, 2023 Convocation.

Convocation
Benchers are members of a decision-making body called Convocation which convenes approximately eight times a year to consider policy matters and to conduct the business of governing the affairs of the Law Society.

The composition of Convocation is set out in the Law Society Act which requires that the Law Society have:

• 40 elected lawyer benchers – 20 elected from inside Toronto and 20 elected from outside Toronto 
• five elected paralegal benchers, and
• eight lay benchers — neither lawyers nor paralegals — who are appointed by the Provincial government.

 Visit LSO.ca/BencherElection2023

The Law Society regulates lawyers and paralegals in Ontario in the public interest. The Law Society has a mandate to protect the public interest, to maintain and advance the cause of justice and the rule of law, to facilitate access to justice for the people of Ontario and to act in a timely, open and efficient manner.

SOURCE The Law Society of Ontario

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