TORONTO, June 23, 2016 /CNW/ - Paul B. Schabas has been elected to lead The Law Society of Upper Canada as its 66th Treasurer. The Treasurer is the top-elected official of the Law Society, which regulates Ontario's lawyers and paralegals in the public interest. Treasurer Schabas succeeds former Treasurer Janet E. Minor.
"It's an extraordinary privilege to lead the Law Society," said Schabas. "The legal profession and our justice system face great challenges in a changing legal landscape. I'm looking forward to meeting those challenges. The Law Society has a critical role to play in bringing about change to ensure that competent and appropriate legal services are accessible, and that the legal professions are inclusive, supported, and have the confidence of the public. I look forward to working collaboratively with my fellow benchers and with others in the justice system to further these goals."
The Treasurer presides over Convocation, the Law Society's governing board, and is elected by the members of the board, known as benchers.
Treasurer Schabas is a partner and senior trial and appellate counsel at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP. He has argued many seminal cases before the Supreme Court of Canada, developing new law in areas such as defamation, free expression, equality rights and access to justice.
He was first elected a bencher of the Law Society in 2007 and was re-elected in 2011 and 2015. During his time as a bencher, he has been chair of the Human Rights Monitoring Group, the Access to Justice Committee, and the Professional Regulation Committee. He has also been a member of the Equity and Aboriginal, Tribunals and Finance committees and the Articling and Mentoring task forces.
He is chair of the Law Foundation of Ontario and a past president of Pro Bono Law Ontario.
Treasurer Schabas earned both his LLB and BA (Hon.) from the University of Toronto (1984, 1981). He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1986.
The Law Society of Upper Canada is the governing body of lawyers and paralegals in Ontario. The Law Society has a duty 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 Upper Canada
Image with caption: "Surrounded by Law Society Benchers, newly elected Treasurer, Paul B. Schabas (centre), chairs his first meeting of Convocation. (CNW Group/The Law Society of Upper Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160623_C2461_PHOTO_EN_720842.jpg
Media contact: Denise McCourtie, Communications Advisor, [email protected], or 416-947-3362. Follow us on Twitter @LawsocietyLSUC
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