For an equitable and inclusive profession
Vote Deborah Moriah
for Paralegal Bencher

Recognizing that voting is an individual choice, we encourage you to vote for all 5 of us to ensure competent, representative leadership for the paralegal profession at the Law Society of Ontario (“LSO”).  As a Coalition, we share common values, but we have different ideas and individual views and that’s what makes us a strong team!

We are paralegals who represent diverse geographic regions, including Ottawa, Windsor, and the Greater Toronto Area. We are ethnically and linguistically diverse, with collective proficiency in Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), English, French, Greek, Italian, and Spanish. Our professional experience spans a broad array of practice areas, including Immigration law; the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board/Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal; Small Claims; Human Rights; the Landlord and Tenant Board; the Provincial Offences Act; Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) training; mediation; adjudication; and paralegal teaching. We work in diverse settings, including various firm sizes, from sole practitioners to Bay Street firms to in-house legal departments.

Elected Benchers are members of the LSO’s Board of Directors. The LSO needs Paralegal Benchers who have experience sitting on boards and understand the responsibilities that come with such an appointment. Collectively, we have almost 50 years of experience as board directors.

Here’s what the five of us agree on:

1. We will not vote as a bloc, but rather we will fulfill our fiduciary duty required of good governance. This requires that each Bencher act in a non-partisan manner and vote the way that she chooses;

2. We are a diverse group of paralegals who are representative of the paralegal profession and we acknowledge the existence of individual and systemic racial discrimination in the legal professions. We accept the legitimacy of the LSO’s role in addressing such discrimination;

3. We will accept, support, and abide by the LSO’s Bencher Code of Conduct, and bring dignity, decorum, and respectful debate to Convocation. We are committed to working conscientiously, professionally and with integrity for the paralegal profession, in the public interest;

4. We will read materials and be prepared for Bencher Committee meetings and Convocation so that we can fully contribute and vote on all issues at Convocation and ensure that the paralegal profession’s point of view is heard;

5. While we recognize that there is a paralegal-to-lawyer pipeline, none of us are currently applying to or attending law school, and we commit to not applying to or attending law school during our term as Benchers. Our commitment is to our paralegal work and Bencher duties as paralegal professionals;

6. We will advance the causes we have each individually pledged to pursue, including expansion of the Family Legal Services Provider scope, expansion of the immigration law scope, and others;

7. We confirm that none of us have a disciplinary record with the Law Society of Ontario.

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Learn more about me by checking out my bio or connecting with me on LinkedIn.

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Have questions about the Coalition or the election? Reach out to me at vote@deborahmoriahforbencher.ca