I have once again returned to the Real Estate Council of Ontario, this time as its newest legal counsel.RECO is a self-managed, not-for-profit corporation responsible for administering the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act, 2002, and associated regulations ("REBBA") on behalf of the provincial government. Its primary work is to protect the public through the establishment of a fair, safe and informed marketplace. RECO was delegated administrative authority under the Safety and Consumer Statutes Administration Act, 1996, as a result of the mutual desire of the government and the real estate industry to enhance professionalism, increase consumer protection and provide an effective, efficient and responsive regulatory framework. While the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (“Ministry”) continues to be responsible for REBBA, as well as general oversight of RECO as a whole, the administration and enforcement of REBBA are have been delegated the responsibility of RECO. The legislation is administered in accordance with the terms of an administrative agreement between the Ministry and RECO.RECO’s in-house legal department is part of the Corporate Services Division of RECO. It is responsible for handling all RECO’s legal needs, including, but not limited to: providing legal opinions; reviewing contracts; revising RECO’s corporate by-laws; and acting as prosecutor before various courts and tribunals – the last of which is discussed in greater detail below under my time at RECO as a paralegal and summer law student.As its newest counsel my responsibilities have broadened to include providing more in-depth legal opinions, and to joining the organizations privacy group which involved drafting the companies privacy policy and procedures.

This portion of my articling experience primarily revolved around matters of labour and employment, but extended as far as to proceedings before the HRTO, and drew significantly from my education and experience in both ADR and litigation. My responsibilities ranged widely, and included:✔️ Conducting sometimes complex and in depth legal research;✔️ Drafting legal memorandum on a broad array of legal subjects;✔️ Working directly with clients;✔️ Conducting due diligence;✔️ Drafting pleadings for matters proceeding before various administrative tribunals, including the Grievance Settlement Board and the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.✔️ Witness identification and preparation;✔️ Observing counsel at, and sometimes participating in proceedings at various stages, from preliminary motions, mediations to multi-day hearings.What I perhaps enjoyed most about this portion of my articles was being able to work closely with very learned counsel, who successfully introduced me to this area of law.

The Legal Services Branch provides legal services to MGCS in several areas, including: strategic legal advice in support of the ministry's policies and programs, and in relation to the Ministry's over 40 statutes; advice relating to the administration of certain MGCS statutes by delegated administrative authorities; development and implementation of proposed statutes, regulations, and orders in council relating to consumer protection; corporate-commercial law; appearances before administrative tribunals and before the courts; and support to Crown Law Office Civil and Constitutional Law Branch on MGCS litigation files.In this rotation I was exposed to a broad array of legal areas, ranging from corporate, commercial, privacy, real estate. I was also presented with the opportunity of:✔️ Conducting due diligence; ✔️ Drafting pleadings for proceedings before both court and tribunal proceedings;✔️ Conducting legal research on a variety of matters, including in furtherance to proposed amendments to the OBCA, matters falling under the Vital Statistics Act, etc...; and✔️ Observe proceedings under the Land Titles Act for compensation claims under Land Titles Assurance Fund.

The Disability Law Intensive is a clinical intensive program offered by Osgoode Hall Law School in partnership with ARCH Disability Law Centre; a specialty community legal aid clinic dedicated to defending and advancing the equality rights of people with disabilities in Ontario. It provides a range of legal services to: people with disabilities who live in Ontario; disability advocacy organizations; and the legal profession. This program required me to concurrently attend the clinic two days every week. In addition to my regular studies as part of this program, I was required to also participate in a bi-weekly seminar which further engaged with my experiences at ARCH and functions which allowed me to reflect on my work with fellow students.During the fall term, my work was directed towards the client services division. Here I handled my own case file work and had the opportunity to work closely with the clinic's clients. In turn, I was given the the opportunity to engage with the community directly. Later, in the winter term, my efforts shifted to work in policy reform. One of the projects I created included the researching and drafting of an advocacy toolkit for students, or parents with children with disabilities. This kit, which was published online, gave both the information and tools they needed in order to access the services required.

"The role of prosecutor excludes any notion of winning or losing; his function is a matter of public duty than which in civil life there can be none charged with greater personal responsibility." - Boucher v. The QueenIn addition to the added responsibilities discussed above, my role have continuously included:✔️ Conducting or assisting in conducting motions, mediation, pre-trials, hearings, trials,appeals, applications for judicial review, injunction applications, and other civil and administrative matters at Small Claims Court, Divisional Court, Court of Appeal and other governmental bodies and tribunals and commissions.✔️ Drafting pleadings with respect to disciplinary proceedings, proposals to refuse/revoke registration and terms and conditions.✔️ Researching and analyzing cases and legislation, providing opinions on development and implementation of policies and procedures.As a summer law student I was also tasked with: drafting pleadings for matters proceeding to appeal, developing the legal department's policy manual, and reviewing the process by which complaints are processed.

Stikeman Elliott is one of Canada's leading business law firms. After being hired as a legal administrative assistant, I spent several weeks rotating through the firm's various departments. I was eventually able to secure a permanent position, which, in part, included providing assistance to Edward J. Waitzer, the firms former managing partner; who is both now a partner at Stikeman Elliott, and professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.My time at Stikeman Elliott provided me with a fantastic opportunity to become exposed to the different areas of law that the firm practices in. However, while my duties and responsibilities varied greatly, ranging from time docketing and proof-reading to conducting legal research, it was by spending time within the firm's business litigation department that my ambition in the field of litigation was affirmed.Generally speaking, however, I was responsible for a variety of complex legal tasks, including: ✔️ The research, review and amendment of various agreements, prospectuses and minute books.While a contract extension was offered, I decided that with my interest in litigation, that I wanted to once again begin exercising my skills in this field, and so pursued alternative avenues.

Statistics Canada is responsible for producing statistics to help better understand Canada's composition, and the census is a means by which the federal government is able to acquire information about the nation's population. The Canadian census held in May 2006 was the first time an internet version was made widely available, and provided me with a great opportunity to provide feedback in the future development of the program.This position was both highly unique, and, at times, extremely challenging. I began as a supervisor for a team of approximately 20 enumerators, and my role was to provide oversight and ensure a minimum level quality control. However, whenever a matter was being escalated, my role was to then take over from the enumerator and attempt to resolve it myself. In such cases I was successfully able to draw on my training as a mediator, and can proudly say that I was able to do so in every instance.Notably, as the census progressed it was realized that more staff were desperately needed, and so my role changed somewhat. As new enumerators were being hired, and in addition to continuing to supervise my own team, I was required to concurrently conduct training seminars.Generally, and as a supervisor to the Toronto Census office, I was responsible for a number of tasks, including:✔️ Functioning as liaison for Statistics Canada, mediating the concerns of respondents from across Canada.✔️ Conducting training seminars, and instructing staff in both system and operational procedures.✔️ Overseeing the development and implementation of ongoing processes for the benchmarking and evaluation of upper management, ensuring effective operation of the facility and improvements.