FOLA reacts to Law Society bencher election results

The following statement can be attributed to Douglas W. Judson, Chair of the Federation of Ontario Law Associations (FOLA):

“FOLA extends its congratulations to the successful candidates in this year’s bencher election. We also wish to thank everyone in the legal community who participated in FOLA’s candidate survey and law association candidate forums over the past two months.

“With the election now behind us, the real work begins. In the days and weeks ahead, FOLA is looking forward to connecting with the new and returning benchers to share FOLA’s priorities on behalf of Ontario’s law associations.

“Among those priorities are electoral reforms at Convocation as well as securing a sustainable future for Ontario’s county and district law library system. These are two of the areas that many of the successful candidates committed to address, including through their responses to our candidate survey.

“Legal Aid funding and the greying of the bar also remain significant concerns across the province that are setting back our professional commitment to facilitate access to justice. At the same time, this new Convocation must play catch-up on emerging technology in the justice sector, such as AI platforms. The stakes are high, and FOLA is here to support the new benchers as they confront these challenges.

“FOLA is the only law association that represents lawyers on the front lines of legal service in all corners of the province. The concerns of our members are innately tied to the justice needs of their communities and the public interest duties of the Law Society. We look forward to continuing our strong, respectful, and consultative relationship with the Law Society over the next term.”

About FOLA

FOLA is a non-profit organization that reprsents Ontario’s 46 county and district law associations, and through them, their members.

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Contact:

Douglas W. Judson
Chair
info@douglasjudson.ca