"Youth A Voice" In the Imperial Room
It is a good experience for the club members when one of our own assumes the task of being the guest speaker. Shelly is a new member of our club but in the past has been has been active in the Rotary Club of Mississauga.
Shelley was called to the BAR of Ontario in 2000, and graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1998. In her professional capacity she has been, for the last fourteen years, with the Office of the Children’s Lawyer (OCL) in Toronto. The Office of the Children's Lawyer is an independent law office operating within the Ministry of the Attorney General, Victims and Vulnerable Persons Division. The OCL delivers legal and clinical services, in family and civil law, in the administration of justice, on behalf of children under the age of 18, the unborn, and the unascertained.
At the Office of the Children's Lawyer, Shelley is a litigator and supervisor in the Personal Rights Department and her caseload consists of custody and access, child protection, adoption and secure treatment matters. She trains and supervises a panel of lawyers who do OCL work in the Central South Region of Ontario, as well as articling students within the office. She previously supervised the secure treatment panel at the office.
Shelley has volunteered with Big Sisters of Toronto as a mentor, Adopt-A-School (Ministry of the Attorney General, Ontario Justice Education Network), partnered with the Toronto District School Board, by coaching students for mock trials, taking part in panel discussions, providing information about careers in the field of justice by giving presentations to high school students, and acting as a resource for secondary school civics and law teachers. Shelley has been a tutor for BAR admission candidates with Law Society of Upper Canada. She has also served as the Chair, and member of the Board, for Willowdale Community Legal Services and hopes to continue her Board activity in a child focused organization when the right opportunity arises. She currently enjoys being Chair of the Parent Council at her daughter’s school in Peel.
Through Shelly’s address, we will be informed of the work of the Office of the Children's Lawyer. While the work of the OCL deals with human conflict, we are pleased that Shelly does see occasions when the responsibilities of her office lead to successful and happy conclusions.