On March 5th, 2018, Associate Alycia Shaw and our articling student, Elsa Ascencio, were invited to speak at an event hosted by the Women’s Legal Mentorship Program at the University of Ottawa. The event – titled “Racialized Women Working in Law”— explored the barriers that racialized female lawyers face in the legal profession. Alycia and Elsa, along with other lawyers from the Ottawa legal community, answered questions from the audience in regards to recruitment, mental health, and involvement in civic society.
The event came at an appropriate time, notably with the rise of the #MeToo and #TimesUp movement. The event was in partnership with other racialized student groups and the #LawNeedsFeminismBecause group at the University of Ottawa. Thank you to the Asian Law Students Society and the Latin American Law Students Association for inviting us!