Agenda

8:15 am

Registration and networking breakfast

8:55 am

Opening remarks

Jennifer King

Partner, Gowling WLG

9:00 am

Panel discussion: Breaking through the glass ceiling: supporting women into leadership positions

Although law school graduations rates are almost equal between men and women, there continues to be a major gap in the number of women in leadership positions across the industry. What are the challenges and structural barriers facing women and how do we address them? What changes need to be made within law societies, bar associations, law firms, corporate legal departments, government and judiciary to address the historical lack of female leadership? This session provides key strategies for promoting female leadership and supporting women in senior positions.

Evaluating the latest strategies being deployed by top legal firms to advance female leaders
Addressing unique challenges faced by female leaders in different legal professions: in-house, private practice, sole practitioners and government
Improving transparency of partnership pathways
The implications of family life; eliminating biases associated with family obligations
Breaking through the boy's club network; accessing networking and client development opportunities
How can male allies help support the advancement of women in the industry?

Moderator:

Lydia Bugden

Chief Executive Officer and Managing Partner, Stewart McKelvey

Panelists:

Alena Thouin

Corporate Secretary & Deputy General Counsel , Financial Services Regulatory Authority (FSRA)

Dale Osadchuk

Partner, Davies

Jacquelyn Stevens

President of the Women's Law Association of Ontario, Partner, Willms & Shier Environmental Lawyers LLP

Colette Stewart

Senior Legal Counsel, Interac

9:50 am

Panel discussion: Addressing unconscious bias and discrimination

Unconscious bias is often deep-rooted, affecting everything from hiring, assignment allocation, promotions and compensation. Does bringing awareness to bias and discrimination help alleviate its impact? What strategies are effective for addressing discrimination? How should women respond when confronted with individual instances of unconscious bias or discrimination? This session explores practical steps for addressing bias within the legal industry.

Ensuring understanding and acknowledgement of discrimination, harassment, unconscious and structural bias
Changing organizational processes and policies to create a safe and inclusive work culture
Best practice strategies for mitigating the impact of unconscious bias
Tools for challenging bias with professionalism and authority

Moderator:

Denise Dwyer

Ontario Ministry of Education, Assistant Deputy Minister, Indigenous Education and Wellbeing Division

Panelists:

Shara Roy

Partner, Lenczner Slaght

Cindy Kou

Business Law Associate, Gowling WLG

Sunil Gurmukh

Human Rights Lawyer and Adjunct Law Professor, Western Law

Laleh Moshiri

National Director, Diversity and Inclusion, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

10:40 am

Morning refreshments and networking break

11:00 am

Panel discussion: Defining your own success as a lawyer

The stereotype of a successful female lawyer is often limited to traditional measures of success, alongside a perception that women need to be hard, masculine and unemotional in order to succeed as leaders. However, many women thrive in the industry, establish diverse practices and remain authentic to their identity. This panel discussion seeks advice from prominent leaders on how to become successful in a male dominated industry, define your own career path and develop into an authentic leader.

Success strategies from industry leaders
Methods for defining your own measures of success
Exploring different career paths
Being a successful female lawyer whilst being authentic to yourself
Key lessons learnt from overcoming adversity to rise to the top

Moderator:

Cheryl Reicin

Partner, Torys LLP

Panelists:

Kelly Kwan

Senior Counsel, Uber

Gina Alexandris

Senior Director, Law Practice Program, Ryerson University

Leila Rafi

Partner, Capital Markets and M&A Group, McMillan LLP

Lynne Vicars

Chief Innovation and Strategy Officer and Senior Counsel, Heuristica

11:40 am

Leveraging flexible work practices to support better work-life balance

The benefits of a work-life balance and flexible work schedule are well known and an important factor in supporting women juggling their careers with their personal responsibilities. Although many organizations promote flexible work arrangements, there continues to be a discord with the long hours and competitiveness demanded by the legal profession. How do work practices need to change to support flexible working? How can efficiencies be created to minimize the number of work hours? How can you take advantage of flexible hours without being sidelined? This session will discuss:

How to evolve traditional legal work models to develop a more agile and flexible profession
Bridging the disconnect between availability and use of flexible work policies
Moving beyond an industry culture that values long hours and presenteeism
Leveraging technology to increase productivity and support a flexible work life
Ensuring client care whilst maintaining flexibility

Genevieve Boulay

Legal Counsel, Westaway Law Group

12:25 pm

Networking lunch

1:30 pm

Utilizing mentorship opportunities to grow your career

Creating a supportive network is key to empowering women with the insights, ideas and confidence to advocate for themselves, navigate career challenges and prepare for the future. This session looks at how to leverage the value of mentorship, sponsorship and coaching to advance your career and support the next generation of legal talent.

Establishing authentic mentorship with diverse groups
Top tips for finding and becoming a mentor
Maximizing the benefits of mentorship and sponsorship to pursue career goals
Advice for establishing mentorship programs and diversity groups and measuring return on investment

Kim Le

Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP

Mario Nigro

Partner, Stikeman Elliott LLP

2:15 pm

Panel discussion: Tackling the wage gap

Despite an increase in female leadership across many legal fields, the gender pay gap shows no sign of narrowing and remains a key barrier to achieving gender equality. What policies have been effective at tackling the disparity? How can closing the pay gap become an industry priority? How can women successfully navigate pay discussions? This session looks at key strategies for tackling the wage gap at an industry wide level.

How do you correctly value yourself as a lawyer and negotiate your salary?
Strategies for establishing equal development opportunities for both men and women
Examples of successful policies that move the needle on the wage gap
Increasing salary transparency and reevaluating pay models
How can the legal sector work together to eliminate the wage gap?

Moderator:

Daphne Lainson

Partner, Smart & Biggar

Panelists:

Dal Bhathal

Managing Partner, The Counsel Network

Michelle Henry

Partner, Borden Ladner Gervais LLP

Rebecca Bromwich

Manager, Diversity and Inclusion, Gowling WLG

3:15 pm

Afternoon coffee break

3:45 pm

Panel discussion: Executing diversity and inclusion strategies that attract and retain female talent

Achieving a healthy representation of women in leadership positions is dependent on a supportive industry throughout a woman’s career. How can firms and organizations attract more female talent? What does a successful inclusion program look like in action? How can the industry empower women from the start of their careers? In this session, hear from leading firms and organizations about how they have actioned reform and their strategies for recruiting and retaining women from day one.

Tools to implement a successful diversity and inclusion program
Effective strategies to attract, engage and retain women in the industry
Key learnings from successful diversity and inclusion programs: what impact have these had on recruitment, culture and profits?
How to foster the next generation of female lawyers
Steps you and your organization can take tomorrow to action diversity and inclusion strategies

Moderator: