Canadian Lawyer

September 2020

The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers

Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/1287338

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 29 of 51

SPECIAL REPORT 28 www.canadianlawyermag.com CHANGEMAKERS SUSAN WORTZMAN Toronto Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP Early in Susan Wortzman's legal career, she served as a litigator who dealt with complex cases for which she had to handle millions of paper documents. This experience sparked her interest in innovation and in the deployment of technology to speed up legal processes. Wortzman founded MT>3, a division of McCarthy Tétrault that focuses on e-discovery, information governance and digital information management. In one instance, MT>3 received an urgent request to support a client investigation one Friday evening. By Saturday morning, the division had ingested 300 GBs of data, totalling 1,278,555 records, and by Monday, the review had begun. In another matter, which involved a public sector client, MT>3 developed a responsive database system within 48 hours from the client's initial request and at no cost to the client. These examples show the division's commitment to meeting its clients' objectives with agility, accuracy and affordability. Wortzman's leadership in the e-discovery community is also evidenced by her involvement in the Sedona Canada Working Group, which played a key role in the development of provincial and national guidelines for e-discovery. HUMAN RIGHTS, ADVOCACY AND CRIMINAL NADER R. HASAN Toronto Partner, Stockwoods LLP Nader Hasan is a lawyer who has participated in numerous criminal, regulatory and constitutional law cases spanning a range of important issues, such as climate change, national security and the rights of Indigenous and racialized persons. This year, Hasan has appeared before the Court of Appeal in R. v. Sharma, which may potentially be an important case discussing the over-incarceration of Indigenous individuals, and in R. v. Morris, which brings up the timely issue of systemic anti-Black racism in sentencing. He is also acting on behalf of the Faqiri family in the case involving the death of Soleiman Faqiri, a mentally ill prisoner who died while in solitary confinement. Last year, he represented seven youths in a constitutional challenge that questioned the Ontario government's choice to reduce its climate change targets. He is also an adjunct professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, where he has taught classes on evidence, crime and punishment, as well as an advisory board member at the university's David Asper Centre for Constitutional Rights. CHANGEMAKERS TERRI-LYNN WILLIAMS-DAVIDSON Vancouver Principal Lawyer, White Raven Law Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson is an Indigenous and environmental lawyer who has, since her call to the B.C. bar in 1996, represented the Haida Nation before all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. Williams-Davidson is committed to defining and transforming relationships between Indigenous communities, the judiciary and the Crown. She has participated in cases and in reconciliation negotiations advocating the Haida Nation's rights to lands, waters and resources. She has challenged the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project. She recently appeared before the Supreme Court of Canada to help the justices understand Indigenous laws and their role in co-operative federalism. She also leads a case that asks for a declaration of Aboriginal title to Haida Gwaii and which may potentially be the first case in Canada to address Aboriginal title to ocean spaces. She seeks to preserve Haida laws and culture through her activism, music and art. She is a member of the Raven Clan from the Haida Nation. TOP 25 MOST INFLUENTIAL

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of Canadian Lawyer - September 2020