Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/466000
Sack Goldblatt Mitchell LLP will soon become Goldblatt Partners LLP. Our name may be changing, but our practice will continue to focus on labour rights, criminal justice, equality and civil liberties. Our access to justice initiatives are not an add-on, but an integral part of our practice. Below are a few examples of the kinds of pro bono cases we take on. Labour Rights: We have always advocated for employees' freedom of expression and association. Most recently, we acted in Mounted Police Association of Ontario, in which the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that freedom of association must include a meaningful process of collective bargaining. Equality: We have represented a broad range of equality-seeking groups before the Supreme Court of Canada, the lower courts and tribunals. Among other equality issues, we have acted in every major LGBT rights case before the Supreme Court, from Egan v. Canada to the same-sex marriage litigation. We are currently representing LGBT groups intervening in a challenge to the Law Society of Upper Canada's decision to deny accreditation to a Christian law school because of its covenant forbidding sexual intimacy outside of heterosexual marriage. Civil Liberties: We have a broad-ranging practice advocating for the civil liberties of marginalized groups impacted by the criminal justice system. We recently participated in a challenge to the criminal prohibition against physician-assisted dying, advocated for effective compensation for individuals who have suffered miscarriages of justice, and provided free legal advice and public education to sex workers on Canada's new prostitution laws. Public Interest Litigation: Our firm has always been committed to representing a variety of progressive organizations in a wide range of public interest issues and campaigns. Most notably, we have been involved in efforts to resist the privatization of public services and resources before domestic courts and international tribunals. NEW NAME, SAME COMMITMENT TO SOCIAL JUSTICE With passion, imagination, rigour, and the utmost professionalism, lawyers at SGM have reshaped the terrain of equality and inclusion in Canada. Pro bono work by SGM lawyers has helped to set Canada at the vanguard in recognizing gay and lesbian rights. Robert Leckey, Chair, Egale Canada Founding partner Howard Goldblatt flips his wig for justice. 16