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CROSS EXAMINED Jamaican-Canadian lawyer left Courtney Betty says he is trying to give a legal voice and attention to under-served communities. corporate law to build a firm to serve marginalized communities. BY JENNIFER BROWN way ourtney Betty has worked in the federal gov- ernment and large corporate environments, but after years tackling corporate issues, he decided he wanted to get closer to community work and found his way to an old bank building on Oakwood Avenue in the St. Clair and Dufferin area of Toronto. He wanted to help people he felt were left marginalized by the legal system. C The front of his office has a large sign that reads Betty's Law Office. He says he was drawn here after seeing a number of high-profile cases he felt left certain communities and individuals marginalized. He saw a lack of legal representation for minority groups, in particular the Caribbean and Chinese communities. The Jamaican-born Betty started his career working for the Department of Justice here in Canada representing the federal government in over 200 cases before the Federal Court of Appeal. He was then recruited to serve as senior legal counsel at the Jamaica Fair Trading Commission, which focused on the deregulation of telecommunications in the Caribbean nation. He's back in Canada and today, the clients who come to Betty's Law Office are those seeking good legal representation from a firm that offers a diverse roster of legal professionals. Clients can take meetings with the firm's lawyers in English, Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese and often see their own cultural backgrounds reflected back at them. The firm pro- vides services in immigration, real estate, criminal, family 16 OC T OBER 2009 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com Betty's