Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/642579
Jonathan Shime and Megan Schwartzentruber It's hard to really see where Jonathan Shime and Megan Schwartzentruber find any time to represent paying clients in their work as criminal defence lawyers with Cooper Sandler Shime and Bergman. Separately and together, the two devote countless hours to their various pro bono projects. Together, they teach in the trial advocacy course at the University of Toronto Law School, and coach students on the competitive trial advocacy team that has won the Ontario competition two of the last three years (and finished second the other year). Schwartzentruber volunteers as an adviser with Pro Bono Students Canada. She's a member of Legal Aid Ontario's Gladue Panel, for lawyers who represent Indigenous people in criminal cases. And she works as a special duty counsel for Legal Aid clients with mental health issues. Shime has done years of pro bono and legal aid work with the HIV/AIDS community, focusing mainly on issues involving non-disclosure prosecutions and legislation. And, while both he and Schwartzentruber are defence lawyers, they often offer pro bono assistance and advice to victims of crime, including victims of sexual assault. "The reason we do the work is that we're sympathetic to their situation," Shime says. "It seems like charging them money, except in the rarest circumstances, would not really be fair on top of everything else they've suffered." There's more. He and Schwartzentruber spearheaded the case of J.N. v Durham Regional Police Service, which led the way to new legislation regarding how police evaluate when to disclose non-conviction records. They continue to work with clients who need help having their records purged according to their legal rights. What motivates them? "I think that cost is certainly up there, with respect to making it difficult to access justice," Schwartzentruber says. "It's also very important, as a lawyer, to give back to the community."But the barriers go beyond cost, adds Shime. They're part of an entire system that needs to be fixed. "We have a pernicious and persistent problem in the criminal justice system with respect to the treatment of the Indigenous community and the Black community," he says. "Whether it's institutional racism, higher rates of incarceration, or fewer lawyers who look like you and understand your circumstances, you're facing a number of barriers and hurdles. We have to address that." 14 FLIP YOUR WIG