Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/642579
For Marilou McPhedran, pro bono work isn't just something she does occasionally; it's woven into her lifestyle. As one of the first women presidents of the student government (Legal and Literacy Society) at Osgoode Hall Law School in the 70's, McPhedran witnessed first-hand some of the challenges women faced in the justice system. At Osgoode, women were in law school in numbers previously unseen, and McPhedran experienced why the old system had to be adapted to be inclusive. In her first year of law school she made herself a promise: Every year, no matter where her career took her, she would dedicate at least thirty per cent of her time to pro-bono or volunteer work. "I didn't want to lose my ethical core. I felt that if I was just swept away in the practice of law and the culture of law, the chances were very good that I would become caught up in acquiring material and professional success, and I would lose contact with the reality of what it means not to be privileged in society." McPhedran kept her promise, working the 'graveyard' shift as a law student/volunteer for Canada's first Rape Crisis Centre in the 70's. As a young lawyer in the early 80's, she was a principal spokeswoman for strengthening gender equality guarantees in the Canadian Constitution, leading to the Canadian 'ERA' – the s. 28 'Equal Rights Amendment'. Working with another Osgoode alumni, N. Jane Pepino, she was a co- founder of METRAC in 1984. A first of its kind, METRAC was founded to focus on systemic violence against women and children. "There just wasn't an existing organization that addressed access to justice and gender equality in the context of violence, so we created a new agency." McPhedran has worked tirelessly for victims to "live" their rights. In 1991, she chaired Canada's first task force on sexual abuse of patients – the source of the 'zero tolerance' standard, since adopted by the United Nations and in other countries. She is chairing a third task force on this issue for Ontario's Minister of Health. She is a professor and the founding director of the Institute for International Women's Rights at the University of Winnipeg Global College, a recipient of the Persons Case Medal and a Member of the Order of Canada. Marilou McPhedran 8 FLIP YOUR WIG