NEWSLETTER: January 2025

Editors – Allen Mendelsohn, Larry Markowitz and Stephanie Perlis

President’s Message

Erin Lesser, President

(cliquez ici pour lire le mot de la présidente en français)

Dear Colleagues, Honourable Judges, and Friends of the Society,

Here’s wishing all of you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2025. I am delighted to be ringing in the new year with next week’s speaker, Adam Dodek. Professor Dodek is a professor at the University of Ottawa, and he will be discussing his latest book, Heenan Blaikie: The Making and Unmaking of a Great Canadian Law Firm. He will be interviewed by Lord Reading Past President Larry Markowitz in what is sure to be a fascinating and insightful fireside chat.

The Annual Student Dinner is an event where we welcome and honour the law student communities by inviting and encouraging students and stagiaires to join us for a dinner event. We will also be presenting the Lord Reading student awards to deserving students from Quebec’s various law faculties (and the civil law section of Université d’Ottawa) that evening.

For many students, it will be their first opportunity to network with esteemed members of the legal community. For many lawyers, it is a refreshing and meaningful evening, where they can help provide insight and advice to future members of the legal profession. I encourage all Society members and friends to join us and help welcome the students and stagiaires who are the future of the Society.

I read Adam’s book back in September and what I loved most about it was how he captured the true spirit of Heenan Blaikie. When I initially met Adam and we discussed his book, I was immediately reminded of my course aux stages experience, and it was then that I realized Professor Dodek would be a great speaker for the annual Lord Reading student event.

When Anna Bronshteyn (first Vice-President of the Lord Reading Law Society and one of my very best friends) and I were law students at Université de Montréal, we participated in the course aux stages, like so many young law students do every year. We went to many cocktails, journées de parrainages and other professional events to get acquainted with the many law firms offering summer student positions. One of those firms was Heenan Blaikie.

I remember walking into their offices at 1250 René-Lévesque and being so impressed. The premises were beautiful, the lawyers were kind and welcoming and the food on offer was absolutely delicious! There was a certain vibe in the office that I picked up on right away, and I was smitten. At that point, I was not yet certain which field I wanted to work in, but I knew I wanted to be a part of Heenan Blaikie.

Unfortunately, before interviews could begin, Anna and I learned about the firm’s unfortunate collapse. In the end, Anna went on to practice corporate law at another national firm while I started in tax at a smaller firm. To say the news of Heenan Blaikie’s collapse was a shock would not be strong enough to describe our reactions. We were floored, and looking back at it now, I realize that I did not grasp the magnitude of this historical event at all back then, not even an iota as well as I understand it now.

While Professor Dodek does describe the events that contributed to the ultimate folding of Heenan Blaikie, what I loved most about his book is how he details what made the firm so special in the first place. Reading his book brought me right back to my (and Anna’s) journey during the course aux stages, and I look forward to hearing about it in person at our event next week, and having all of you join us for this very special evening.

You can sign up for the dinner on our website here. We would like to thank Spiegel Ryan for their sponsorship of the evening.

Your Membership for the 2024-2025 Season

I encourage you to sign up for membership for the season – it’s never too late! Without your membership, the Society cannot continue to fulfill its very important mission, which I know we all believe in. Membership provides you with incredible discounts on our traditional dinner-meetings (a great deal!) and grants you access to our members-only events, which I hope will be particularly worthwhile this year, as we will be hosting several extremely interesting CLE lunches.  You can sign up for membership on our website here.

Our First Ever Hockey and Skating Event!

As President, I am very excited to present new and different activities like this for our members, as well as friends and family. You can read more about this great event further down in this newsletter.

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Once again, I wish all of you a very Happy New Year and look forward to seeing you next week!

Sincerely,

Erin Lesser, President 2024-25
The Lord Reading Law Society
president@lordreading.org

Our Annual Human Rights Lecture – Advocacy in Action: A Journey of Indigenous Resistance

Allen Mendelsohn

On the occasion of our Annual Human Rights Lecture on Thursday, November 7th, the Society was delighted to welcome Cree Indigenous activist Na’kuset, co-founder of Resilience Montreal and Executive Director of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montréal. A survivor of the Sixties Scoop, Na’kuset was adopted and raised by a Jewish family in Montreal before reclaiming her Indigenous identity and status as a young adult. Na’kuset discussed her extensive work in human rights and advocacy for Indigenous peoples in a talk entitled Advocacy in Action: A Journey of Indigenous Resistance.

Society President Erin Lesser began by congratulating the winners of our Human Rights Essay Contest, which you can read more about here. Erin then recounted a very personal, heartfelt story about her relationship with the indigenous community in Downtown Montreal when she moved closer to Cabot Square, sharing her deep concerns for the plight of her indigenous neighbours. Erin closed by stating that the Society “needs to bridge the gap with other minorities,” a sentiment echoed by many other attendees and speakers on the night.

Na’kuset was introduced by Judge Carol Cohen, who highlighted the Sixties Scoop and how Na’kuset had a “bubbe” growing up. Upon taking the stage, Na’kuset then expanded on her story of growing up. Given the name Margaret Murray, she was adopted by a Montreal Jewish family who saw an ad in the Gazette to “adopt an Indian or Métis.” She called herself a “Jewish Indian” and described that her bubbe was who really saved her, as she began to find herself as a self-described “born-again Indian” and finding her family.

Na’kuset said she was proud to be part of the Concordia Top 50 Alumni, but joked that truthfully her only BA was a “Bad Attitude”. She then moved to emotionally describing the current realities of Canada’s indigenous peoples. Canada, its people and government have routinely failed them and failed to follow through on important recommendations. She described the history of Cabot Square and the tragic deaths of Indigenous people that have occurred there, to a stunned yet riveted crowd. She described the history of Resilience Montreal next to Cabot Square, and the new Miyoskamin housing program of the Native Women’s Shelter of Montréal.

Na’kuset finally dove into the need for accountability for those in power and the need for justice for Indigenous peoples. To that end, she discussed the forthcoming Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal which will hold hearings in Montreal in in the future. She called on all those in attendeence to volunteer their time, legal skills and resources to this important cause. As Na’kuset’s talk drew to a close, she was met with a rousing standing ovation.

Na’kuset was kind enough to share her slides that she used for her presentation with us. You can view them here. 

For a full set of pictures from the event, please click here. 

Registration is open for the First Ever Lord Reading Hockey Game and Skating Day!

Jacob Falutz, Young Bar Committee 

The Lord Reading Law Society is excited to announce that we will be hosting our first ever hockey game and skating day on Sunday, February 16! The event will take place at the Chamandy Arena at Lower Canada College, located at 4025 Royal Avenue, Montréal. The ice has been rented from 1:00-2:30pm, with lounge access above the rink for snacks and drinks between 1:00-3:00pm. A formal 5on5 hockey game will be played, followed by a period of free skating for Society members, and their friends and family. Society members wishing to participate in either the hockey game or the free skate can invite their friends and family of all ages, provided the member has registered in advance.

Please register for either the hockey game or free skating on our website as soon as you can. You don’t want to miss this!

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at jacob.ray@videotron.ca. We look forward to seeing you February 16th, for a great afternoon of hockey, skating, and fun!

Society Humour

News from the Mishpocha

Mazel Tov

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