YYC Employment Law Group

01/09/2023

Shameful, Nicholas Milliken.

12/23/2022

Sadly prophetic. Sadly true.

Of course, it’ll be denied by those seeking to cover it up.

“A brown man with a big gun doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt.”

For years, Austin has made headlines as an evolving tech hub where startups, large companies and investors alike have flocked to set up a presence. But as 2022 closes, the Texas capital is in the news for a very different, tragic reason – being home to the sudden death of a startup founder at the ...

12/23/2022

“A toxic culture motivates employees to leave.”

Adapted to the legal profession: a toxic culture motivates young lawyers and lawyers from equity-seeking groups to leave.”

And that’s where we’re at.

12/23/2022

“Just one brain injury doubles your risk for su***de.”

Project Enlist Canada Concussion Legacy Foundation Concussion Legacy Foundation Canada

***de ***deprevention

12/21/2022

It’s happening.

…

“I don’t think there’s a way to solve the recruiting crisis by sticking with the status quo,” said Maureen McGough, chief of strategic initiatives for the Policing Project at the New York University School of Law.”

“And so much of the recruiting crisis is the result of the status quo that I don’t think people are going to have a choice pretty soon.”

Police departments are trying to attract candidates who reflect the communities they serve, focusing on women, people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

12/21/2022

Thank you Centre for Su***de Prevention Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario CMHA National / ACSM National

The absolute worst thing our regulators could do would be to say risks of su***de are “exaggerated”. And to be clear, they have done this to people affected.

“People who think about and attempt su***de don’t want to die: they want a way out of their deep, psychological pain. They describe feelings of being overwhelmed, being stuck, of not being able to see a way out.”

***de ***deprevention CBC News CBC Calgary CBC Edmonton Alberta's NDP Irfan Sabir The Canadian Bar Association / L'Association du Barreau canadien

https://www.su***deinfo.ca/local_resource/anyone-can-help/

12/21/2022

Let’s be abundantly clear: the independent Recommendations to the profession actually address the issue of systemic discrimination in the . Discrimination. Let’s call it what it is, particularly for equity-seeking groups.

Members of the profession are not seeking help because, quite understandably, they fear being discriminated against by our regulators and employers alike. And there’s good reason for them to be fearful. It happens all the time and there’s a huge record of it occurring. But our regulators don’t like to talk about that.

“For professionals living with a disability, there is a significant perception of stigma, which manifests as discrimination in the workplace.” - Dr. Nathalie Cadieux

Many senior folks, including those at our regulators and their communications staffs, seem to be trying to control the narrative and avoid referring to what this all necessarily means in substance: widespread, systemic discrimination eating away at our lawyers like an aggressive cancer. Now is certainly not the time for spin, and it’s not all “sunshine and rainbows”. The facts are exceptionally bad. Are we really that tone deaf?

It’s not just about the “billable hour”, and it’s not just about inevitable stressors inherent in the practice of law. It’s about long-standing, systemic discrimination at the very root of our industry, that has created a mental health crisis, with 1/4 Canadian lawyers saying they’ve contemplated su***de. These are problems that have not just been overlooked, but actively perpetuated by for decades. It ought to come as a surprise to no one.

Now, what is the profession going to do about it? We don’t need it to become another conference item. We need a commitment to action, and results. Show us what you intend to do, stop putting out warm and fuzzy marketing materials and press releases, and get to work. Get to work. The future of the profession, and the as a whole, quite literally depends on it.

***de The Canadian Bar Association / L'Association du Barreau canadien

…

“There is also a great deal of stigma associated with mental health issues in law. Some 46.8% of legal professionals reported having felt the need to seek professional help for psychological health problems, but had not done so.”

“5. Taking actions aimed at destigmatizing mental health issues in the legal profession, including awareness campaigns and designing policies aligned with best practices for a gradual return to work for those coming back from prolonged health-related leave. Requiring candidates for admission to law societies to disclose mental health issues should also be reviewed, the report states.”

The practice Workplace Tackling distress and depression in law Recommendations from Canada's first national study on the issue focus on destigmatizing mental health problems, emphasizing health as integral to legal practice, and reviewing the billable hour business model. BY Yves Faguy 12 Dec 2022 S...

12/20/2022

Where do I start… spot-on, all around. ✅



…

“Narcissists base your character on the way you react to their abuse. If you fight back then you are abusive. If you do what they did to you, you are vindictive.”

12/20/2022

And yet, here we are in 2022 moving into 2023, with certain regulators of ’s denying that they are even subject to human rights legislation regarding member with disabilities.

How is one to reconcile any of this with the publicly expressed commitment to made by our regulators in the face of a National Study on the Health and Wellness of Legal Professionals in Canada, which shows a crisis, particularly for those of us with disabilities, together with 1/4 having contemplated ***de?

It does not add up. Canadian Lawyer

***deprevention

….

“One learned not to ask for accommodations or display any perceived weaknesses; suppress your right to live with authenticity.”

“I am frustrated by how often disability remains absent from EDI conversations within the legal profession and broader sectors; it would appear one forgets that disability is a form of diversity.”

“Many conversations I have had with lawyers with disabilities reinforce the challenges that plague us within the profession: rampant ableism that excludes us from job opportunities, the prevalence of tokenism, the lack of understanding about accommodation supports, the pressure to achieve billable-hour targets when our disability may slow us down, and on it goes.”

The new Canadian Association of Lawyers with Disabilities aims for better inclusion

12/19/2022

“If people in the practice of law try to make you feel small, they may be addressing their own insecurities.”

Couldn’t agree more. It’s just bad advocacy and generally indicative of a not confident in either of or both: 1. Their skills and knowledge of the law 2. Their client’s case.

It’s ineffective and unhelpful lawyering all around. It’s everything wrong with the today. Great share!

12/19/2022

“I was prepared to be traumatized. It’s a part of the job that’s inevitable and I knew this. But I was not prepared for the backstabbing, bullying, narcissism, nepotism and unethical labour practices that came with the role. I was not prepared for the moral injury I’m enduring. I can say the bullet from the perp would have hurt a helluva lot less than this, I’m sure.”

So well summarized! While I’m a and not a police officer, I agree with all of this and see many concerning parallels between our two important professions.

Like you in policing, I knew the practice of law came with inevitable stress and demands. Also like you in policing, I necessarily accepted that but was not prepared for the retaliation, trauma, bullying, harassment, discrimination and downright unethical practices so ingrained in the , that no law school prepares young lawyers for.

I’m with you ✊🏼

12/19/2022

Whether in criminal law or in administrative matters, there is a strong basis to suggest a two-tiered justice system in Canada.

It’s not right. We have police convicted of serious criminal conduct escaping jail time entirely. On the administrative side, we have connected professionals guilty of serious financial impropriety and other disbarrable offences escaping sanctioning by our regulators altogether.

Seriously? That’s in the public interest? Who’s defining the “public interest”? Clearly, the public isn’t being consulted. Double-standards on double-standards.



……

“Police officers have for too long benefited from lenient punishments when they are convicted of crimes and it's eroding public trust in Canada that justice will be done.”

"Police officer offenders have historically received lenient sentences which no longer reflect societal values about the inherent harm when they exploit the authority bestowed on them.”

"They evidence a two-tiered justice system which treats offenders of means and good community standing differently.”

"It is inconceivable that a civilian offender in similar circumstances would receive such a lenient sentence.”

Police officers have for too long benefited from lenient punishments when they are convicted of crimes and it’s eroding public trust in Canada that justice will be done, according to Manitoba Crown prosecutors.