Blog
Kim Westfall-Connor has never been afraid to blaze her own trail. After becoming the first member of her family to attend university, she qualified as a registered massage therapist (RMT), before carving out a unique career for herself in health law that includes elements of healthcare governance, professional discipline adjudication… Click to Continue Reading.
Osgoode Professional Development (OsgoodePD) has long been at the forefront of supporting internationally trained lawyers (ITLs) in their journey to success in the Canadian legal landscape. Our commitment to diversity, advocacy, mentorship and empowerment is more than just a statement—it’s a lived experience. This commitment shines brightly in Osgoode’s Internationally… Click to Continue Reading.
Veronica Syrtash could hardly have picked a more consequential moment in music or intellectual property law history when she began her career at the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) in 1999. In June of that year, just a week after Syrtash took up the role, a service known as… Click to Continue Reading.
Alumni SpotlightVeronica Syrtash’s career at the intersection of intellectual property law and music
Enrolling as the lone physician in his cohort on Osgoode’s Professional LLM in Dispute Resolution program was never going to faze Nathan Roth. “It was invigorating to be amongst individuals with such diverse educational backgrounds and life experiences,” says Roth, a seasoned obstetrician and gynecologist with more than 30 years… Click to Continue Reading.
Alumni SpotlightNathan Roth brings dispute resolution expertise to the healthcare industry and beyond
When Hilary Chung was growing up in Cornwall, Ontario, her family’s dinner-table conversation often turned to matters of medicine—not a surprise when you have a doctor for a dad, as she did. But it wasn’t just the nitty-gritty of medical practice she learned about. Her father was a passionate advocate… Click to Continue Reading.
Money isn’t everything when it comes to litigating civil sexual assault claims. For sexual assault survivors dealing not only with the physical and psychological trauma of their experience, but also the societal stigma that comes with it, the simple act of disclosure to a lawyer can be a momentous step,… Click to Continue Reading.
To celebrate International Women’s Day, we’re excited to amplify the voices and experiences of women who have made significant strides in their careers. At Osgoode Professional Development, we had the privilege of interviewing four remarkable female program directors, each with a unique journey and valuable insights to share. What is… Click to Continue Reading.
When Ronda Bessner got her first taste of a public inquiry, she knew it would not be her last. “I was hooked, right from the start,” says Bessner, who took up her original role as senior legal analyst at the Royal Commission on the Blood System in Canada in… Click to Continue Reading.
Instructor ProfileHow Administrative Law LLM Instructor Ronda Bessner Got Hooked on Public Inquiries
OsgoodePD hosted one of the first events of 2024 dedicated to helping Internationally Trained Lawyers in Toronto. On January 11th 2024, OsgoodePD hosted an insightful panel about how internationally trained lawyers can stand out in the recruitment process for Ministry of the Attorney General jobs. The event was well attended by OsgoodePD’s… Click to Continue Reading.
When Ron Friesen first enrolled for the Master’s in Taxation Law, he had no idea that it would take almost two decades to get to his graduation from the program. From his early days as a chartered professional accountant in the 1980s, Friesen had always nurtured an interest in a… Click to Continue Reading.
As part of an academic institution, we’re lucky to have two “new years”: the August/September period when a fresh academic year begins, as well as the new calendar year with its sense of renewal and focus on resolutions. 2023 brought a couple of very special celebrations: the 30th anniversary of… Click to Continue Reading.