Queen's Law at 50 - A Celebration of Outstanding Women

Photo Credit: Lucy Wells

Madam Justice Jean MacFarland (Law '71), Madam Justice Julie Thorburn (Law '88) and Gillian Slaughter (Law '01), panelists for the Celebration of Outstanding Women Symposium at the University Club on March 8, 2007.

Students, faculty, and alumni congregated in the University Club Ballroom on March 8th 2007, International Women's Day, to celebrate the successes of women in the practice of law. Hosted by the Queen's Women in Law Association, the Celebration of Outstanding Women Symposium highlighted recent accomplishments of women in the legal field and brought attention to the important roles women hold in the professional arena.

The Symposium started with an open panel discussion, followed by a reception in the banquet hall. The evening's panel consisted of three distinguished speakers: Madam Justice Jean MacFarland, Madam Justice Julie Thorburn, and Gillian Slaughter. In turn, each accomplished woman rose to the podium and addressed a captivated crowd.

Aislinn Reid, Vickie Iacobellis and Lucy Wells, three Law ‘08 members of the Women in Law Executive, were overwhelmed with the student response to the evening. "It was a great success!" said Aislinn. "There were a significant number of alumni, faculty and students in attendance. The speakers were really well received, I think, particularly the level of candour with which they delivered their remarks."

The first speaker of the night was Madam Justice Jean MacFarland, Law ‘71. Madam Justice MacFarland was appointed to the Superior Court of Justice of Ontario in 1987; prior to her appointment, she practiced in litigation with Smiley, Allingham, MacFarland & Stortini. At the Symposium, she spoke of the history and evolution of woman in the legal profession, with a particular focus on the importance of the emotional and personal components that women can bring to the practice of law. "Madam Justice MacFarland set the stage for the whole event," said Aislinn, "[She] stressed the importance of the human element of the justice system, and the need for our recognition of it."

Vickie was also impressed with Madam Justice MacFarland's emphasis on the human element in the practice of law. "Madam Justice MacFarland reminded us that being in law is not merely about the academic aspect - but that we have to always remember that we are dealing with real life, real people, and real issues," said Vickie, "It made me reflect on the importance of having women in the legal profession - women who can bring their unique experiences, sensitivities, and perspectives to the profession."

The second speaker of the night was Madam Justice Julie Thorburn, Law ‘88, who was appointed to the Ontario Superior Court in the spring of 2006. Madam Justice Thorburn received her Baccalauréat en Interpretation Chant (magna cum laude) in 1985 from l'Université de Montréal. She gave a talk emphasizing the value of different approaches to lawyering and provided a frank account of the realities of gender in law.

"Madam Justice Thorburn inspired change in us," said Lucy. "She openly talked about the challenges that will face this generation of women in law and how we, together, can overcome them."

The final speaker on the panel was Gillian Slaughter, Law ‘01. An associate at McCarthy Tétrault LLP in Toronto, she recently completed a leave of absence to act as the Senior Advisor on Women's Issues to the Minister Responsible for Women's Issues for the Province of Ontario. Ms. Slaughter's talk focused predominantly on the work she did with the Minister; under the Minister's leadership, she helped create and implement the Domestic Violence Action Plan, a comprehensive plan that emphasizes community supports, public education, training for front-line workers and improvements to the justice system to help abused women and their children.

Aislinn was particularly impressed with the work of Ms. Slaughter. "As a younger alumna, Gillian Slaughter really inspired [me] with her extensive achievements and her efforts to improve Ontario's action plan against domestic violence," said Aislinn.

Taken together, the three speeches shared common threads that accurately portrayed the issues facing women in the practice of law today. Lucy found the speeches had a personal impact on her perspectives of women in law. "After writing a paper for Legal Ethics last term on the rate of attrition of women from the legal profession, I found it interesting that all the speakers touched on this issue," said Lucy, "It is perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing the legal profession today... It was encouraging to hear the speakers talk optimistically about their hopes that this will change as new lawyers with new perspectives, in particular with a focus on the need for work life balance, enter the profession."

In all, the symposium had its desired effect - it left those in attendance thinking about the plethora of issues that face women in the legal field. It also left hanging in the air the possibility of change. As Vickie stated, "[They] inspired the young women in the room to never be complacent or settle with the status quo. [They] inspired us to be the best we can be, in order to stand out and take the lead in our careers."

This event was supported by a Grant from the Law Foundation of Ontario.