OBA Foundation awards two fellowships for 2016-17 term

The Ontario Bar Association (OBA) Foundation has awarded two fellowships for the 2016-17 term, says Toronto business lawyer and OBA Foundation Trustee Anton Katz.

In addition to his trustee work with the OBA Foundation, Katz is the lead administrator of the fellowship program, which includes the OBA Foundation Chief Justice of Ontario Fellowship in Research and the OBA Foundation Chief Justice of Ontario Fellowship in Legal Ethics and Professionalism Studies.

The Fellowship in Legal Ethics and Professionalism Studies was awarded to litigator Paul Michell for his proposed research on the ethical consequences of disaggregation in the legal practice. Professor Alain Roussy was awarded the Fellowship in Research for his proposed analysis of the history and adequacy of Rules 3.2-2A and 3.2-2B (Language Rights) of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

“The committee reviewed applications and written submissions for both awards over the summer and we awarded $5,000 for the Fellowship in Research and $15,000 for the Fellowship in Legal Ethics and Professionalism Studies,” Katz tells AdvocateDaily.com.

Katz explains the awarded funds are put towards the fellowship recipient’s expenses, which can include the costs of hiring one or more student researchers, travel expenses, purchase of research materials, and research and administrative costs.

“Any unused funds at the end of the fellowship term are to be set aside for travel expenses for presentation of the research, for a period of two years,” Katz says.

“Any unused funds after that two-year period go back into the foundation.” Established in 1987, the OBA Foundation is the charitable arm of the OBA and works to promote legal education and advance innovative research with the goal of improving the justice system.

The purpose of the fellowships, Katz says, is to:

• encourage scholarship in the academic discipline of legal ethics and professionalism in Canadian universities and colleges;
• continue the development of Canadian materials on legal ethics and professionalism in the practice of law;
• promulgate the principles of professionalism to the practising bar at continuing education conferences; and
• commission keynote speakers for continuing education conferences on legal
  ethics and professionalism.

The term of each fellowship runs from September 1, 2016 to June 30, 2017.

Although it’s early days, Katz welcomes future applications for the 2017-2018 term.

“The OBA Foundation encourages future applications,” he says. “Once again, we’ll be seeking applications and interested parties can go to the website to learn more about the terms of reference.”