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Contact: Joy Casey Phone: 416-368-3847 E-mail: info@acalltoactioncanada.com |
Suite 1104 20 Adelaide St. East Toronto, ON M5C 2T6 |
A CALL TO ACTION CANADA |
P R E S S R E L E A S E
Corporate Counsels to take Action on Law Firm Diversity at Toronto Summit November 19
Law departments urged to terminate relationships with firms that show no interest, or lack of compliance – in support of their commitment to legal diversity
(Toronto,
ON) November 18, 2009: Managing
partners of several Toronto-based law firms, and senior legal officers of several
major global corporations, will congregate on November 19th, in
support of A Call to Action Canada's initiative, Promoting Diversity in the Legal Profession. Beginning at 8:30 AM, the summit will
be taking place at the The University Club of
Toronto, 380 University Avenue.
This event is being
held "in an effort to promote diversity in law firms, and encourage legal
practitioners to raise the bar and change the way business is conducted," says
Joy Casey, a Lawyer and founder of A Call to Action Canada. "We intend to
actively seek out opportunities to direct work to firms which are controlled
by, or have a substantial number of partners who are women or minorities."
The mission of A Call to Action Canada
is straightforward – to provide a forum designed to support in-house
counsel in taking leadership roles to advance diversity and inclusiveness.
The commitment of
this group is exemplary, as their message is demonstrated by their mandate; to
terminate relationships with outside law firms which show a lack of interest or
commitment to being diverse and inclusive.
Delegates participating in this event include representatives from corporations
such as Accenture, Dell, Dupont, and RBC, in addition to representation from
prominent law firms, which include Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP, Fraser Milner and Heenan Blaike LLP,
and others. Other participating organizations
include The Canadian Aboriginal and Minority Supplier Council, CAMSC; an
organization that facilitates procurement opportunities between major
corporations and aboriginal and minority suppliers.
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