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The Hamilton Law Association

The Association’s affairs are governed by trustees and officers who ensure that Association undertakings are within the mandate and in the best interests of our legal community. The many valued volunteers who are members of the numerous committees within the structure of the HLA strive to represent our membership consistently and effectively. The Anthony Pepe Memorial Law Library, operated within the scope of the HLA, is one of the largest law libraries in Ontario and houses over 30,000 volumes.

The Hamilton Law Association continues to strive to educate and support its membership in the practice of law as well as to advocate for their interests as lawyers...

The staff of the Hamilton Law Association (HLA) Library cannot provide legal advice or research to members of the public directly. The HLA Library is a private library for the use of its members, and members of the Law Society of Ontario only. For information on finding legal help in Ontario please try the Bora Laskin Law Library's Guide to Finding Legal Help in Ontario, or to search for a lawyer practising in the Hamilton area try the HLA Find a Lawyer page.

This Web site is not intended to provide legal advice. It is intended to supply general information to our members. The information contained and distributed on this site does not contain any legal opinions and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Hamilton Law Association.

The Hamilton Law Association supports and stands with Hamilton lawyers and paralegals in the call to end all forms of systemic racism and racial discrimination.

https://lso.ca/about-lso/initiatives/edi

HLA News

Lawyers Who Care 2021/2022

2020 Annual Report

Re-Opening Ontario: A Flexible Response to COVID-19 Act, 2020

COVID News - Master List

HLA Statement on Library Funding

Notices to the Profession & COVID-19

November 03 | Notice to the Profession - Mediation Initiatives and Conference Adjournments

August 12 | NOTICE TO THE PROFESSION: SCJ – Hamilton-Sopinka Local Administrative Directive to the Criminal Bar

July 26 | FOLA to MAG RE: E-Filing

June 22 | NOTICE TO THE PROFESSION RE: PRELIMINARY INQUIRIES AND FOCUS HEARINGS IN THE HAMILTON OCJ AS OF JULY

April 20 | NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC and PROFESSION EFFECTIVE APRIL 19, 2022

HLA Statement on Library Funding

On October 15^th, Treasurer Donnelly attended our Board of Trustees meeting. Treasurer Donnelly has shown herself to be a supporter of courthouse libraries and law associations in Ontario, believing in their importance to the profession and the public of Ontario. Treasurer Donnelly’s attendance was greatly appreciated by our Board, and we would like to thank her for attending.

At Convocation that took place on October 28^th, 2021, The Law Society of Ontario approved the Legal Information and Resource Network 2022 budget as submitted by the LiRN Board. The approved budget reinstated The Hamilton Law Association grant at the 2020 grant amount, plus an additional five percent increase. This is wonderful news for the HLA that will have a significant, positive impact on our staffing and collection for the 2022 year.

We would like to thank Treasurer Teresa Donnelly and Convocation for reinstating our grant and the appreciated increase, which will enable us to better serve the lawyers of Hamilton. Additionally, we would also like to thank our Regional Bencher, Andrew Spurgeon, who spoke eloquently and in-favor of reinstating the LiRN funding.

We look forward to maintaining our high level of service and support to our membership and the Hamilton law community at large.

Message from the President

Welcome back to the fall session of the calendar. I hope you all enjoyed your summer, which seemed to be a lot more normal than the last few we’ve experienced. It was refreshing to have social interactions and vacation time away again. Life at the Association generally moves at a more relaxed pace in the summer months, following the rhythm of the courts, which accommodate the summer holiday season of the judiciary, lawyers, staff and litigants. Even at this abbreviated rate, the Association has noticed an increase in foot traffic at its premises on the 5th floor of the courthouse, and we hope and anticipate that this will continue to rise to usual patterns as the traffic in the courts increases. In the fall, when you will be reading this report, activity should have picked up considerably.

The Association looks a lot different from the way it looked before the lockdown. The staff has been reduced by almost 50%, which includes the retirement of one of our long-time employees, Wendy Spearing, who well earned her retirement. Since my last report we commemorated two senior members of the bar that passed, the Honourable George Yates and Earl Cranfield, both of whom will be missed...

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