How Lawyers Learn Professionalism and Civility in the Legal Workplace
Congratulations to Osgoode Professor Shelley Kierstead ’05 (DJur), Director of Legal Process who is pictured on the far left, and Erika Abner ’78, ‘89 (LLM), an educational consultant in the Postgraduate Medical Education Office at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, on being chosen as the inaugural recipients of the Chief Justice of Ontario Fellowship in Legal Ethics and Professionalism Research for 2011-2012.Their excellent proposal was selected from among eight research fellowship applications and comes with a $15,000 award that will allow them to conduct qualitative exploratory research into how lawyers learn professionalism and civility — essential elements of a professional identity — in the legal workplace.
They plan to conduct focus groups with lawyers from different practice groups, firm sizes and years of call who are located in and outside of Toronto. Their aim is to surface and describe the “hidden curriculum” in law firms: learning through observation, role modeling, mentoring, and personal experiences, rather than through formal curriculum.
Their research findings should provide rich descriptions of how lawyers’ professional identities are shaped. It’s a fascinating research project, one that will no doubt be watched closely by the legal profession. (Erika, incidentally, taught Legal Drafting as an adjunct professor at Osgoode from 1998 to 2003.)
Dan the Marathon Man
Wherever I go, I tell people that Osgoode students are a diverse group of well-rounded and talented individuals who come from various backgrounds and have a variety of interests. Third-year Osgoode student Daniel Fiorini certainly fits that description. Dan, 49, who is married with two teenagers and who worked in the construction industry for many years prior to coming to Osgoode, is a runner.
He ran his first marathon in 2001 as a recreational runner, then began competitive training and racing in 2006 with shorter distances. This summer he competed for Canada in the marathon at the World Masters Athletics Championships in Sacramento, California.
It was his first competitive race at a marathon distance (42.195 kilometres) and the first time he had competed at the international level. He finished first in his age category of 45 to 49 years.
Dan will write his final Osgoode exam on his 50th birthday - April 13, 2012. He tells me he is looking forward to turning 50 and continuing to run competitively “because it means I'll be the young guy in my age group!”
Congratulations to Dan on his gold medal victory!
IMLA Award for Adjunct Professor John Mascarin
Adjunct Professor John Mascarin ‘87, a partner at Aird & Berlis LLP who co-teaches our Land Use Planning course with Kenneth Hare '00, has received the President’s Award for Most Outstanding Associate Member from the International Municipal Lawyers Association (IMLA). He was recognized for his commitment to the pursuit of excellence in local government law and is the first ever Canadian recipient of this award. Congratulations, John!