Yavar Hameed
Bencher Candidate – East Region (Ottawa)
We are in a significant moment in the history of the profession. We have an articling crisis that persists, and an uncertain licensing reform set to begin. The pressures are shifting in the way we work as lawyers, especially at the sole practice level. There is a significant need to encourage a more diverse and inclusive profession, and to address the continuing barriers to access for lawyers and clients in our profession. It's at this juncture that we need leadership and progressive ideas to address these challenges.
I am running as Bencher to confront these challenges in a forward thinking and action oriented manner.
- As a racialized lawyer, I am thoroughly supportive of the LSO’s statement of principles initiative. I believe in working towards an equitable profession that espouses the values of diversity, inclusion, and justice.
- As a member of the Access to Justice Coalition, a2justice.ca, I have actively pushed for forward-thinking licensing reforms that are cognizant of the realities facing lawyer candidates. Our system of licensing must be reformed in a way that is responsive to change, that reflects the needs of our clients, and that permits access to justice. I am motivated to change the over-bureaucratization of the LSO by seeking transparency on costs, licensing statistics and committee reporting.
- As a sole practitioner, I have experience facing the challenges in delivering responsive legal services that considers both individual rights and interests of clients and systemic political and social barriers that create and reproduce social inequities.
I bring a wealth of experience practicing constitutional and human rights law for over 18 years as a sole practitioner. I have also been privileged to be part of the Access to Justice Coalition, a2justice.ca, for the last five years, which has engaged in consultative processes with the LSO as well as like-minded groups of lawyers, law students, articling students and community members on key issues. I campaigned for Bencher four years ago on a platform to encourage a voice for new lawyers within the profession and I am stepping up again in 2019 to continue pushing for meaningful change.
Check out the Law Times questionnaire here: https://bencherelection.lawtimesnews.com/article/yavar-hameed-13682/
Endorsements
Don Bayne
Ottawa Criminal Defense Lawyer
I endorse Yavar for bencher because I believe he has a genuine commitment to human rights. We need more diversity in view and experience among benchers, which I believe Yavar represents.
Paul Champ
Ottawa Human Rights Lawyer
Yavar has been a great mentor to countless law students and thinks and cares about what it means to practice law. We need more benchers like Yavar who are thinking about the future of law and those who practice it.
David Wiseman
I support Yavar because he is a deeply committed and hard-working advocate for advancing access to justice and equality across the spectrum of legal services, the legal profession and legal education. Yavar can contribute urgently needed perspective, experience and expertise to the Law Society, as well as a proven track record of constructive and collaborative engagement.
Amy Kishek
Yavar Hameed is a tireless advocate for issues of equity access to justice. I have had the pleasure of working alongside him, and know him to be a lawyer of great integrity and conviction. His many years of service to the public, and to the legal community speak volumes about his qualifications as a candidate for Bencher.
Lawrence Greenspon
I believe Yavar Hameed would represent those many lawyers amongst us who live and practice the values of diversity and inclusion in the pursuit of justice because that is who he is.
Silmy Abdullah
In my capacity as a lawyer working in the area of promoting social justice, I have had the honour of working with Yavar in numerous capacities over the years. I have no doubt that Yavar's deep commitment to and stellar record in the promotion of human rights and equality will be an asset to our profession.