The CHBA is very proud to endorse Jayashree Goswami and CHBA member, Isfahan Merali, for the Law Society of Ontario's upcoming Bencher Election (Voting opens mid-April 2019 and ends on April 30, 2019).They are running on a joint campaign. Isfahan is an incumbent Bencher in the Toronto Region, who is championing Jayashree's campaign as a new Bencher candidate.For more information about the Law Society of Ontario's 2019 Bencher Election, please visit: https://lso.ca/about-lso/governance/bencher-election-2019
Isfahan MeraliIsfahan is Tribunal Counsel for the Consent & Capacity Board of Ontario and was called to the bar in 1997. She has advocated for progressive changes at the Law Society of Ontario (LSO). This includes her work on Challenges Facing Racialized Licensees, her leadership as Vice-Chair of the Equity and Indigenous Affairs Committee, her active role on the Indigenous Review Panel, her commitment and work on the Mental Health Working Group and Task Forces, and her role as Chair of the Tribunal Committee, which has successfully worked on developing and implementing initiatives to increase the independence and professionalism of the Tribunal.Isfahan is a Bencher who is deeply committed to equity, diversity and inclusion, and has a demonstrated track record on these issues. She sat on the LSO's Equity Advisory Group for 6 years prior to becoming a Bencher in 2015. She has practiced human rights and mental health law for the past 23 year years and is currently the Vice-Chair of the Equity and Indigenous Affairs Committee, where she has been leading the implementation of the Inclusion Index and working on implementation of the Challenges Facing Racialized Licensees. She has sat on all the Mental Health Working Groups and Task Forces, including the current one that will look at proactive initiatives on mental health and well-being. She was also one of the few Benchers who sat on the Indigenous Review Panel is also Chair of the Tribunal Committee, which is working on modernizing the Tribunal and ensuring fair, flexible and independent Tribunal processes to advance the public interest.For more information about Isfahan's campaign, please visit: www.isfahanmerali.comJayashree GoswamiJayashree Goswami is Senior Counsel at Intact Financial Corporation in Toronto. She was called to the Bar in 2007 and worked as a litigator at a national law firm for several years before moving to an in-house position. Jayashree is experienced in commercial and insurance defence litigation and has appeared before all levels of court in Ontario. In her current role, she is a member of one of Toronto’s largest in-house litigation departments.Over the last 12 years, Jayashree has built a solid reputation as a community leader, social advocate and progressive thinker. In 2014, Jayashree was awarded the Leading Women, Building Communities Award by the Government of Ontario recognizing her for her volunteer work and leadership in law. Jayashree is the immediate past Chair of the Roundtable of Diversity Associations (RODA) (2016-2018), past President of the South Asian Bar Association, Toronto (2013-2015), past Vice-Chair of the Ontario Bar Association’s Equality Committee (2016-2017) and past director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (2015-2017). In March 2017, Jayashree was appointed to Anti-Racism Strategic Plan Consultation Group of the Anti-Racism Directorate by the Government of Ontario.From her first days as a lawyer, Jayashree has worked closely with the Law Society of Ontario on equity and diversity initiatives. As a new lawyer, Jayashree became the first representative of the South Asian Bar Association, Toronto on the Equity Advisory Group at the LSO. Over the last decade, she has represented community bar associations at the EAG and the Treasurer’s Liaison Group at the LSO. Jayashree is currently a member of the Treasurer’s Roundtable of Corporate Counsel.For more information about Jayashree's campaign, please visit: www.jayashreegoswami.com