Disability and the Law - SAVE THE DATE!
Some families have reached out to us seeking support for their family member who unfortunately has become entangled with the justice system. After some research and reaching out, we are very excited about these guest speakers and topic. We hope that many of you will join us for this one so I am sending this out for you to SAVE THE DATE! Tuesday February 11 - 7:00 - 8:30 pm. It's never too early or too late to learn.
The two weeks following, Tuesday February 25th will be our Virtual Paint Night for those who pre registered. Registration is now FULL.
Zoom links for the events will be sent closer to the date.
S & C
Title: Supporting the Legal Rights of Youth with Special Needs Navigating the Education and Criminal Justice Systems
Description:
Join lawyers from one of the province’s specialty community legal clinics, Justice for Children and Youth (“JFCY”), as they discuss the services they provide directly to children, young people, and, in some cases, their parents.
Allison and Claire will discuss the nature of the solicitor-client relationship when their clients have special needs and the role of parents and caregivers, as well as the substantive rights of children and youth with special needs in the education and criminal justice contexts. The lawyers will also seek to identify supportive resources and potential referrals for families who find themselves caught up in these systems.
Bios:
Claire Millgate (she/her), B.A., L.L.B. is the Street Youth Legal Services (SYLS) lawyer at JFCY, Claire provides advice and representation to youth aged 16 to 25 years old who are homeless or unstably housed. Each week she visits shelters in and around Toronto, providing advice and legal assistance to vulnerable young people. She also provides workshops to youth and engages broadly with sector stakeholders to address youth homelessness and justice issues. Claire began her work with JFCY as the intake lawyer in 2017-18. In June 2018 she returned to JFCY and has been in the SYLS role since September 2019. Claire has experience in all areas of youth law, including youth criminal justice, child protection, education, human rights, mental health and immigration. Prior to joining JFCY, Claire was an associate at a family law firm, where her work focused on the intersection of family and Indigenous law in child protection matters. Claire was called to the bar in both Ontario and her home jurisdiction of New South Wales, Australia in 2015.
Allison P. Williams (she/her), B.A. (Hons.), M.A., J.D. is a Community Development and Litigation Lawyer at JFCY. Her practice involves providing summary advice, referrals and direct representation to children and young people, often with complex and intersecting legal issues, as well as delivering public legal education and participating in law reform and test case litigation.
Allison originally hails from Emo, Ontario and she attended Osgoode Hall Law School after completing a BA from Queen’s University and an MA from the University of Toronto. While at Osgoode, Allison received an Ian Scott Public Interest Fellowship and spent a summer working for the Grand Council Treaty # 3 Women’s Council. Allison articled at the Office of the Children’s Lawyer before being called to the bar in Ontario in 2016. Prior to joining JFCY, Allison spent several years working at a small firm practicing primarily immigration and refugee law, administrative law, and family law. In her spare time, Allison volunteers as President of the Queen’s University Alumni Association, and she sits as a member of the OBA Child and Youth Law Section Executive Committee.