Trailblazers

In conjunction with International Women's Day on March 8th, 2006, the U of T Faculty of Law unveiled a permanent photo exhibit, located outside the Rowell Room in Flavelle House, celebrating 19 remarkable women graduates who are trailblazers in the legal profession.

 The following women are honoured (click to see the full portrait):

Please note that the titles and descriptions that accompany each photograph are dated to March 2006, and will not be updated.

	Rosalie Silberman Abella '70 Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and the first Jewish woman appointed to the court in Canada
	Kirby Chown '79 Ontario Regional Managing Partner, McCarthy Tétrault LLP
	Maureen Kempston Darkes '73 General Motors Group Vice-President, and President GM Latin America, Africa and Middle East
	Jean Fraser '75 Senior Partner, and former Managing Partner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP
	Avvy Yao-Yao Go '89 Clinic Director, Metro Toronto Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic
	Diane Goodman '83 Senior Legal Adviser, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Department of International Protection
	Betty Mayfoon Ho '77 Professor of Law, Tsinghua University Law School
	Nitya Iyer '86 Partner, Heenan Blaikie (Vancouver), Equal Pay Commissioner for the Northwest Territories
	Darlene Johnston '86 Professor of Law, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law First female Aboriginal law student and professor at the U of T Faculty of Law
	Anna Bacon Ker '52 (1930 - 2006) First woman to graduate from the "modern" Faculty of Law at U of T
	Clara Brett Martin 1899 (1874 - 1923) First woman to graduate from the U of T Law School (1899) First woman barrister in Canada and the British Empire
	Ivy Lawrence Maynier '45 (1921 - 1999) First woman of colour to graduate from the U of T Law School
	Patricia Julia Myhal '72 (1944 - 1996) First woman corporate lawyer, and first woman corporate partner, Torys LLP
	Naomi Overend '85 Discipline Counsel, Law Society of Upper Canada; Former Counsel, Ontario Human Rights Commission
	Carol Rogerson '83 Professor of Law, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law
	Pam Shime '95 National Director, Pro Bono Students Canada
	Janet Stubbs '69 Director, Ontario Arts Foundation
	Jean Teillet '94 Partner, Pape Salter Teillet; and Aboriginal rights activist
	Lorraine Weinrib '73 Professor of Law, University of Toronto, Faculty of Law and Department of Political Science

The 19 women in the exhibit were chosen for their very significant accomplishments and contributions to the legal profession, in some cases at a time when there were very few, if any, women role models. The selection committee, comprised of faculty, students, and alumni (both men and women) wanted to choose women from many different facets of the profession who had succeeded in a  variety of ways, some traditional and some very non-traditional. The criteria that the committee took into consideration were significant contributions across a variety of fields and areas of endeavour.  Those chosen include women law graduates from all walks of life who have made significant marks in very different fields--from the academy, the judiciary, the NGO community and the arts to the practice of law in its many different forms. These women are meant to reflect the achievements of all women graduates. The committee recognizes that there are many more women graduates who could have been chosen, but were limited to selection of no more than 19 for space reasons. We hope you will find time to join us at the Faculty for one of our future events and take the opportunity to view the exhibit and read through the biographies.

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