Treasurers of the LSO: from Paul Schabas '84 to Malcolm Mercer '82

One alumnus of U of T Law has handed over the reins to another as treasurer of the Law Society of Ontario. The treasurer is the top elected official of the Law Society, which regulates Ontario’s lawyers and paralegals in the public interest.

Paul Schabas '84 wrapped up his two-year term as Treasurer on June 28, 2018. In a farewell article in the Law Society of Ontario Gazette, he reviewed the accomplishments and challenges of those years. He concludes:

It has been a privilege to have led the Law Society for these past two years. They have been years of much activity, along with some controversy. We have been asking hard questions and confronting difficult issues, as we must, in an era of change. Ontario continues to grow, and become more diverse. Technological change is affecting everyone, including the legal professions. We need to be ready for fundamental shifts in how legal services are accessed and delivered. I believe the steps we have taken in the past couple of years will help ensure that readiness.

• Read the full article in the Gazette.

On June 28, the benchers of the Law Society chose alumnus Malcolm M. Mercer '82 as the new Treasurer.

A partner with McCarthy Tétrault’s Litigation Group, Mercer has been practising for 30 years and currently focuses on commercial and corporate matters and professional negligence. He also acts as the firm’s General Counsel and is the former co-leader of its National Litigation Practice.

Mercer was first elected as a Bencher in 2011 and was re-elected in 2015. He has chaired the Law Society’s Advertising and Fee Arrangements Issues Working Group and served as Vice-Chair for the Professional Regulation Committee and the Alternative Business Structures Working Group, along with many other roles on committees of the LSO and with other associations. In 2013, he was recognized by the Canadian Bar Association with the prestigious Louis St. Laurent award. He is a director of Pro Bono Law Ontario and the Victorian Order of Nurses Canada. In 2014, he was voted one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers

• Read the announcement of Malcolm Mercer's election as Treasurer
• Read Malcolm Mercer's full biography