Judith has practiced family law since her call in 1978, and is a mediator and collaborative lawyer.
Education
Judith wanted to be a lawyer from the age of 3 and her education was focused towards law. She attended University of Toronto and University College in 1971 until 1973 on a Reuben Wells Leonard Trophy and Scholarship she was accepted to Osgoode Hall Law School, (her first choice), after only two years of university. She was 20 years old in law school and when she began law school, only 23% of the first-year students were women. Judith graduated in 1976.
Work & Lecturing Experience
After Judith was called to the bar, she commenced working with small firms for 5 years and, in 1983, she started her own law firm.
Judith taught resolution techniques for the Toronto Superior Court for over 10 years as a volunteer part-time and served as a Director for a charity known as New Directions for many years as well as giving lectures and appearances on radio and television.
Judith also worked on government legislation, both Provincial and Federal by way of changes to the Family Law Act and the Divorce Act, to allow the family courts to assist women in obtaining religious divorces which affected both Muslim and Jewish women in situations where the women were often subject to blackmail or coercion. The issue also affected men in situations where women in the Jewish community would refuse to accept a Jewish Bill of Divorcement (ghett) given to them by their spouse. The legislation closed the door on religious coercion and allowed for religious freedom and the right to remarry.
She is a collaboratively trained lawyer and believes in ADR (Alternate Dispute Resolution) including mediation and Mediation/Arbitration.
She also believes that more senior lawyers must help mentor younger and new lawyers.
Volunteer
She was an appointed Dispute Resolution Officer for the Newmarket/York Region Court for 4 ½ years as a voluntary part-time position.
Memberships
She is a member of the Toronto Lawyers’ Association; the York Region Lawyers Association; Family Lawyer’s Association, the York Collaborative Practice Group and The Advocate Society.