During the early years of her career, Lori Anne Thomas would sit near the front of the courtroom, only to be told to move by court staff as the area was reserved for lawyers. Except she is one. âIâve heard more than enough times, âYou donât look like a lawyer.â I know exactly what that means, which is that Iâm not a tall, white man,â said Thomas, a Toronto lawyer who specializes in criminal law and who recently became president of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers. âIt hits at you and just on top of dealing with everything else, being a recent call (to the bar), trying to figure out how to do everything and navigate the legal community and also build a practice, to then also have that obstacle of being constantly reminded that youâre kind of not expected to be here.âThomasâs story is one shared by other female lawyers and lawyers of colour, some of whom have been mistaken in courtrooms and other legal settings for assistants, interpreters and even an accused person. Toronto criminal defence lawyer Janani Shanmuganathan said sheâs been mistaken several times for a Tamil interpreter at the Scarborough courthouse, where staff or a Crown attorney will approach her in the hallway telling her sheâs needed in a courtroom.Other times, staff will approach her in the courtroom, even though sheâs seated in the reserved area for lawyers. âI donât think people are saying that to be mean or in a negative way, but I think the gut reaction for people is that I donât fit the stereotype of who they think a lawyer should be,â she said. âItâs very frustrating and sad. Iâm a child of immigrants. Iâm the first lawyer in my family. I worked really hard to get to where I am. Itâs unfortunate that I have to constantly be demanding my space and the right to be recognized for the lawyer that I am. Itâs disheartening.â According to th ...
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