Women in Law: Leading with Purpose

For more than 135 years, the Toronto Lawyers' Association, located within the Courthouse Library, has represented the interests of lawyers practising in the City of Toronto. The association was founded to support its members in three key areas: Knowledge, Advocacy, and Community. To uphold these pillars, the association offers a year-round mix of online and in-person education programs for lawyers, hosts both free and paid events to foster in-person networking, and submits advocacy pieces on behalf of its members to the Ontario bench and bar, all levels of government, and the broader public.

Faren Bogach started her legal career as a commercial litigator before transitioning to construction and infrastructure law. After becoming a partner at a large firm in Toronto, she founded Construct Legal with a focus on client outcomes rather than the billable hour. As a board member of two not-for-profits involved in affordable housing construction projects, Faren understands the importance of tailoring legal advice to meet client needs and desired outcomes. She has also co-developed Pay Prompt, a software that helps manage prompt payment in Ontario without the need for legal assistance. In addition to her legal work, Faren is involved in the construction industry and has served as a former director of the Canadian Association of Women in Construction. She has also taught the Construction Law course at George Brown and was on the Ontario Bar Association - Construction Law Executive. Faren strives to push the construction industry forward while also balancing family life, explaining to her three children how things are built and saving their school drawings.

Victoria Crewe-Nelson was appointed Vice President, Underwriting & Customer Service and Secretary for the board in 2018. She is responsible for the preparation, placement, and maintenance of reinsurance and corporate insurance. She provides leadership in the analysis of program changes and improvements and ensures adherence to regulatory, program and underwriting requirements. Victoria started at LAWPRO in 2012 as Assistant Vice President, Underwriting. Before joining LAWPRO, Victoria gained experience in practice areas including corporate/commercial, litigation, estates and trusts, real estate, and admiralty law. A past instructor with the Bar Admission Course, Victoria has been published on topics including professional liability, the Limitations Act, class actions, family law and parental responsibility. Victoria was called to the Ontario bar in 2003 after completing a B.A. and LL.B. at the universities of Toronto, Ottawa and Edinburgh.

Jennifer Gold, a partner of the law firm, Wood Gold LLP, and practices family law and wills. By entering into partnership, Jennifer Gold and her partner, Frances Wood, sought to create an alternative to the traditional law firm and thereby achieve work-life balance and a diverse workplace. These efforts were noted by Carol Goar in her article for the Toronto Star entitled, “Women Create Family-Friendly Law Practice”. Jennifer graduated from York University with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in English and Psychology and holds an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Bar in 2002. She is a former member of the Board of Directors for North York Women’s Shelter and has been on the Board of the Women’s Law Association of Ontario since October 2016. She has a keen interest in feminism, equity and diversity issues as well as grassroots advocacy relating to these issues. Jennifer is a 2017 recipient of the Lexpert Zenith Awards celebrating the advancement of women in the legal profession. When Jennifer is not practicing law and managing a law firm, she enjoys spending time with her family (including two kids, a dog and two cats) and singing with a highly competitive barbershop quartet.

Crystal is one of just 15 lawyers in Canada and 49 in the USA recognized as leaders in Litigation (e-Discovery). Heuristica Discovery Counsel LLP also is listed as one of just 51 leading e-Discovery firms in Canada and the USA. Who’s Who Legal has identified the leading private practice lawyers from countries around the world in multiple areas of law since 1996. Their findings are based upon comprehensive, independent research and they pride themselves on their rigorous and independent research process. Only those lawyers receiving the highest number of recommendations from peers and clients are listed in their publications. Who’s Who Legal is published by Law Business Research Ltd. which is an independent UK-based publishing group providing research, analysis and reports on the international legal services marketplace.

Christina Porretta is responsible for leading the legal and compliance function at BDO Canada LLP, including litigation, regulatory compliance, governance, contracts, commercial agreements and transactions, and employment-related issues. As a member of the National Leadership team, she manages all legal affairs and provides strategic legal advice to senior leaders on a full range of matters. Before joining BDO, Christina was a partner in the Advisory Research Group at a global law firm, where she was relied upon for her sophisticated and strategic legal thinking, her thorough analysis and research skills, her collaborative approach and her positive attitude. Christina also previously served as a judicial law clerk at the Federal Court of Appeal for Canada.