35 Years, 35 Voices: Meet Mary-Anne Strong, OTLA President
35 Years, 35 Voices highlights the members who have contributed to the Ontario Trial Lawyers Associations (OTLA) growth, strengthened access to justice and supported a collaborative plaintiff-side community across Ontario over the past 35 years.
Meet Mary-Anne Strong, OTLA President and member since 2012.
Member Profile
Name: Mary-Anne Strong
Firm: Beckett Personal Injury Lawyers
Year called to the bar: 2002
Joined OTLA: 2012
We asked Mary-Anne to reflect on her time with OTLA, the role the association has played in her career and what being part of the OTLA community means to her.
What motivated you to join OTLA?
I joined OTLA to gain access to top notch CLE. When I joined in 2012, OTLA was known as an organization where they shared their tips and strategies for successful trials. I wanted that knowledge, access to the CLE and to the members. I wanted to better my practice. Defence lawyers were openly frustrated that OTLA members were sharing strategies with each other. The strategies were working and I wanted this advantage too.
If you’ve been a member for more than five years, what has inspired you to renew your membership?
Through my role on the Board, I have been part of many meetings with the government. It has become increasingly clear to me that OTLA has a major role to play in advocating with the government for fair laws and for access to justice. While CLE and the listserve have always been extremely important services for me, I am inspired by OTLA’s advocacy role. OTLA has become an organization that the government wants to talk to about important issues. Being part of this work and knowing our Board will keep pushing for change is inspiring.
Do you have a memorable OTLA moment or story you’d like to share?
Before my last LAT hearing I had consulted with several OTLA members about their experiences in front of adjudicators. This was immensely helpful in my preparation. But what was unexpected was the support that I had after hours, the members who checked in to see how the evidence went during the day and the members that were answering text messages and emails during my hearings. On the issue of dealing with admissibility of insurer experts I had a member in real time texting me arguments as they were being updated. They were just as invested in the issue as I was. The power of having an entire team of lawyers behind you while in court or in a hearing is invaluable. Similarly, as I prepared for my last trial, one member sent me her entire precedent file with all her Statements of Law she had prepared for her trial. Again, having this team of lawyers behind you just makes us better lawyers.
What is something you learned at an OTLA event that you still use in your practice today?
One thing I’ve learned while being an OTLA member is the importance of setting client expectations. This includes good client communication, ensuring clients understand their own case and the difficulties, as well as the positives.
Have you made any meaningful professional connections through OTLA? If so, who or in what way?
As an OTLA member, colleagues have become friends. The more time we spent together at conferences we began to connect more often. I have good colleagues that I can call upon in Windsor, London, Toronto and Ottawa should I ever need assistance with any legal problem. Through my work on the Board I developed closer relationships with colleagues and past presidents. This support has been invaluable. The other connections I have made are with experts for my files. The engineer I often use on cases, I was introduced to through OTLA conferences. These conferences have also introduced me to experts for CAT assessments which I have used many times.
How has OTLA influenced your practice or contributed to your career growth?
I can confidently say OTLA has strengthened my practice and advanced my career through the CLE programs I’ve attended and the ongoing support through the listserve resulting in better outcomes for my clients. Learning from more senior lawyers and hearing how other lawyers have dealt with challenging files has helped me grow as a lawyer. Staying on top of the law with regular updates and reading discussions on the listserve has given me important insights to use in my cases. Getting better results for clients helps to build our reputations and advance our careers.
What advice would you give to new OTLA members or lawyers just starting out?
Get involved! Attend conferences, volunteer to be on a committee and meet other members. Foster those new relationships so you have the support that you need as your career advances. You too can have people lined up behind you (at least through text and email) while you are running a hearing or a trial. Be that support for someone else. Share your knowledge and be prepared to learn from others.
What does being part of the OTLA community mean to you?
To me, OTLA is about supporting each other and sharing knowledge. It is our tradition and really how we started, as I understand it. Personal injury lawyers banded together and formed a group to share ideas, strategies and knowledge, even though they were competitors. They did this for the greater good: better client results for injured people and to help each other. Over the years this role has expanded. We are now an organization that the court wishes to hear from as a collective group on legal issues. We are known for advancing interests of access to justice and fairness with both the government and the courts. Being part of the OTLA community now means I know that there is a voice at the table with government and the courts through interventions, advancing our collective goals.