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 Sandra DiMeo, member since 2009.
Member Profile
Name: Sandra DiMeo
Firm: Ferguson DiMeo Law
Year called to the bar: 2001
Joined OTLA: 2009
We asked Sandra 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?
At the time, I was working at another firm and I had only been practicing for about five years. The partner that I worked for suggested that I join OTLA because it was an organization that offered quality CPD programming in personal injury.
If you’ve been a member for more than five years, what has inspired you to renew your membership?
OTLA has increased my pool of resources in my personal injury practice a hundredfold. As a lawyer at a small firm initially, and now as a sole practitioner for the last 15 years, I know that I have an immense number of highly skilled lawyers that I can learn from and bounce ideas and strategies off of.
Do you have a memorable OTLA moment or story you’d like to share?
I have nothing specific, except that I am humbled by the number of members over the years that have been willing to take the time to help me work through a troubling issue on a file whether its during the workday or after hours.
What is something you learned at an OTLA event that you still use in your practice today?
I still use many of the precedents that have been included in the OTLA conference materials over the years.
How has OTLA influenced your practice or contributed to your career growth?
Simply put, I believe OTLA has made me a better lawyer. I enjoy challenging, complex files, particularly those that present an opportunity to remedy an inequity. That being said, I don’t always have all the answers to the problems that arise on a difficult file and, as a sole practitioner, I don’t have the luxury of sitting down with a colleague to talk things through. OTLA has been that resource for me. It has also made me more mindful of reaching out when I think I can help a colleague who is struggling with a similar issue, and I do.
