Speakers
Our programs feature leading educators and practitioners who combine expertise with lived experience.
Our programs feature leading educators and practitioners who combine expertise with lived experience.
Orlando Da Silva, LSM, is the Chief Executive Officer of the Administrative Tribunals Support Service of Canada, leading a national organization that supports 12 federal tribunals. A former Senior Crown Counsel with Ontario’s Serious Fraud Office, past partner at a national firm, former President of the Ontario Bar Association and an elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, Orlando has spent his career navigating high-stakes disputes where law, business and the public interest collide. His leadership is defined by integrity, candour, and an ability to build trust across polarized environments—designing psychologically safe workplaces, modernizing service, and making values-based decisions when the facts are messy and the scrutiny is intense. A recipient of the Law Society Medal and one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential, he is also a leading voice on mental health in the profession, sharing his lived experience to reduce stigma and equip leaders to respond with courage and compassion.
The Honourable Harry S. LaForme is Anishinaabe and a member of the Mississauga of the Credit First Nation. Harry LaForme graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School, built a distinguished career in Indigenous, constitutional, and Charter law, and appeared before every level of court in Canada while also representing Indigenous interests internationally.He served in key national roles, including co-chair of the National Chiefs Task Force on Native Land Claims, Chief Commissioner of the Indian Commission of Ontario, and Chair of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Land Claims. In 1994, he was appointed to the Superior Court of Justice, and in 2004, he became the first Indigenous judge in Canadian history to sit on an appellate court.Harry authored landmark decisions in criminal, Indigenous, and constitutional law, including the equal marriage decision in Halpern. He briefly served as Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and has contributed to national bodies, including the Rhodes Scholarship selection committee.After retiring from the Court of Appeal in 2018, Harry returned to practice as Senior Counsel at Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP. In 2021 he led national consultations on wrongful convictions, delivering key recommendations for the creation of an independent miscarriage-of-justice commission.Harry has been recognized with the Indigenous Peoples’ Counsel designation, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, honorary doctorates, multiple Eagle Feathers, and appointment as an Officer of the Order of Canada. He continues to write, speak, and advocate on Indigenous law, constitutional rights, human rights, and justice reform.
Carol Hansell leads the Hansell McLaughlin Advisory Group, delivering integrated legal, governance, government relations and communications advice. Over her more than 30 years in practice, she has led major transactions for public and private corporations and governments. She is regularly engaged in connection with special committee mandates, board investigations, governance design and reviews and shareholder engagement matters. Carol has served on boards of organizations across a variety of sectors – public companies, Crown corporations, financial institutions, healthcare, not-for-profit and arts organizations. She is a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors, the American College of Governance Counsel, the Canadian Investor Relations Institute and the recipient of a number of awards and recognitions. She received an Honourary Doctorate from York University in recognition of her work in the governance field. She is the author of the best selling Corporate Governance for Directors (now in its 3rd Edition) and the co-author with Hemant Sud of Board Evaluations.
Mark Sandler, LL.B., LL.D. (honoris causa) is widely recognized as one of Canada’s leading criminal lawyers and pro bono advocates. He has been involved in combatting antisemitism and other forms of hatred for over 40 years. He has lectured extensively on legal remedies to combat hate, trained police and prosecutors on hate crimes, and has promoted respectful Muslim-Jewish, Sikh-Jewish and Black-Jewish dialogues. In 2004, he created a National Respectful Dialogue initiative for Canada’s legal profession, inspired by a joint statement of the Muslim and Jewish Law Students Associations at University of Ottawa. He has appeared before Parliamentary committees and in the Supreme Court of Canada on multiple occasions on issues relating to antisemitism and hate activities. He is a former member of the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, a three-time elected Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario, and recipient of the criminal profession’s highest honour, the G. Arthur Martin Medal, for his contributions to the administration of criminal justice. In 2025, he received the Toronto Lawyers Association Award of Distinction for his lifetime contributions to the integrity and worth of the law. He is currently the founder and Chair of the Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism (ALCCA), a diverse coalition of 65+ community organizations and groups that collaboratively address antisemitism through advocacy, education and respectful dialogue. Visit the ALCCA website to subscribe to keep up-to-date on all ALCCA initiatives: www.alcca.ca.