Memories of their legal firsts inspire supervising lawyers Ellen Bessner and Zach Pringle
No matter how many years have passed, “a lawyer never forgets those first few files,” says Ellen Bessner, LLB’87, a partner at Toronto’s Babin Bessner Spry and the author of two bestselling books on risk management for professionals in the financial services industry.
“I remember graduating from Osgoode and hitting the nine-month period after articles when the light bulb went on,” she laughs. “I thought, ‘Oh, so this is how it all fits together.’”
Bessner is now drawing on those experiences and her 32 years as a commercial litigator to help mentor the next generation of Osgoode students working in the Investor Protection Clinic. Joining her as co-supervising lawyer is Zach Pringle, a junior associate with the firm whose “file firsts” were just a handful of years ago.
“I see echoes of myself in the students I work with. They’re budding young lawyers, going through the motions and not knowing how the files might play out,” Pringle says. “It’s that fear of the unknown that I think I can help with.”
Clinic volunteers since 2020, Bessner and Pringle have assisted with five cases to date, including a complaint they helped file with the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI). “Our role was to give the students background— why this was an OBSI matter as opposed to a court case—and what they needed to do first, second and third,” explains Bessner.
Pringle points to another case where the alleged fraudster repeatedly promised to return the funds. “We’ve seen files like this a hundred times before,” he says. “The students believe it’s going to happen and I’m sitting back thinking I’d be shocked if it does.”
He coached them on how to move the file forward while remaining open to the possibility of a resolution.
As commercial litigators who typically represent investment advisers and dealers, the pair only takes on IPC files involving clients who allegedly suffered a loss at the hands of unregistered advisers.
“We have such respect for what Poonam has done—providing access to justice for people who have nowhere else to turn while giving students a taste of what it’s really like to practice law,” Bessner says, adding that she hopes the IPC graduates don’t have to wait nine months for their light bulb moment.
“For me, it’s all about giving future lawyers what they need and deserve: our help.”