Break the silence surrounding mental health in law with candid personal narratives and practical guidance on disclosure, peer support, and resilience.
Mental health and addiction challenges are deeply prevalent — yet still heavily stigmatized — within the legal profession. The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in the Legal Profession is a groundbreaking collection of memoirs by lawyers and legal professionals who have lived these experiences. More than a book about struggle, it is a testament to courage, resilience, and the power of inclusion.
In this online CPD program, authors Michael Ferguson, Yadesha Satheaswaran, and Courtney Wilson join moderator Beth Beattie to share their stories and reflect on the systemic and cultural barriers that make it difficult for legal professionals to speak openly about mental health. The panel will explore how stigma, silence, and traditional notions of professionalism intersect with power, privilege, and unconscious bias — often excluding or marginalizing those most in need of support.
This conversation will also focus on pathways to healing, recovery, and reintegration, while offering practical strategies for creating psychologically safe and inclusive legal workplaces. Participants will be challenged to reflect on how legal culture can evolve to support the full participation of all professionals, including those living with mental health issues.
This session qualifies for 1-hour EDI Professionalism by exploring mental health as a diversity and inclusion issue, examining how legal culture contributes to exclusion, and identifying actionable strategies to promote equity and belonging.
Discussion Themes Will Include:
More than a discussion of problems, this session is ultimately about hope — showcasing how honesty, connection, and community can lead to both personal recovery and systemic change.
Toronto Lawyers Association
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.
Lawyer at Pickell Ferguson Law
Michael Ferguson was called to the bar in 2019. He holds a Joint Honours BA in History and Political Science from the University of Ottawa and a Juris Doctor Degree from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University. Born and raised in Bruce County, he and his family now proudly call Goderich home. Michael is a member of the Rotary Club of Goderich and is on the Board of Directors of the Huron Chamber of Commerce. Michael’s preferred areas of practice are real estate, wills and estate planning, powers of attorney, estate administration, business and corporate law, and landlord and tenant law.
Associate at Stockwoods LLP
Yadesha Satheaswaran (she/her) is a second-year associate at Stockwoods LLP. She completed her B.A. in Anthropology and Critical Studies in Equity and Solidarity at the University of Toronto and has an M.A. in Anthropology from the same institution. She acquired her J.D. at Osgoode Hall Law School in 2019, after which she completed her articles at a top-tier law firm and clerked at the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Yadesha’s practice consists primarily of criminal defence, privacy/defamation law, and administrative law. She remains involved in the community, and her extra-curricular activities focus on issues of social justice and equity. In her free time, Yadesha likes to read, walk her dog, and play board games.
Lawyer at Rachlin & Wolfson LLP
Courtney is a skilled lawyer specializing in insurance defence, with experience handling motor vehicle accident claims and occupational liability matters. Before joining Rachlin & Wolfson in 2022, Courtney practiced at the Ministry of the Attorney General’s Legal Services Branch at the Ministry of Environment, Conservation & Parks. She holds an Honours Specialization degree in Environmental Biology from Queen’s University (2017) and earned her law degree from Western University (2020). She was called to the Ontario Bar in 2021. Beyond her legal practice, Courtney is a published author and a dedicated advocate for mental health awareness in the legal profession. Her contribution to The Right Not to Remain Silent: The Truth About Mental Health in the Legal Profession (LexisNexis) offers a candid account of her personal experiences with mental health and eating disorders, highlighting the challenges faced by professionals in high-pressure careers. Courtney has delivered presentations for the OBA, the Federation of Ontario Law Associations Conference and the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. She frequently speaks on mental health in the legal profession, advocating for increased awareness and support.
Senior Counsel, Min. of the Attorney General - Civl Law Division
Beth is currently Senior Counsel at the Ministry of the Attorney General Civil Law Division, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long-Term Care Branch. Beth has a broad-based litigation practice and has expertise in the areas of Coroner’s inquests, human rights, forensic and civil mental health, OHIP eligibility and long-term care home compliance. Beth has a Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School in alternative dispute resolution. Since January 2018, Beth has been a friend of the Bell Let’s Talk campaign. Her story has been featured on television, radio, print media and billboards across the country. Beth is a founding member of the Mental Health Illuminati which provides programming in the Ministry of the Attorney General and beyond on topics relating to mental health. The Illuminati liaises with senior management on issues affecting those living with mental illness. Beth is also a founding member and captain of The Bipolar Express, a team that raises money for a youth mental health program operated by the Canadian Mental Health Association. Since its inception, the Bipolar Express has been the top fundraising team in the country in the CMHA’s annual fundraising event Ride Don’t Hide (also called Mental Health in Motion) in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Beth has made presentations to thousands of people, primarily lawyers in the public and private sectors. She has also made presentations to schools, corporations and at various levels of the Ontario government as well as the British Columbia Prosecution Service. Beth is on a mission to help improve the lives of those living with mental illness as well as those who care for them.
