Go beyond neurodiversity buzzwords. Discover practical, nuanced strategies to help your neurodivergent colleagues succeed and thrive at work.
Simon Margolis is a lawyer currently pursuing an LLM in Taxation at Osgoode Hall Law School. Prior to his LLM, he worked as a litigator and knowledge management lawyer at a national firm in their Toronto office. Simon is also autistic and, prior to moving to Canada for law school, gained policy experience at a major autism rights organization in Washington, DC, just as the neurodiversity movement hit the mainstream.
In this online seminar, Simon will tell his story and will set some ground points on how to better support your neurodivergent colleagues. He will focus primarily on supporting neurodivergent lawyers who are already employed but will also include tips on recruitment. Simon will also explain what distinguishes neurodiversity from many other DEI/EDI initiatives and the potential pitfalls of some remedial measures that employers may take to assist their neurodivergent employees.
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.
Knowledge Management Lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
Simon Margolis is a knowledge management lawyer at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP. Simon was called to the Ontario Bar in 2020. Prior to becoming a knowledge management lawyer, Simon maintained a broad commercial litigation practice. Simon obtained his undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and is a graduate of the University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Prior to moving to Canada and attending law school, Simon worked as a policy intern at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), where he lobbied the United States Congress on autism services legislation. Simon is not a labour and employment lawyer, but he is an increasingly-sought thought-leader on autism-related issues in Canada, and increasingly on neurodiversity in general. His main area of interest is squaring prevailing narratives about autism with the realities faced by autistic individuals in the workforce, including in the realm of disability accommodation.
