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Two Ontario Students Awarded this year’s Learn with Lerners Bursary and Mentorship Program

LONDON/TORONTO – June 30, 2023 – Lerners is proud and delighted to announce the recipients of our Learn with Lerners Bursary and Mentorship Program, now in its third year.

Congratulations to Jodi Ismail Adel Elbatrawy of Notre Dame Catholic Secondary School in Burlington and Layal Tassi of Saint André Bessette Catholic Secondary School in London. Jodi and Layal will each receive a $5,000 bursary and up to 12 months of mentorship with a Lerners lawyer! Rebecca Shoom of our Toronto office and Sahar El-Kotob of our London office have graciously offered to mentor Jodi and Layal respectively.

Jodi has been accepted at Carlton University where she will study political science. Jodi was born in Cairo, Egypt and sought refuge in Canada with her family at 12 years old after having lived in the United States for a period of time. Jodi believes that “education is a privilege” and it is important that she “excel in her studies”. Her many lived experiences, including with xenophobia, Islamaphobia and racism generally, have sparked a strong passion for the law and social justice issues. Jodi has an affection for writing and journalism and her social justice teacher has recognized her for making powerful contributions to classroom discussions.

Layal has been accepted at Western University where she will study management and organizational studies. Layal hopes to become a lawyer so that she can “help break down barriers for all” and “give back to the world”. Layal has been a dedicated student citizen. She helped a group of students establish a spiritual club for Muslim students at her school and she is part of another group of students, including from other schools across London, who raised $20,124 through bake sales and school events for a mobile medical clinic in Syria following the massive earthquake in February 2023.

The Learn with Lerners Bursary and Mentorship Program is a testament to one of Lerners’ core values: leadership. We strive to be at the forefront of legal change, including serving and contributing to the well-being of our communities.  Inherent in this value is our belief that diversity and equitable opportunity in the legal services industry is integral to providing effective legal representation. Lerners recognizes that systemic barriers, financial and otherwise, exist for Black, Indigenous, and other racialized people attempting to establish and maintain a career in the legal services industry and we are committed to being the change we want to see.

Lerners wishes to thank all of the students and law hopefuls who took an interest in our Program and submitted their applications. It was an honour to review each and every one of them.

About Lerners LLP

Lerners LLP has grown to become one of Ontario’s largest law firms with offices in London, Toronto, Strathroy and Waterloo Region. Ours is a history of more than 90 years of successful client service and representation and today we are more than 120 exceptionally skilled lawyers with abundant experience.

To arrange an interview with one of our lawyers or for more information, please contact:

Natalee Davis
Director of Marketing and Firm & Community Engagement
Lerners LLP
ndavis@lerners.ca