Our people

Ms Banning is a lay Bencher of the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and General Manager of Maawandoon Inc., a Fort William-based business specializing in Indigenous engagement, capacity and infrastructure development, First Nation governance policy, and procedure development. Previously, she worked within the financial services sector as Chief Credit Officer for a credit union where she managed property and commercial law files and adjudicated a $70-million loan portfolio.

A proud Nishnaabe-qwe band member of Fort William First Nation and lifetime resident of Northwestern Ontario, Ms Banning is the second-ever Indigenous lay Bencher in the LSO’s history. Lay Benchers are appointed by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. They represent the public and do not require a law degree or training. She sits on the LSO’s Audit & Finance, Equity and Indigenous Affairs, and Tribunal committees.

Gerald Chan is a Law Society of Ontario Bencher (Toronto) and Partner at Stockwoods LLP Barristers. He practices criminal, administrative, and civil litigation, with a special focus on white collar criminal and regulatory defence. His diverse practice includes regulatory offences, criminal prosecutions, cyber-crimes, and professional disciplinary proceedings. In addition to his trial practice, Gerald acts for clients on appeals and judicial reviews. He has appeared as counsel in over 20 appeals in the Supreme Court of Canada, including cases on data privacy, foreign corruption, insider trading, and medical marijuana.

He is a longtime member of the Probono Inmate Appeal Program through which he argues appeals for marginalized inmates in the Court of Appeal for Ontario. He is also a prolific writer and teacher. He has published numerous books on sentencing, digital evidence, and digital privacy and teaches on the faculty of the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s National Criminal Law Program and the adjunct faculty of the University of Toronto, Faculty of Law.

Heather recently retired from BDO Canada where she was the Office Managing Partner of the Collingwood office and Group Managing Partner of 11 local regional offices. Over her long career at BDO, Heather was a client-facing partner in the areas of accounting, tax, financial advisory services, and auditing. Heather is now consulting, offering business strategy, and financial oversight to a number of companies across Ontario.

She is a member of the Chartered Professional Accountants of Ontario and Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia.

Linda R. Rothstein B.A., LL.B. is a partner of Paliare Roland and has served as a Foundation Trustee since 2014 and as Board Chair since 2016.

Ms Rothstein has a diverse practice that encompasses many areas of civil and administrative litigation. Her high profile work as Commission Counsel to the Inquiry into Pediatric Forensic Pathology, counsel to the City of Toronto in the Computer Leasing Inquiry, and lead counsel to the Motherisk Hair Analysis Review have cemented her reputation as one of Ontario’s leading advocates.

Ms Rothstein is a board member of Public Health Ontario. She is a Fellow and former board member of the International Academy of Trial Lawyers (2012-2015). She was a Bencher of The Law Society of Upper Canada (2007-2015) and Past President (2005–2006) of The Advocates’ Society.

Ms Rothstein is a recipient of the: 2021 The Advocates’ Society Medal; Ontario Bar Association Award of Excellence in Civil Litigation; the prestigious Law Society Medal; and the Award of Distinction from the Toronto Lawyers’ Association.

Lisa has extensive experience in learning and development, change management, and inclusive culture workplace initiatives. She began her career as a Human Rights Investigator for the B.C. Human Rights Commission and then became the first Human Rights Officer for the Peel Board of Education. She shifted into management consulting, specializing in organizational development and strategic projects in the private and public sectors. Returning to her roots in public service, she has since held successive senior human resource roles with Humber River Hospital, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities, and the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board.

Her commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion is seen throughout her professional roles as well as in her volunteer work with Justice for Children and Youth, The Women’s Monument Project, and the Neighbourhood Interfaith Group.

Lisa is a Certified Management Consultant. She earned a Public Sector Leadership Institute Certificate from the Rotman School of Management and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto.

Lisa Cirillo has served as CEO of The Law Foundation of Ontario since September 2020. Prior to this, Lisa was Executive Director of Downtown Legal Services, a community-based legal clinic at the University of Toronto law school, since 2010.

Lisa has practiced human rights, education, housing, and family law in a wide variety of social justice organizations including Downtown Legal Services, ARCH Disability Law Centre, and the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

She also has extensive experience in public legal education and information (PLEI). She managed the Family Law Education for Women project, which assisted marginalized women in understanding their rights and responsibilities under family law. She also worked with Community Legal Education Ontario’s Your Rights. Your Language project where she managed PLEI in multiple formats and languages focused on high priority legal issues for newcomers to Canada.

Lisa was appointed to the Philanthropic Foundations Canada Board of Directors in 2024. Previously, she served on a number of boards and committees, including the: Association for Canadian Clinical Legal Education; National Association of Women and the Law’s National Steering Committee; Legal Aid Ontario’s Clinic Law Advisory Committee; and the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Community Advisory Group.

She earned her Hons. B.A. from the University of Toronto, her LL.B. from Queen’s University, and her LL.M. from Osgoode Hall Law School. She was called to the Bar in 1998.

As Director, Grants & Programs, Noah provides strategic leadership for the Foundation’s granting activities.

Noah comes to the Foundation from RBC where he was the inaugural Director, Youth Social Impact and most recently served as Director, Academic and Strategic Partnerships, Technology, & Operations. Prior to RBC, Noah was the Regional Director of Community Investments at Ontario Trillium Foundation. Noah also spent three years as the National Director of Pro Bono Students Canada where he led a network of 4,000 law student and lawyer volunteers from 21 law schools across the county.

Noah earned his LLB from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and practiced in civil litigation earlier in his career.

Mr. Thiele is a partner and the Director of Legal Research at Gardiner Roberts LLP where he has been involved in many high-profile cases and has written extensively on a variety of legal topics.

Mr. Thiele is the Chair of the Canadian Abridgment Editorial Advisory Board. The Canadian Abridgment is a leading legal research service. The Board is a partnership between the Canadian Association of Law Libraries and Carswell and its mandate is to ensure that the Canadian Abridgment remains a leading legal research tool in Canada.