November 13, 2025 | Denver, Colorado, USA

19th Annual ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law Conference

Invited Panelist:
Samantha Peters (they/she), Black Femme Legal (Toronto, ON)

October 30, 2025 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET

The Human Rights Legal Support Centre (HRLSC) provides free legal assistance to Ontarians who believe they’ve experienced discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code. As part of its new five-year strategic plan, the HRLSC is critically examining who it serves and exploring the many ways justice can be served.

This presentation will offer insights into the Centre’s evolving approach to access to justice, including new outreach initiatives aimed at empowering underrepresented communities, and expanded early resolution and mediation services that provide alternatives to litigation for vulnerable clients.

Presenters: 

Ginella Massa, Manager of Communications, Education and Outreach – Human Rights Legal Support Centre.

Samantha Peters, Legal Counsel – Human Rights Legal Support Centre.

May 25, 2025 | Chicago, Illinois, USA | 10:00 AM - 11:45 AM CT

This panel considers the way judges and courts play a role in responding to racial subordination.  

Chair:  Amalie Weinrich, Faculty of Law, University of Copenhagen

Presentations: 

Rewriting as Resistance’: Black Feminist Legal Rewriting and the Limits of Reform in Judicial Education

Samantha Peters, Ontario Bar Association Foundation Fellow - Legal Ethics and Professionalism (2024-2025)

Anti-Racist Regulation

Carrie Rosenbaum, Santa Clara Law School

Judiciary Blaxploitation: The Commodification of Black Pain in Criminal Justice through Court Theatre

Camisha Sibblis, University of Windsor

May 8, 2025 | Madrid, Spain

American Bar Association - International Labor and Employment Law Committee 

Invited Panelist:
Samantha Peters (they/she), Black Femme Legal (Toronto, ON)

March 29, 2025 | 10:40 AM - 12:10 PM ET

Promises, Praxes, Paradigms: Knowing and Acting for Change 30 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action

Moderator:  Jane Bailey

Speakers: 

Sharry Aiken, “Migrants, Refugees and the Shrinking Right to Equal and Effective Protection in Canada”

Jwalika Balaji, “Fixing the Fragments: Mainstreaming Gender and Intersectionality in Indian Equality Jurisprudence”

Samantha Peters, “Intersectional Justice: Black Feminist Reimagining and Legal Rewriting”

Nancy Coldham, “The Standard Deviation of Broken Promises: A Review of the Unfulfilled Commitments of Women’s Equality Declarations +30 Years Beijing Action Plan”

June 4, 2024 | 12:30 PM - 2:00 PM ET

Pro Bono Committee Program

Hear from experienced pro bono lawyers who will share their experiences with identifying pro bono work opportunities and representing pro bono clients. Gather helpful insights on how to manage client expectations, maintain professionalism and ethical standards, and navigate challenging legal issues.

Program Chairs: 

Louis Century, Goldblatt Partners
Madeleine Brown, MCB Legal Studio

Program Speakers: 

Sarah Armstrong, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP
Erin Durant, Durant Barristers
Samantha Peters, Black Femme Legal
Doug Ferguson
Ray Leclair, LAWPRO
Frankie Wood, Wood Gold LLP
Kirsti Mathers McHenry, Pro Bono Ontario

November 7, 2023 | 2:15 pm – 3:15 pm PM ET

BUILDING A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE LEGAL WORKPLACE

While the national study results confirm that the wellbeing of those of us historically excluded or marginalized is still at a higher risk, the profession has taken action towards change. Hear from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, lawyers living with disabilities, and racialized lawyers on the challenges of building a workplace that supports wellbeing, and how we can build on the strategies and tools developed by their lived experience to propel the profession towards wellness.

Moderator: 

Doron Gold, The Lawyer Therapist (Toronto, ON)

Speakers: 

Steeves Bujold, Outgoing CBA President, Partner, McCarthy Tetrault LLPTBC (Montréal. QC)
Beth Beattie, LSM, Senior Counsel Ministry of Attorney General of Ontario (Toronto, ON)
Samantha Peters (they/she), Black Femme Legal (Toronto, ON)
Sania Chaudhry, Forte Workplace Law (Calgary, AB)

Thursday, May 12, 2022 | 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM EDT

Are you a freelancer or a non-union worker who wants to know about your employment rights?

Are you confused when it comes to seeking proper compensation & remuneration?

Or are you just a newcomer and want to know all about being a freelancer?

Then this webinar will answer all your questions!

Wednesday, February 9, 2022 | 2:00 PM ET

Shared Connections: Networking for Black 2SLGBTQI+ folks

Join other Black 2SLGBTQI+ members of the Enchanté Network to share experiences, connect, and network. This session will include a guest presentation by Black Femme Legal.

***This is a closed event for staff and volunteers in member organizations of the Enchanté Network who are also 2SLGBTQI+ and Black. The session will be facilitated by Noah Inniss-Parchment, a Black staff member at the Enchanté Network. If you have questions or concerns regarding whether or not you're welcome to attend this event, please email noah@enchantenetwork.ca. ***

November 18-19, 2021

Friday, November 19, 2021 | 10:15 - 10:45 AM ET

The Intersection of Anti-Black Racism and the Law - Samantha Peters, Lawyer, LLM candidate, Queen’s University

Thursday, October 14, 2021 | 11:30 AM - 4:30 PM ET

Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella retired from the Supreme Court of Canada on July 1, 2021. On October 7 and 14, 2021, the WLF Online Symposium will honour Justice Abella’s momentous judicial career. Focused on Justice Abella’s decision-making at the Supreme Court of Canada, the Symposium will feature three panel discussions, each exploring Justice Abella’s legacy in a key area of the law: constitutional and human rights law; administrative law; and family law. The panels will include a diverse range of speakers from the bar, the bench and the academy.

Closing Virtual Event | 3:30 - 4:30 PM ET

Featuring the “Writing Her In” essay contest winners from 2020 and 2021.

Award Recipient: Alexandra Da Dalt (2021 winner)

Presenter: Samantha Peters (2020 winner)

Please register for the Webinar here

July 27, 2021 | 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM ET

Fasken and the Fasken Pride Network are pleased to present a conversation on intersectional identities in the LGBTQ2S+ community. As we approach the Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City Pride celebrations, please join us in this discussion with community leaders and thinkers on the theory, concepts, realities and strategies for inclusion and equity for those with intersectional identities within the LGBTQ2S+ community.

Please register for the Webinar here.

June 14, 2021 | 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM ET

Please join the Law Society of Ontario, the Ontario Bar Association and its Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Law Section for the annual Pride Month program.

The discussion will feature a conversation about intersecting racialized and queer identities in the legal profession, with a focus on collective strategies to ensure equity, inclusion, and advancement.

Panelists:

Margaret Froh - President, Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO)

Justice Andrew Pinto - Ontario Superior Court of Justice

Njeri Damali Sojourner-Campbell (she/her) - Lawyer, Hicks Morley Hamilton Stewart Storie LLP

Samantha Peters (she/they) - Black Femme Legal

Moderator:

Gregory Ko - Partner, Kastner Lam LLP

RSVP

This public event is free. For additional information and to receive the video link, please RSVP on the registration page.

May 26, 2021 | 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM ET 

The Annual Update on Human Rights returns again this year to get you up to speed on substantive and procedural trends and developments in this challenging legal area. Regardless your client base, if your practice touches on human rights, this program is a must-attend event for you. Our exceptional faculty will share valuable insights and helpful strategies for you to take away and implement in your practice.

3:25 pm - 4:25 pm: EDI Considerations for Human Rights Practitioners with Shared Lived Experiences

Moderator: Rachel Weiner, ARCH Disability Law Centre

Speakers:

Lorin MacDonald, JD - HearVue Inc.

Samantha Peters, Black Femme Legal

Naomi Sayers, Barrister & Solicitor

May 3, 2021 | 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM ET

11:00 am - 12:15 pm: Systemic Discrimination and the Legal Profession: Impacts & Responsibilities

Professional codes of conduct throughout Canada recognize that lawyers must refrain from discriminatory behaviour. This panel will explore the unique realities of, and challenges posed by, some of the ways in which systemic discrimination pervades legal infrastructure. The panel will also address how we might understand our professional obligations in the various contexts of legal education, law societies and legal workplaces.

Moderator: Candice S. Metallic, IPC, Metallic Law

Speakers:

Kathleen Lickers, LSM, IPC, lawyer

Samantha Peters, Lawyer, Black Femme Legal

Tuma Young QC, Chair, Wabanaki 2 Spirit Alliance

March 30, 2021 | 3:00 - 4:30 pm ET

Free webinar for BIPOC LGBTQ2S and other marginalized sex workers. Learn about your rights and the community supports available to you. All personal identifiers and cameras will be disabled during the webinar.

Private Group Webinar

Via Zoom. Limited Capacity. Registration is required.

🔗Register: bit.ly/519swr

Join us for our Ontario episode in our COVID-19 Legal Info for LGBTQI2S Communities webshow; Tuesday, March 9 at 1 PM EST! Our panelists will discuss housing & employment issues across the province. We'll be taking LIVE questions!

This series is an opportunity for students, alumni and any other person interested in Human Rights to hear about notable practitioners who will share their professional experience with them. Participants will have the chance to ask them questions on their career path via the Q&A!

Black law school students and new lawyers are especially encouraged to attend as Charlene and her co-host, Black Legal Mentor-in-Residence at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Law, Samantha Peters will take part in an “Ask Me Anything” conversation along with Chief Justice Strathy while guests enjoy networking and community-connections alongside the transcendent musical beats of the talented DJ Steph Honey.

The recent launch of a class action lawsuit on behalf of nearly 30,000 past and present federal public service workers who identify as Black, Caribbean or of African descent, has underlined the systemic discrimination Black workers face every day in the workplace. It raises the question: why do workplace recourse mechanisms for racism and racial discrimination often fail Black workers?