Interview with Adrienne S. Smith - 2024 recipient of The Joe Arvay Award

Friends Who Argue

In this episode, Samantha Chang of Dentons Vancouver interviews Adrienne Smith, a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer, and winner of the 2024 Joe Arvay Award. The award recognizes an advocate in British Columbia for advancing a claim or area of law under challenging circumstances. Adrienne reflects on their work advocating for, among others, workers, women, and drug users. Join us for an inspiring conversation about navigating advocacy and justice as a sole practitioner.
Adrienne Smith is a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer. They recently argued a BC human rights case which clarified employers’ obligations to recognize correct pronouns for transgender and non-binary workers. Adrienne appeared at the BC Cout of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada where they argued about the deleterious effects of mandatory minimum sentences for women, Indigenous people, and drug users, and made submissions in defense of transgender children under section 15 of the Charter. As a trade union activist, they advocate for transgender inclusion in our unions and workplaces. Adrienne is the litigation director at the Catherine White Holman Wellness Clinic where they give free legal advice, take on human rights cases, and notarize name and gender change documents for trans people.
Samantha Chang is a senior associate in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution group in Dentons’ Vancouver office. She acts as counsel in complex commercial litigation, class action defense, and commercial arbitrations and mediations, with a focus on shareholder disputes, oppression proceedings, contested transactions, securities litigation, contractual disputes, professional negligence, and competition law. Samantha is a member of the British Columbia Regional Advisory Committee of The Advocates Society.
Land Acknowledgement
The Advocates’ Society acknowledges that our offices, located in Toronto, are on the customary and traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinabek, the Huron-Wendat and now home to many First Nations, Inuit, and Metis peoples. We acknowledge current treaty holders, the Mississaugas of the Credit and honour their long history of welcoming many nations to this territory.
While The Advocates’ Society is based in Toronto, we are a national organization with Directors and members located across Canada in the treaty and traditional territories of many Indigenous Peoples. We encourage our members to reflect upon their relationships with the Indigenous Peoples in these territories, and the history of the land on which they live and work.
We acknowledge the devastating impacts of colonization, including the history of residential schools, for many Indigenous peoples, families, and communities and commit to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusiveness in an informed legal profession in Canada and within The Advocates’ Society.