With the city lights of an autumn-kissed Toronto evening glimmering through the full-length windows of the Sheraton Centre’s Pinnacle Room, the Iranian Legal Professionals of Ontario (ILPO) hosted a packed launch party for their organization on Thursday.
Dr. Reza Moridi (MPP – Richmond Hill), veteran Toronto attorneys, law students, and representatives from community groups and Iranian-Canadian media were among the attendees.
For ILPO organizer Atoosa Mahdavian, a partner at Aird & Berlis LLP, it was a heart-warming moment. “We have here tonight about a hundred people, the majority of whom are either law students or lawyers who are practising, and that’s a very big feat,” she said. “I was called to the bar in 1995, and at the time when I started practising in Toronto I was one of a few Iranian lawyers, and to see this today is very special.”
Elahe Aiaseh, who travelled from Ottawa for the launch, reflected on the meaning of the occasion. “It makes me very proud to be an Iranian-Canadian, and it inspires me,” said the University of Ottawa law student, who immigrated to Canada from Iran a decade ago. “For first-generation immigrants, to be in such a difficult line of work, this is definitely a point of pride. It’s really important to have a good network, and it’s not just about who you get to meet — it’s the conversations that matter a lot.”