Algoma District Law Association celebrates 100 years of service

Centennial celebrations were underway at the Water Tower Inn earlier this week as the Algoma District Law Association paid recognition to 100 years of service in the region.

Gatherings have been hard to come by for the organization over the past two years, so understandably, members of past and present were excited to honour the occasion in-person.

The Algoma District Law Association is run by 15 members of an elected board of directors. The board meets once a month to discuss issues in the legal field in the Algoma district.

The association's president Paul Johnson says their service to the Sault and surrounding area has been imperative over the last century.

"It's important for us to be around," he says. "100 years is a long time, and it shows how important we are to the community."

The pandemic threw several curveballs at the organization, making business difficult for many of its members as they couldn't meet face-to-face. But Johnson says they can finally see the light at the end of what was a long and dark tunnel. 

"The past two years have been pretty quiet for our association because there has been very little for us to do," he says. "Now that we're coming out of the pandemic and things are speeding up, we're getting back on track to doing a number of events and programming so that we can continue to provide good service to our membership."

While most of the evening was devoted to celebrating the organization's past achievements, Johnson is also looking towards a bright future for the association.

"The practice of law has been going on forever and will continue on," he says. "Our association's goal is to provide the resources, materials, and support for our members - not only for practicing lawyers, but for those who are coming in and perhaps aren't lawyers yet but are looking for some assistance with their legal case."

The board's annual general meeting will take place June 2, where members will be elected to the board of directors, and the Harry Hamilton award for one outstanding member will be presented.