Simcoe County is one of southern Ontario’s largest municipalities by land area, and the Simcoe County Law Association provides space and services to lawyers in four courthouses spread throughout the County. Whether your matter is in Barrie, Collingwood, Midland, or Orillia, you’ll be able to access library technology, quiet workspace, and assistance from capable staff who can provide research assistance. We’re also glad to provide remote services to lawyers in every corner of our County.
As with all courthouse libraries, our strength is our staff. Our Executive Director and Law Librarian, George Hawtin, came to us in 2022 from the world of specialized law libraries – he provided frontline service in a labour and employment law library, built an environmental law library for Ontario’s Ministry of the Attorney General, and has studied library leadership at the doctoral level. Also chair of the Ontario Courthouse Libraries Association, George has led the Simcoe County Law Association through a period of tremendous growth. Our staff is currently a team of three – working alongside George are Jane Klementti, an aspiring library technician who manages our Collingwood, Midland, and Orillia locations and provides hands-on service in Barrie, and Emily Winter, a library technician who works from Barrie, maintaining our collection and assisting with reference and research work.
Another point of interest for the Simcoe County Law Association is our special NCA collection. Through LiRN’s support, we have acquired all of the books listed on the National Committee on Accreditation’s syllabi for internationally trained lawyers, and are proud to offer free student membership and borrowing privileges to internationally trained lawyers located in Simcoe County who are seeking Ontario accreditation. Simcoe County is home to many internationally trained lawyers, and our Association takes a forward-looking approach to cultivating relationships with up-and-coming colleagues. In the same spirit, we offer memberships to paralegals, law students, and articling students.
2026 will bring significant enhancements to our services and to our Barrie library space – we’re excited to share news with you next year!