University of Windsor law alumna Mariam Moktar started her one-year role as president of the Ontario Bar Association in September 2026. (Courtesy of Mariam Moktar/University of Windsor)
By Sara Elliott
For University of Windsor law alumna Mariam Moktar (JD ’12), the importance of the rule of law is deeply personal.
Having witnessed the consequences of civil war in her home country of Somalia, Moktar developed an early appreciation for the role legal institutions play in protecting people and maintaining stability.
“What first drew me to law was seeing its absence – and reckoning with the consequences,” Moktar says.
“Having witnessed civil war in my home country of Somalia, I became intrigued by the relationship between law, governance and societal stability.”
That conviction led her to Windsor Law, a career in litigation and, in September 2026, the presidency of the Ontario Bar Association (OBA), where she now leads an organization representing approximately 17,000 members across the province.
For Windsor Law Dean Dr. Reem Bahdi, Moktar’s leadership reflects the meaningful impact lawyers can have on their profession and communities.
“Mariam Moktar’s appointment is an important achievement and a source of pride for the Windsor Law community,” says Bahdi.
“Her work in litigation and her commitment to protecting rights and strengthening communities demonstrates the important role lawyers play serving the public.”
Moktar’s one-year term is guided by a mandate called “Be Sure,” focused on helping lawyers navigate an increasingly complex profession with clarity, confidence and support.
“My own story has taught me that you can prepare for uncertainty without losing faith in humanity or in what's possible – and it's also why advancing the OBA's rule of law work is such a priority for me, since without it, none of that certainty is possible at all,” she says.
“If I can share that perspective and help others feel more confident about the future, I will feel I’ve accomplished something meaningful this year.”
A central priority for Moktar is ensuring that law students and lawyers have access to the resources, guidance and professional connections they need at every stage of their careers.
The OBA recently launched Student Edge, an online resource designed to help students navigate law school, explore career opportunities and prepare to enter the profession.
“In moments of transition, I hope the OBA will be students’ first stop – to find solutions, knowledge sources, and steady ground,” Moktar says.
Her mandate also includes new opportunities for professional development, mentorship and peer support, alongside resources to help lawyers adapt to emerging technologies.
Mariam Moktar’s one-year term as the Ontario Bar Association president is guided by a mandate called “Be Sure,” focused on helping lawyers navigate an increasingly complex profession with clarity, confidence and support. (Courtesy of Mariam Moktar/University of Windsor)
“My mandate aims to bring clarity, comfort, and certainty through initiatives like the OBA's new AI Learning Studio, expanded mentorship and peer-support networks, and ‘day-in-the-life’ videos in which lawyers reveal the realities of practising in particular areas of law.”
For Moktar, the appeal of practising law lies in both its intellectual demands and its ability to make a meaningful difference in people's lives.
“But legal practice also calls upon us to be compassionate, tenacious and curious in a way that fuels my sense of purpose and feels deeply rewarding,” she says.
“The challenge to bring clarity to complexity, forge resolution from contention, and inject empathy into adversity for clients on their toughest days has real consequences, on real people, and it’s what motivates me most in my work as a lawyer.”
After graduating from Windsor Law, Moktar clerked at the Ontario Superior Court of Justice in the Central West Region, an experience that helped draw her toward litigation.
“One of the most valuable aspects of my time at law school was the opportunity to gain practical experience alongside my academic studies,” she says.
“Through the community legal aid clinic and mediation services clinic, I gained experience working with clients and helping them navigate legal issues and resolve disputes. These experiences helped bridge the gap between learning the law and practicing it.”
She now practises at Toronto-based Paliare Roland, specializing in commercial and public-interest litigation, employment, human rights and administrative law.
Her work has included serving as co-counsel in significant public-interest and constitutional cases involving greenhouse gas pollution pricing, government liability for unconstitutional legislation, electoral reform and access to supervised consumption services.
Beyond the courtroom, Moktar has dedicated herself to building professional communities and supporting others entering the legal field.
She co-founded the Canadian Association of Somali Lawyers and has remained active in the OBA, viewing mentorship and professional connections as essential to helping lawyers thrive.
“It’s fair to say I continue to be driven by a desire to enrich, expand and amplify that pivotal community support for law students and lawyers, at every stage, as leader of the largest voluntary legal association in Ontario,” she says.
That commitment to community and justice traces back to the experiences that first inspired her to study law.
“As someone whose family was indelibly affected, I was particularly interested in what happens when the rule of law breaks down, and how the absence or destruction of legal institutions can fundamentally change people’s lives,” Moktar says.
“I didn’t know exactly where it would lead me, but it’s proven to be an incredibly interesting and fulfilling path.”