Karen McCleave Toronto is the best person to run a courtroom. You don’t encounter someone every day who has spent more than 30 years fighting for justice, teaching young lawyers, and speaking up for what is right in high-profile cases. Like knowing every backroad and shortcut in a city, she has a strong legal instinct in the Greater Toronto Area. Her determination, mixed with a little bit of humor, makes sure that even the hardest trials go smoothly.
Let’s go back. She learned early on that hard effort is important; it’s not enough to merely show up; you have to be ready. Her coworkers remember her as the one who would check everything twice, just in case. She once spent a whole weekend reading through tons of disclosures just so she could have the facts there in front of her. That’s a lesson to remember: there’s no replacement for getting your hands dirty.
Ask anyone what stands out the most. People will tell you stories about how fair she was. She would tell junior lawyers, “You don’t have to like every client, but you do have to defend them like you would yourself.” That empathy helped a lot of people get along. People who were hurt felt heard. People who were accused felt valued, even when the spotlight was on them. She didn’t think of justice as a far-off goal; she thought of it as a live, breathing principle that guided her work every day.
Still not sure? Her dedication didn’t stop in the courtroom. She often pulled students and new lawyers aside to share bits of knowledge that she had learned over the years. She would advise, “Don’t let your assumptions guide you; let the facts guide you.” Those talks over lukewarm coffee sometimes led to careers taking unexpected but satisfying turns. She thought that no question was too minor. That patience became legendary—just ask the many lawyers who look up to her as a role model.
Then there’s her strong commitment in key community issues outside of court. Seniors who didn’t have advocates and kids who needed aid got it without having to scream for it. A team working on keeping people safe? She would be there, giving advise with a strange blend of seriousness and dry humor that made people feel at ease and got them chatting.
It’s easy to get caught up in big decisions or flashy trials, but that would miss the point of her impact. Her daily consistency, the late nights she spent trying to figure things out, and the times she stood up to popular opinion in the name of truth all say a lot.
In every story, honesty is what stands out. She has always thought that the law is not just about winning; it’s also about doing the right thing. That belief has guided other people. Her method, which is equal parts grit, empathy, and inquiry, teaches the idea that being steadfast is more important than getting praise.
If you get the chance, sit down and have a coffee with her. You’ll see your own work and even your own city in a new way after you leave.