THEY CALL YOU A DOCTOR

Here is a recording of my medical school valedictorian speech at McMaster University (Hamilton, Ontario) in 2017. I hope you enjoy it.

I’ve been honoured to be part of a group of friends sponsoring a family of refugees to come to Canada. You can learn about our efforts here: http://coachhousecoop.ca

Here’s a recent fun fundraiser that we had:

May 23, 2015:

A few days ago I received a copy of Lampedusa in the mail. Lampedusa is a play written by Anders Lustgarten about a UK woman facing the daily reality of austerity, and an Italian man coming to terms with the desperation of African and Middle Eastern migrants arriving on the shores of his country:

“You try to keep them at arm’s length. If you let them get close, you never know what they might ask for. On the boat the survivors start talking to me, pleading their case, like I can do anything for them.
It’s not part of my job to have to listen to their stories.
There’s too many of them.
And it makes you think.
About the randomness of I get to walk these streets and he doesn’t.
You start thinking about things like that, the ground becomes ocean under your feet.”

Anders Lustgarten, “Lampedusa”

And here’s “Lampedusa” the song, made in honour of refugees who drown in the Mediterranean:

April 29, 2015: I’ve been in medical school since September, and it’s flying right by. There’s much to learn. Sometimes I’m asked “why did you leave the law?” The best answer I have is that I didn’t actually leave the law (I couldn’t do that even if I wanted to), I just wanted to explore different aspects of it, and find new ways to use my legal education.

As if to remind me that I’m still a lawyer, this story recently appeared in the Toronto Star about a case that I was involved in as a duty counsel. It raises questions of the standards that judges are held to, and what happens when there’s a failure to meet that standard.  Also: what does it mean to be treated equally in a courtroom? What are bias and prejudice, how deep do these things run, and how can we keep them out of the courtroom, if at all? I invite you to read this story and tell me what you think:

Lwam Ghebrehariat was acting as duty counsel on one of the days former Justice of the Peace Robert Whittaker made controversial remarks to a defendant in court. He felt Whittaker “totally failed” to appear unbiased in the case.

September 20, 2014: It’s been a few months since my one man comedy show at the Toronto Fringe! Mooney on Theatre gave a great review of it! Read it here. And here are a few clips from the show:

July 2014: I’m doing a solo in the Toronto Fringe! Check out the details below. Here’s a Toronto Star story about it. And BlogTO has put me on their list of 15 promising shows!  Tickets are available here!

“LWAM IS ERITREA’S GREATEST HOCKEY PLAYER”

The hilarious experiences of a legal aid lawyer, underemployed actor, and East African hockey legend.

Lawyer and performer Lwam Ghebrehariat (“Outstanding Performance”, NOW Magazine, 2010) weaves together the raw material of his life, playfully exploring the themes of justice, race, and relationships.