Providing independent legal representation in the Hockey Canada trial: A feminist lawyer's perspective on theory and practice

In this article, a high-profile Canadian case is studied through the lens of the complainant's legal counsel who at some points provided legal advice and at other points, where it was legally permissible, represented the complainant. The case ( R v McLeod et al., 2025 ), referred to as the Hockey Canada case, relates to the trial of five members of the 2018 Canadian world junior hockey championship team who were charged with sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman, referred to as E.M. An examination of the case provides an opportunity to observe the experience of a survivor who courageously confronted the celebrity status of the five accused athletes, and to reflect on how having legal counsel benefitted her during an intensely challenging ordeal. The article documents specific moments where independent legal representation either protected E.M. or its absence left her unprotected from the tangible harm inflicted by the criminal trial.