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Retaining Aboriginal lawyers in the profession – The Benchers have identified the retention of Aboriginal lawyers as one of the key objectives in the current strategic plan, with a number of initiatives aimed at supporting Aboriginal lawyers and law students, including an upcoming event in recognition of National Aboriginal Day. [more] March 9, 2010
Special sitting to mark BCCA's centenary – You are invited to a special sitting of the Court of Appeal, in celebration of its 100th anniversary. The sitting will be held at 4:15 pm on Friday, March 26, 2010 at the Great Hall, Law Courts in Vancouver. Reception to follow at the Law Courts Inn. March 8, 2010
New Chief Legal Officer – Deborah Armour is the new Chief Legal Officer for the Law Society, starting April 8, 2010. Deborah has more than 20 years of legal experience, including 15 years of compliance leadership in regulated industries. [more] February 25, 2010
Strategic Plan modified –
The Benchers started off the year by making modifications to the current Strategic Plan, including a new focus on the retention of Aboriginal lawyers in the legal profession. A business case for enhancing diversity in firms, with a particular focus on Aboriginal lawyers, will be developed during the coming year.
The chair of the Equity and Diversity Advisory Committee, Robert Brun, QC, said his committee is looking forward to the work. "There is a definite air of excitement around these initiatives involving Aboriginal students and lawyers." [more] February 4, 2010
Maternity leave benefit loan program – The Law Society has implemented a maternity leave benefit loan program, designed to assist self-employed women lawyers to remain in practice. The program aims to help women address some of the overhead costs associated with maintaining a sole practice during a maternity leave. [more] February 4, 2010
CPD and mentoring – The Law Society has now posted a Frequently Asked Questions page about the new CPD-accredited mentorship program, which came into effect January 1: see Licensing & Membership/CPD/Mentoring. [more] February 4, 2010
Legal Independence: It’s Your Right program launches – The Law Society and the Justice Education Society released the new “docu-fiction” video, Legal Independence: It’s Your Right, to high schools in BC. More than 450 high school law, social studies and civics teachers have received this DVD and the accompanying teacher’s guide to educate students about lawyer and judicial independence. The video features three high school students challenging a fictitious law, the “Youth Gathering Act,” which makes it illegal for a group of three or more youth to gather in public after 6 pm. [more] December 18, 2009
Significant interest in business case
for retaining women lawyers in private practice – The Law Society’s Business Case for Retaining and Advancing Women Lawyers in Private Practice (PDF), prepared by the Retention of Women in Law Task Force, has garnered significant interest from both the public and the profession. Since its release in July 2009, staff and task force members have been speaking to both mainstream and legal media outlets about the importance of retaining women in the profession. [more] August 14; updated October 27 and December 18, 2009 |
