Women Making a Difference
Miller Thomson’s Women’s Leadership Initiative hosted its annual “Women Making a Difference” speaker series event at the Sutton Place Hotel on May 17, 2006, with guest speaker Vancouver Sun Editor-in-Chief Patricia Graham. Ms. Graham made an engaging presentation to about 90 women professionals and business people about her thoughts on leadership, based on her experiences as leader in the Vancouver Sun newsroom.

Miller Thomson’s Women’s Leadership Initiative was launched in Vancouver in 2004 to develop leadership skills of the women in the firm, and provide opportunities for women clients to network and celebrate community leaders. In addition to the speaker series, the Women’s Leadership Initiative holds internal meetings and workshops in Vancouver to provide networking, mentoring, and training opportunities for women lawyers in ways that reflect the unique situations of women in law.


Young Lawyers (Victoria) Bicycle Their Way to Heart Health
On June 6, 2006, the Young Lawyers (Victoria) Section pedaled the 29-seat “Big Bike for Stroke” as the "Bicycling Barristers." The Bicycling Barristers raised $4,744 for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of B.C. which, combined with their barrister’s t-shirts and the occasional cotton ball barrister’s wig, earned them the Team Spirit Award for Victoria.

Everyone had a great time, and they hope to make this an annual event.


CBA PracticeLink: Selling vs. Closing a Law Practice
While selling a law practice to another qualified lawyer usually does not violate codes of ethics; that does not mean it’s a universal fact of professional life. There are times when practices are closed rather than sold, even when ethical rules permit a sale. This month on CBA PracticeLink, learn how to decide between selling or closing your law practice. Check out the site’s new podcasts, interactive features, and newsfeeds at www.cba.org/practicelink.


CBABC and UBC/UVIC Mentorship Programs
CBABC and the UBC and UVIC Law Schools will be hosting their annual Mentor Program Receptions -- in October at UBC’s Cecil Green, and in November at UVIC. These receptions are a chance for volunteer mentors to enjoy a relaxed evening with colleagues and their ‘mentee’ law students.

The Mentorship program is an excellent opportunity for law students to gain an inside perspective on the legal profession. Mentors are encouraged to interact with their students in whatever way works best for the pair, including discussing files, observing court appearances or talking about life in the legal profession.

The Mentorship Program needs lawyer volunteers for the 2006/07 year. If you are interested in participating, please contact the UBC CBA Student Representative Candace Cho at ubc_cba_mentorship_program@yahoo.ca, or UVIC Representative Matthew Synnott at vpexternal@lss.law.uvic.ca. This is a great chance to help out budding lawyers and encourage CBA membership.


Ministry of Attorney General of British Columbia
Child Support Recalculation Service Pilot Project
On June 1, 2006, the Ministry of Attorney General is implementing the Child Support Recalculation Service Pilot Project (CSRS) in the Kelowna Provincial (Family) Court, under the authority of the Family Relations Act (s. 93.3 and regulation 129/2006).

CSRS is a child support service, which will administratively recalculate child support amounts on an annual basis by applying the child support guidelines tables to updated income information. This new service represents a culmination of the original vision contemplated with the introduction of child support guidelines in 1997. CSRS will assist parents to keep their child support amounts current, in relation to the payor’s income, without the need to return to court. This will ensure that children continue to benefit from the support to which they are entitled, and that payors support obligations remain current with their ability to pay.

The CSRS is mandatory for all Family Relations Act orders for child support made on or after June 1, 2006 in the Kelowna Provincial (Family) Court. However, there are some limited circumstances in which the CSRS will not recalculate. Parents with written agreements may opt into the project.

CSRS only accepts income tax information as the source of up to date income information. When payers do not submit their income tax information as required, the service will apply a 10 percent increase to the income that was used to determine the current child support amount. Only recalculations that result in changes of $5 or more will result in a change in the child support amount to be paid. Special or extraordinary expenses will not be recalculated.

These articles were published in the August 2006 issue of BarTalk. © 2006 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.