The Emerging Professional Issues Initiative is designed to assist lawyers to deal with economic and social trends that have an impact on the practice of law. The objective is to help keep lawyers in business and to ensure that the legal profession remains a good business to be in.
As a CBA member, we know that you are someone who cares about the legal community and your professional role in it. We are hoping that you will agree to spend 10 minutes helping the legal community be ready for the future. Here’s how.
“Crystal Clear” is the CBA Futures Committee’s bold step forward to plan for 2015. The excellent research that has been done to prepare this report provides insight into the challenges lawyers are currently facing. To be relevant and effective, the CBA must help lawyers to meet these challenges and find ways to provide the best possible service to the legal community now and in the future.
This means, for example:
- tracking work/life balance issues and promoting changes in the way law is practiced so that lawyers do not have to work 70 hour weeks to “make it”
- watching trends and developments in areas of legal practice to provide our members with critical support to enable them to be at the cutting edge in their chosen field
- promoting the use of legal services and advertising the value-added that lawyers bring, recognizing that loyalty may no longer be the main reason motivating a client’s choice of lawyer
- protecting fundamental principles of justice and lobbying the government when proposed laws put solicitor/client privilege at risk and when inadequate funding jeopardizes access to justice
- offering opportunities for all lawyers to be involved in professional development, networking, and personal fulfillment through a professional organization committed to promoting equality in the legal profession.
Here’s where you come in. By October 21, 2005, could you please talk to a colleague who is not part of the CBA – an articling student, an associate, a colleague you see socially, a stranger at a legal event – and ask her or him this question:
What is the most important service a professional organization of lawyers could offer to you to help you in your work as a legal professional?
We need to know what lawyers, notaries, law professors, judges, law students, and other legal professionals who are not part of the CBA most need from a professional organization.
And, we need to know what you think, too. We are hosting member events across the country to hear from as many members as possible.
Until then, please consider taking on this ambassadorial task to expand your horizons and ours.
Please let us know what you learn. Write a short e-mail to: thefuture@cba.org by October 21, 2005.
Click here to link to:
the Crystal Clear report of the Futures Committee
the Committee’s 11 recommendations
the Futures’ consultation process.
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EPIIgram is produced by the Legal and Governmental Affairs Department of the Canadian Bar Association. For further information or to inform us of the latest economic or social trends that are having an impact on your practice, please contact us at EPII@cba.org.
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