Committees

Access to Justice
Coordinates and integrates CBA activities to improve and promote access to justice for the poor and middle class in Canada. The Committee stresses government responsibility for a publicly funded legal aid system as the essential foundation, promotes pro bono service in the legal profession and supports innovative delivery options for legal services.

Qualifications: members must demonstrate experience in issues relating to access to justice, through delivery of legal aid services, activity in legal aid policy or research, participation in a pro bono law organization, knowledge of public legal education, knowledge of aboriginal issues in the Canadian legal system, or knowledge of poverty law issues. Chairs of the Legal Aid Liaison and Pro Bono Committees are ex officio members.

Time Commitment: 6.5 days .

Awards
Responsible for administration of the Viscount Bennett Fellowship, the Ramon John Hnatyshyn Award for Law, the Louis St–Laurent Award of Excellence and the Edward K. Rowan-Legg Award.

Qualifications: Knowledge of key legal issues and the legal profession. Bilingualism an asset.

Time Commitment: 4 days.

Canadian Legal Conference Steering Committee
Established by Council in February 2003 following a review of Annual Meetings, the CLC Steering Committee is the oversight committee responsible for the development and implementation of policy for Annual Meetings. It ensures that the Conference maintains its stature as the recognized national legal event organized by the CBA. The Committee works with the local Organizing Committees and the CBA's professional meetings staff and reports to the Board of Directors at each of its meetings.

Members pre-determined by CBA bylaw.

Time Commitment: 2 days.

Communications
Responsible for CBA communications policy, publications and Bar leader training sessions. It oversees Association public relations, newsletters and is responsible for the CBA website. It is the publisher of the National and the Canadian Bar Review.

Qualifications: Experience or interest in corporate communications, business publishing, new media and a thorough knowledge of the CBA.

Time Commitment: 4 days.

Equality
Dedicated to achieving equality in the legal profession, in particular on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, language, age or disability. The Committee works with CBA groups and other organizations to promote equality in the legal profession, develop resources to assist the profession in eliminating discrimination and achieving equality and diversity, encourage appropriate accommodation, monitor the status of equality and diversity in the legal profession, and monitor implementation of CBA policies related to equality in the profession.

Qualifications:

Understanding of the CBA’s mandate and history in relation to equality initiatives;
Involvement with equality initiatives at the volunteer’s CBA branch or place of employment;
Solid knowledge of equality issues (such as gender, race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation and disability) and related legislation, jurisprudence, procedural justice, theory and practices;
Knowledge of challenges faced by members of particular diverse communities coming into contact with the justice system, or with respect to membership in the legal profession; and
Knowledge of or involvement in initiatives undertaken in other equality-seeking organizations.

Time Commitment: 6.5 days.

Ethics and Professional Responsibility
The Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee is dedicated to fostering and advancing ethical and professional conduct and standards in the legal profession. It is responsible for identifying and studying issues relating to ethics and professional responsibility, recommending changes to the CBA Code of Professional Conduct, and developing practice tools to assist lawyers in identifying and fulfilling their professional responsibilities.

Qualifications: Knowledge of standards of professional ethics for lawyers.

Time Commitment: 6.5 days.

International Development
Originally established in 1990 to oversee the CBA's Eastern European initiative, the IDC was restructured with five members in 1994 and given a broad mandate. It now coordinates CBA international initiatives which enhance the rule of law in democratizing countries through systemic change. All funding for the Committee, its staff, volunteers and projects are raised from external sources.

Selection Criteria:

Experience or demonstrated interest in international development
Professional experience in program focus areas ( eg. CLE; governance; access to justice; administration of justice etc.)
A profile within the profession and/or the CBA
Able to commit a minimum of 2 years
Geographic and gender balance on the committee is also considered

Judicial Compensation and Benefits
Promotes fair processes for determining judicial compensation, as an essential element to maintain judicial independence. Advises on issues relating to compensation and benefits for judges and their families.

Qualifications: Knowledge of federal, provincial, and territorial judicial compensation commissions. Dedication to the independence of the judiciary.

Time Commitment: 5 days.

Law Day
The Law Day Committee is dedicated to improving public understanding of the law and the legal system. Law Day provides an opportunity to project the positive image of individual jurists, the CBA and the legal profession. The Committee promotes and coordinates Law Day both nationally and at the branch level.

Qualifications: The Committee consists of the Law Day Chairs from each branch, and a National Chair and Vice-Chair who are nominated from amongst the Law Day branch Chairs.

Time Commitment: 0.5 days.

Legal Aid Liaison
Facilitates information sharing about legal aid across the country, liaises with legal aid organizations and CBA groups, and provides recognition and support for lawyers providing legal aid services.

Qualifications: Experience as a lawyer accepting legal aid files, as a staff legal aid lawyer or duty counsel, and/or commitment to advocating for equal access to justice.

Time Commitment: One in person meeting plus 6 conference calls.

Legislation and Law Reform
Coordinates CBA mandate to pursue improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Coordinates and vets CBA submissions to Parliamentary and Senate Committees, federal Ministers and departmental officials. It proposes law reform priorities for the CBA and identifies cases suitable for public intervention which are of interest or concern to the legal community, to which the legal profession has a social or moral obligation to respond, or upon which the CBA can inform public debate. Maintains liaison to the Uniform Law Conference of Canada. The L&LR Committee also monitors conflict of interest in the development and presentation of CBA submissions.

Qualifications: Commitment to the Rule of Law, Charter of Rights and fundamental human rights; interest in government relations; keen interest to read about emerging issues of law outside one’s usual area of practice.

Time Commitment: 12 days.

Membership
The Membership Committee works in conjunction with the National Office and Branches to increase member recruitment and retention by:

i) developing and implementing marketing and retention strategies;
ii) evaluation market research and trend data;
iii) coordinating national programs with Branches; and
iv) reviewing and recommending necessary improvements to membership categories, pricing, and product/service development improvements.

Qualifications: Thorough understanding of the CBA’s National and Branch programs and services, and knowledge of marketing communications, business development and market research principles. The Committee consists of the Membership Chairs from each branch, and a National Chair and Vice-Chair who are nominated from amongst the Membership branch Chairs.

Time Commitment: 10 days.

Pro Bono
The Pro Bono Committee’s mandate is to promote and facilitate pro bono service in the legal profession. Each Branch names a member to the Committee, and the Chair is selected through the usual nominating process. The Chair of the Legal Aid Liaison Committee is an ex-officio member.

Qualifications: Experience in or knowledge of the delivery of pro bono legal services. Knowledge of pro bono legal activities in the member’s jurisdiction. The Committee consists of the Pro Bono Chairs from each branch, and a National Chair and Vice-Chair who are nominated from amongst the Pro Bono branch Chairs.

Time Commitment: 2 days.

Professional Development
Responsible for the development and production of seminars and conferences on topics of national or international interest to the legal profession and the planning, development and delivery of the substantive programs at the CBA Canadian Legal Conferences.

Qualifications: Experience in or knowledge of the development of educational programming in the field of law.

Time Commitment: 4.25 days.

Resolutions, Constitutions and By-Laws
Receives, considers, and reports on resolutions to Council. Maintains Resolutions database. The Committee is also responsible for the maintenance and enforcement of the CBA Constitution and By–laws.

Qualifications: At least one member must be francophone and at least one member must be anglophone. One member must practise law in the province of Quebec. All members should have a keen eye for plain language drafting. Ability to read English and French an asset. Chair and Vice Chair should be familiar with fundamentals of Parliamentary procedure in Roberts Rules of Order, and should be comfortable chairing a large session of sometimes unruly lawyers.

Time Commitment: 5 days if you attend Council meetings; 1.5 days if you don't attend Council meetings; 6 days for Chair.

Supreme Court of Canada Liaison
Serves as a link between the Court and the Bar. Consults with National Sections on issues that the Court and the Bar may raise for review.

Qualifications: Experience at the Supreme Court of Canada, either as a litigator or as an agent.

Time Commitment: 2 days.

Special Committees

Working Group on No-Fault Compensation
The Working Group on No-Fault Compensation has a mandate to study and report on the policy and social values promoted by the tort system, demonstrate the extent to which these values are compromised by no-fault compensation schemes, and inform lawyers and the public about the undesirability and negative consequences of no-fault compensation schemes.

CBA Task Force on Conflicts of Interest
In response to the serious and growing problem of conflicts of interest in Canadian law firms, the CBA has launched an expert task force that will develop practical guidelines, advice and solutions to help lawyers and law firms serve their clients better.

National Task Force on Class Actions
The National Task Force on Class Actions was officially launched during Council’s Mid-Winter meeting in Ottawa in February 2010 with the aim of solving the difficult problem of overlapping multijurisdictional class actions.

Federal Courts Bench and Bar Liaison Committee
Created by National Sections Council in 1992, this group is a forum for members of the Bench and the Bar to discuss issues of mutual concern relating to the operations of the Court that fall outside the mandate of the Statutory Rules Committee. It meets twice a year.

Canadian Legal Conference Local Committee & Mid-Winter Meeting Committee
The chairs of these two separate committees are appointed by the Board of Directors on the advice of the sponsoring Branch to organize specific components of the meetings that reflect the culture of the locale, and to give delegates a sense of the local legal community. Chairs appoint the necessary committee members. Both committees work directly with the Director of Meetings. The CLC Local Organizing Committee works to implement the CLC policy and works with the CLC Steering Committee.

Tax Court Liaison Committee
Composed of representatives from the National Commodity Tax, Customs & Trade and the Taxation Sections, the CBA Committee meets regularly with the Chief Judge and the Tax Court as the formal liaison with the Bar. The Committee also discusses concerns arising from the Tax Bar as a result of their practice before the Court.

CBA/CICA Joint Committee on Taxation
The CBA, together with the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA), comprises the Joint Committee on Taxation of the CBA and the CICA. CBA representatives are drawn from the National Taxation Section and the National Wills, Estates and Trusts Sections.

The purpose and role of the Joint Committee is to review amendments to income tax legislation proposed by the Federal Department of Finance and to critique such proposals through in-person meetings with members of that Department and by way of written brief.

For contact information of Committee members, please consult the CBA Directory.