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Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Conference (SOGIC) - Professional Development

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  • SOGIC organizes programs to educate lawyers on issues of relevance to the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and two-spirited communities. At the CBA's 1999 Annual Conference in Edmonton, SOGIC and the Standing Committee on Equality co-sponsored a CLE seminar on harassment in the workplace, entitled "Investigating Sex and Lies".
     
  • The session examined the stakes in a sexual harassment case, which can be very high. An employer can face an expensive human rights complaint or wrongful dismissal suit from an alleged victim who is dissatisfied with the employer's response. On the other hand, an alleged harasser can sue for wrongful dismissal or defamation if the investigation is mishandled. The program provided a primer on the legal pitfalls involved in an investigation, and demonstrated how to avoid them. Former SOGIC Chair Douglas Elliott spoke on these issues from the perspective of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and two-spirited communities.
     
  • At the CBA's 2000 Annual Conference in Halifax, SOGIC and the Standing Committee on Equality co-sponsored a CLE seminar on how to serve clients from diverse backgrounds. The session united some of the leading experts from the corporate and professional world to talk about expanding a law firm's business in an era of diversity. It explored substantive and practice points lawyers should know to serve all their clients well. SOGIC Hero Award recipient Cynthia Petersen spoke on how lawyers can better serve their lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered and two-spirited clients.
     
  • SOGIC sponsored its own CLE seminar at the CBA's 2001 Annual Conference in Saskatoon. Entitled "The Modernization of Benefits and Obligations", the seminar focused on how legislation extending benefits and obligations to same-sex and heterosexual common-law couples will affect practitioners of family law, tax law and wills and estates.
     
  • At the 2004 CLC & Expo in Winnipeg SOGIC sponsored a CLE on Same-Sex Marriage in collaboration with Public Sector Lawyers' Conference and the Family Law Section.
     
  • SOGIC presented a successful CLE at the 2005;Vancouver Canadian Legal Conference and Expo entitled: "Trans 101 - Responsible Representation of Trans-gendered Clients and Primary Issues of Concern".
     
  • In collaboration with the National Military Law Section and the Standing Committee on Equity, SOGIC presented a successful CLE at the 2006 St. John's Canadian Legal Conference and Expo entitled: "Equality and the Military".
     
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