Women Lawyers Forum (“WLF”)
Report on the National WLF Meeting – December 2009
By Leanne Murray, Chair, WLF, CBA New Brunswick Branch
I attended the national meeting of the CBA Women Lawyer’s Forum from December 5 to 6, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec. The national meeting was well attended with representatives from almost all of the provinces with WLF conferences. The current national Chair of the WLF is Patricia Lane from Manitoba.
The executive meeting of the WLF was held on Saturday and Sunday and was attended by the officers, branch chairs and members-at-large of the WLF. One of the recently elected members-at-large is Ellen Desmond from Saint John. The agenda items covered during the meeting included: Report from the Chair, Branch roundtable, CLE programming, mentorship needs of foreign trained lawyers, international equity initiative, planning and priorities for the coming year such as budgeting and elections, Canadian Legal Conference (CLC) in Niagara Falls in August of 2010, outreach opportunities, communications including the website and the newsletter (The Common Room), reports on the Retention of Women in Private Practice, Cecilia I. Johnstone Award, harassment and an update from the CBA.
Several action items resulted from the national meeting including: the development of protocols regarding gender neutral language when addressing male and female lawyers, the continued development of a proposal for an in–person CLE to be held in the fall of 2010 in Toronto which would focus on leadership/ management skills for women lawyers, the organization of a panel regarding the Women’s Court of Canada (http://www.thecourt.ca/decisions-of-the-womens-court-of-canada/) at the CLC in August of 2010, articles for future issues of the newsletter, the continued development of the webpage, the implementation of a social action committee and an amendment to the election process by the WLF. I have volunteered to work with the Quebec WLF Chair to develop a list of all awards, honors and any other forms of recognition available to women in the legal profession in each jurisdiction across Canada. Once the information has been gathered, it will be posted on the WLF website so that it is accessible to all CBA members.
The recent reports authored in British Columbia and Ontario regarding the retention of women in private practice was a hot topic during the national meeting. Both of the reports are available online for your review and comment at (http://www.lsuc.on.ca/media/convmay08_retention_of_women_consultation.pdf and http://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/publications_forms/report-committees/docs/Retention-of-womenTF.pdf).
The various branch chairs reported on both the past year’s activities and initiatives and those that are coming up this year in their jurisdictions. A sample of the many activities and initiatives includes: award/ recognition luncheons, triva night, panel discussions, mentoring programs, CLE’s, clothing drives for women re-entering the workforce, events about particular careers within the legal profession, opportunities for women lawyers to meet women judges, dinners with guest speakers, a celebration of the 60th anniversary of women having the right to vote, book club events and networking events.
In November, the NB WLF held an event in Fredericton which was attended by twenty women lawyers who enjoyed conversation with their colleagues over wine and cheesecake. It was also an opportunity for new members to join, for the new executive to be introduced and for those present to hear about future events and initiatives being organized or considered by the NB WLF.
The 2010 national WLF meeting was tentatively scheduled for November 4 to be held in conjunction with an in-person CLE which the WLF hopes to organize in Toronto on November 5 & 6, 2010.
The WLF has more than 1,800 members across Canada. In New Brunswick, the WLF has approximately 80 members which is an excellent representation in relation to other provinces and a significant increase from last year’s membership which was at 53.
If you have any suggestions or ideas for events or initiatives by the WLF, please feel free to contact me (506-458-1624 or leanne.murray@mcinnescooper.com). If you are not already a member of the WLF and would like to join, please contact the CBA office to register (506-452-7818 or admin@cbanb.com).
Message from the Chair
November 2009
I am pleased to have been asked to Chair the Women Lawyers Forum (“WLF”) for the New Brunswick Branch of the CBA. My involvement resulted from the resignation of Claire Levasseur, the former Chair, who relocated to Nova Scotia in the fall of 2008. I would like to express thanks to Claire for her time spent as Chair of the WLF, NB Branch.
As the Chair of the NB branch of the WLF, I invite you to join me at a WLF event to be held on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 570 Queen Street, Suite 600 at the newly renovated offices of McInnes Cooper in Fredericton. This will be a social networking event for female lawyers and an opportunity to provide suggestions for future events or CLE’s of special interest to this group. This event is sponsored by McInnes Cooper and those in attendance will enjoy wine and yummy cheesecake from a local dessert company. In addition, I would like to extend thanks to J.C. Belzile, of Churchill Dauphinee, for donating a special maple wine for our enjoyment. Please RSVP by Friday, November 20, 2009 if you plan to attend. We hope to see as many of you as possible at this event.
Details of future events around the province will be announced as they are finalized.
For your information, the report below provides a summary of the National WLF meeting which I attended in November of 2008. The next national meeting of the WLF will be held on December 5 and 6, 2009.
If you are unable to attend our upcoming event or if you have any suggestions or ideas for events or initiatives for the WLF, please feel free to contact me. If you are not already a member of the WLF and would like to join, please contact the CBA office to register (506-452-7818 or admin@cbanb.com).
Cheers,
Leanne Murray, Chair
Women Lawyers Forum
CBA - NB Branch
About the Forum
The Women Lawyers Forum is aimed at promoting the stature and influence of women in the profession, as well as developing assistance programs, networking opportunities and mentoring programs.
The objective of the Women Lawyers Forum is to provide:
Personal and Professional Development
- develop mechanisms to assist women in the legal profession to enhance their professional opportunities; and
- develop business and professional confidence for women in the practice of law, including private practice, public service, and in-house counsel, and in community leadership.
Networking, Mentoring and Liaising Opportunities
- provide a forum for networking, education, mentoring and information sharing for women in the legal profession;
- co-ordinate a mentoring system and other resources for mentoring of women in the legal profession; and
- liaise and share resources with other legal jurisdictions, women in the judiciary, other professions, and organizations of professional women; and
- work and liaise with other Canadian Bar Association conferences, sections and committees, particularly the Standing Committee on Equity, on matters of mutual concern.
Resources
- develop communications tools to assist women lawyers in identifying and making contact with available resources.
Women Lawyers Forum Chair
Leanne Murray
McInnes Cooper
600-570 Queen St
PO Box 610 Stn A
Fredericton NB E3B 5A6
Women Lawyers Forum Executive Members
Deirdre Wade, Q.C.
Barry Spalding
710-55 Union St
PO Box 6010 RPO Brunswick Sq
Saint John NB E2L 4R5
Liza Robichaud
300-270 Douglas Ave
Bathurst NB E2A 1M9
Bridget Beswick
Human Rights Commission
259-B Argyle St
Fredericton NB E3B 1T6
Deborah C. Watton
McInnes Cooper
1700-1 Germain St
PO Box 6370 RPO Brunswick Sq
Saint John NB E2L 4R8
Jayme O’Donnell
O’Donnell Law
Kchikhusis Commercial Centre
150 Cliffe Street
Unit 9, Box R5
Fredericton, NB E3A 0A1
Ellen Desmond
New Brunswick Energy and Utilities Board
15 Market Square
Suite 1400
Saint John, NB E2L 4Y9
Forum Reports
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