Having access to the proper tools makes everyone’s life easier.
Through the inspiration and hard work of members, the CBA has developed a wide range of tools and resources to help you and your practice through a variety of scenarios. Below you’ll find a representative sample of what can be found on our website, but we encourage you to check out the resources links on the sites of individual committees, sections and forums that you’re interested in to see exactly what we have on offer.
Best of all, these are tools you don’t have to remember to return.
If you have an idea for a practice or professional tool, don’t hesitate to contact your Section or Forum or one of the CBA’s Standing Committees.
Tools
Preventive Lawyering Toolkit – Preventive lawyering is the understanding that lawyers can be more than just reactive problem-solvers; they can also be trusted allies who help clients avoid legal problems before they arise. Such thinking challenges the traditional understanding of the lawyer as zealous advocate for a client with an identified legal problem.
Legal Health Checks – Legal Health Checks are developed by Sections and Forums and are meant to help the general public identify and avoid legal problems.
Measuring Diversity in Law Firms – Designed to help law firms measure their diversity performance, this resource offers guidance about the process, measurement strategies and the major steps involved in measuring diversity.
Joint Policy Statement on Audit Inquiries – A new JPS comes into effect on Dec. 1, 2016. It clarifies the roles of the lawyer, the client and the auditor in the audit of the client’s financial statements. A flowchart and FAQs will help you apply the new rules. For audits before that, the 1978 JPS and 2010 Interim Guidance still apply.
Pandemics and the Workplace: A Resource for Lawyers – This guide, prepared by the Labour and Employment Section, helps lawyers of employers, unions or employees prepare themselves to guide clients through the next pandemic, looking at laws, cases, and best practices. The guide was released in 2014; the section is in the process of reviewing it.
Futures Readiness Self-Assessment Tool – Is your firm ready to face the challenges of the future? This is one way to find out.
A Guide to Strategy for Lawyers – Getting ahead in this world takes a good strategy. Leading legal thinker Richard Susskind lays out a roadmap for lawyers and law firms.
Do Law Differently – This guide by Canadian legal expert Jordan Furlong is aimed at young lawyers and law students, providing them with information they need as they enter a changing legal profession.
Tax Matters Toolkit for Clients/ Tax Matters Toolkit for Lawyers – These very popular toolkits are a collaboration between the CBA Family Law Section, Justice Canada, Finance Canada and the Canada Revenue Agency. They help family law lawyers and their clients understand how tax rules might affect their future finances on separation or divorce. The toolkits are currently being reviewed, with an update expected by the end of the year.
Canadian Corporate Counsel Association does an annual In-House Counsel Barometer Survey exploring the attitudes and opinions of corporate counsel, and an In-House Counsel Compensation and Career Survey, which provides key information on Canadian corporate counsel compensation and career issues. Both are available exclusively to members.
The CBA Wellness Forum, along with Bell Let’s Talk and the Mood Disorders Society of Canada, developed Mental Health and Wellness in the Legal Profession, a self-learning course for lawyers, judges, law students and other legal professionals to assist their understanding of mental health and addiction issues.
As well, the CBA’s Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee has developed a number of tools dealing with ethical practices:
Assessing Ethical Infrastructure in your Law Firm: A Practical Guide
Ethical Practices Self-Evaluation Tool
Legal Ethics in a Digital World
FAQs about Privilege and Confidentiality for Lawyers in Private Practice
FAQs about Privilege and Confidentiality for In-House Counsel
Resources
Many sections and forums have developed resources for their members – items of interest to practitioners in certain specific areas of law:
The Wills, Estates & Trusts National Concordance Tables on Succession Law compare key aspects of the law on estate and trust planning and administration in each province and territory. This is a hugely popular resource for lawyers practising in this area. The Section is currently revising the provincial and territorial tables. The updated tables will be posted in the fall.
The Commodity Tax, Customs & Trade Section posts Q&As on GST/HST Questions from its annual round tables with the Canada Revenue Agency.
IP Case Summaries: summaries of orders in intellectual property cases issued by the Federal Court and Federal Court of Appeal, posted quarterly.
Pensions & Benefits New Legal Developments: summaries of new legal developments in pensions and benefits law from across the country. Posted two-to-three times per year.
Aboriginal Law and Immigration Law’s Common List of Authorities: Together with lawyers from Justice Canada, the CBA has compiled a common list of authorities for use in Federal Courts immigration and aboriginal law proceedings.
Fundamentals of Canadian Competition Law, Third Edition: this online book helps the non-specialist understand the basic issues in Canadian competition law, and explains complex issues for those with an interest in a particular area of competition law.
Contacts
The Immigration Section has compiled a number of government contact lists, including the CIC Immigration Program Manager Email List , current to January 2016, and a list of government directories, contacts, email, etc. current to July 2015. Find these and a host of other important items on the section’s resources page.
The French Speaking Members Forum has put together a helpful List of francophone organizations for legal professionals.
Journals
Canadian Competition Law Review
Canadian International Lawyer
Multimedia
The Immigration Law Section has a series of short videos that explain the benefits of obtaining legal advice in advance of making an application and throughout the immigration process. The videos are accessible through the Immigration Law Section Resource webpage and CBA YouTube channel.
The Public Sector Lawyers Forum offers recordings of teleconferences of their “brown bag” lunch PD sessions on topics including employee monitoring, privacy and data security risk, delegation of authority, and many more. Check out the resources page.