In March the CBA launched a new series of professional development programs, this one aimed at helping lawyers up their game and enhancing access to justice at the same time.
The three initial webinars in the Better Client Service Series are designed to help lawyers establish and maintain effective relationships with their clients. Are you a forward-looking legal professional looking to explore new models of legal service delivery? Are you, or do you know a small or sole practitioner? A family lawyer working with underserved clients? A young lawyer? A general practitioner based in a small centre? Someone who works with lower/middle income clients? Then this series is for you.
The first webinar, Lasting Client Relationships: Intake Strategies that Build Long-Term Trust, took place on March 7. Presented by lawyer and notary public Renatta Austin and Sarah McCoubrey, a partner with Calibrate, the webinar’s goal is to help lawyers build a relationship of trust with clients who might be intimidated by the lawyer or anxious about the situation that required them to seek legal help in the first place. The webinar also discussed how to build a network of professionals to provide an integrated service to clients. A recording of this webinar is available.
The next webinar, on March 29, Made-to-Measure Legal Services: The Power of Limited Scope Retainers, is, as the title suggests, aimed at helping lawyers understand what’s involved in drafting limited scope retainers and how they work in practice. John-Paul Boyd of the Canadian Research Institute for Law and the Family and Sara Westwood of Yuen Westwood Law Corp. will present.
On April 19, the last webinar, titled Intelligent Client Communications: Empowering Your Clients Through Clear Legal Writing, will explore techniques for drafting letters and other documents that your clients can understand. Presenters here are Sarah McCoubrey and Nicole Osbourne-James of Community Legal Education Ontario.
The series is accredited for up to 4.5 hours of professional development credits; check to see if you’re eligible.