A day in the life of the Executive Director

by Frank C Kraemer

Like many of you, as a member of CBA I had no idea of the diversity and complexity of the Executive Director position. In my second column I thought it might be instructive if I gave you an insight into what my workday can and often does look like. On any workday some or all of the following may occur:

• Meet by early morning conference call with the National and other Provincial Executive Directors to discuss matters of common concern and share information about events and issues being faced by either our National office or other Provincial Branches;
• Spend a full third of the day answering phone, fax or e-mail queries from members about a variety of things such as our position and progress on Limited Liability Partnership Legislation or our policy on Expense Reimbursement;
• Liaise with the Trial Lawyers Association, Law Society, CLE, or Legal Services Society on issues of common concern;
• Work on the preparation of the Branch Annual Budget;
• Working with the President, set the Agenda for the Executive Committee or Provincial Council;
• Meet with representatives of our Preferred Suppliers about the services they are offering and the possibility of sponsorship by them of Branch Events;
• Oversee the conduct of Provincial Council Elections including the receipt of nominations, preparation and distribution of ballots and determining the results of elections by County;
• Review the Branch investments and rates of return and discuss with our Investment Advisor the best course of action to follow;
• Give direction to staff on the day to day operation of the Branch including such things as regularly ensuring we are paying competitive prices for goods and services we receive;
• Deal with unexpected emergencies or events such as earthquakes and the leaking of diesel fuel into the Branch premises;
• Prepare the Minutes of Executive Committee and Provincial Council meetings;
• Attend the regular meetings of Committees of the Branch such as Members Services, Legal Aid and Working Groups such as the Financial Policy Working Group and the MDP Task Force;
• Give direction on issues relating to the Branch’s LAN, Database and Web site to ensure optimum use of technology; and
• Develop Branch policies on matters such as Finances and Human Resources.

I prepared the list after reviewing my diary and spending a few moments reflecting on what my workdays look like. I have found the first four months of my time here fascinating and challenging. It is constantly necessary to prioritize and reprioritize my work in order to ensure that the Branch is providing the best possible service to its members. This job has not been easy but I believe we are on the right road and I’m excited about what I see ahead.

This article was published in the June 2001 issue of BarTalk. © 2001 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.