Serving the legal profession in British Columbia.

By Patricia Jordan

The British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBABC) developed the Articles Registry at the request of the Law Society of British Columbia (Law Society), in response to the needs of law firms and law students in British Columbia. The Registry provides law firms with an opportunity to post multiple articles with varying criteria. Law students can search for available articles by interest, location and start date. A link to the Registry is available on the CBABC home page at cba.org/bc and on the Law Society website.

Shared Articles Registry
In 2006, the CBABC, the Law Society and Faculties of Law at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria identified a need amongst law firms and law students for a Shared Articles Registry. The goal of the Registry was to make shared articles more accessible and provide a centralized resource for law firms and law students who are interested in the shared articles option in British Columbia.

The Registry is a searchable database where firms may post their need for an articled student, specifying length of articles available and practice areas. It is available at cba.org/bc in “Practice Resources,” under “Legal Careers and Articles Registry.”

Mentoring Registry
Recently, the Law Society approved mentoring as an accredited activity to fulfill the Law Society’s mandatory continuing professional development (CPD) requirements. The Law Society identifies mentoring, for the purposes of CPD credit, as a relationship in which a lawyer (mentor) with experience or expertise in a practice area or practice skill provides guidance or advice in support of the professional or practice goals of another lawyer, or an articling student in another firm (mentee) who requests assistance.

The CBABC developed a Mentoring Registry for the Law Society to assist members of the legal profession. It is an online resource that connects mentors and mentees by area of law and location. The Registry can be accessed through links on both the Law Society and CBABC websites.

Did You Know?
The CBABC established two subcommittees under its “Court Rules Implementation Monitoring Initiative” to monitor the implementation of the new Supreme Court civil and family law rules. The subcommittees’ mandates are to gather feedback about the new rules and distribute information to the membership about how the new rules are being interpreted. Learn more at cba.org/bc under “Initiatives.”

CBABC Web Facts

• Since January 1, 2010, HR ads and BarTalk inserts were downloaded more than 86,000 times.
• Dial-A-Law scripts were viewed online more than 2,500,000 times since January.
• The top five Dial-A-Law scripts read online are:

1. Applying for Employment Insurance Benefits
2. Your Duties as Executor
3. Termination Under the B.C. Employment Standards Act
4. Drinking and Driving
5. Possession of Marijuana.

Patricia Jordan is the CBABC Web Manager. She welcomes your comments, questions and suggestions. Tel: 604-646-7861; Email: pjordan@bccba.org; visit: www.cba.org/bc.

This article was published in the August 2010 issue of BarTalk. © 2010 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.