CLEBC Update
A library is fundamental to good legal practice. CLEBC recognizes that you may need a hand selecting resources that are crucial to your practice, or you may just be looking for advice on the latest publications and services we offer. Call or make an appointment to visit Karen Kerfoot, CLEBC’s resident expert. With more than 34 years of experience in the legal publishing field, she will help you understand the options available among the multitude of CLEBC titles of printed materials and electronic products within each area of practice so that you can select what’s best suited for your current and future needs. Contact Karen by: Direct phone 604-893-2110, or send an e-mail to kkerfoot@cle.bc.ca

Announcing A New CLEBC Publication
Watch for CLEBC’s new Introducing Evidence at Trial: A British Columbia Handbook, a practical resource for litigators, to be released in Spring 2007. Written and reviewed by a team of well-respected judges and litigators, Introducing Evidence at Trial is a portable, quick-reference guide for lawyers on how to confidently and effectively introduce evidence in a trial. Divided alphabetically by evidentiary topic, this handbook provides “how to” advice including an overview of foundation principles, practice tips, checklists of key considerations, examples, and sample scripts.


The Law Foundation of British Columbia
Application Documents
Letter of Intent forms, application guidelines and application forms for the above funding initiatives may be obtained from: www.lawfoundationbc.org; by e-mailing lfbc@tlfbc.org; by calling 604-688-2337; or by writing the Law Foundation of B.C., 1340-605 Robson Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 5J3

2006 Projects Initiative
The Law Foundation has established a projects budget of $500,000 for 2007 for one-time projects. The maximum amount available for each project is $75,000.

To be considered, please submit a Letter of Intent form by 3 p.m., Friday, January 19, 2007.

Graduate Fellowships 2007/2008
VALUE: Up to four (4) Awards of $13,750 each (subject to change).

CLOSING DATE: January 4, 2007.

FIELD OF STUDY/ ELIGIBILITY: Full-time graduate studies in law or a law-related area. Applicants must either be residents of British Columbia; graduates of a British Columbia law school; or members of the British Columbia Bar.

WHERE TENABLE: Recognized universities in Canada, the U.S. or abroad. NOTE: The Law Foundation Graduate Fellowship is not available for the graduate programs of the Faculties of Law at the University of British Columbia and the University of Victoria as the Law Foundation makes separate grants to the Graduate Fellowship programs at these universities.

Notice of New Agreement: Canadian Western Bank
Law Foundation Chair, Warren Wilson, QC, commends the Canadian Western Bank for its commitment to paying a competitive rate of return on lawyers’ pooled trust accounts. Recognizing the overall impact of protracted low interest rates on the Law Foundation’s revenues, a new interest rate agreement was recently concluded.

A new interest rate agreement on lawyers’ pooled trust accounts has been signed that, depending on the balance, will pay a net rate of return in the range of prime less 2.50 per cent. The system changes to facilitate this new pricing are expected to be implemented in early 2007. Thanks go to Greg Sprung, Vice President and Regional Manager, for the leadership shown in making this new agreement possible.

Increased revenues enable the Law Foundation to fund programs that make the justice system accessible to British Columbians, particularly those people who have the greatest access problems as a result of their economic, social, physical or mental special needs. The funded programs include professional legal education, public legal education, law reform, legal research, legal aid and law libraries.

The Canadian Bar Association (B.C. Branch), the Law Foundation, and the Law Society encourage lawyers to consider which financial institutions provide the best support to the Law Foundation when deciding where to place their trust accounts.

These articles were published in the December 2006 issue of BarTalk. © 2006 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.