Planning for the BC Branch’s future

by Kerry-Lynne D Findlay

This year a lot of effort has gone into identifying important issues concerning CBA members. Our Planning and Priorities Committee identified our key priorities as:

• Promoting the legitimate interest of lawyers;
• Educating members;
• Being the voice of the profession;
• Providing member services;
• Promoting inclusiveness within the Branch and the profession;
• Enhancing communications within the membership;
• Promoting and enhancing the image of lawyers.

The Executive Committee adopted these priorities at its planning meeting last June, and started this year to implement the policy and activities through this framework. As a result of this focus, the Executive held its annual planning session earlier than usual this year, in April, before budget discussions. We decided upon several courses of action to complete this year and/or implement in the coming year. There will be a complete report at the next Provincial Council meeting, June 20th, our last Council meeting for the 1997-98 year.

The initiatives include that the BC Branch:

1. Prepare a report on establishing a lawyers’ pension plan;
2. Encourage greater volunteer participation from large law firms;
3. Develop a plan to improve communications with government;
4. Create a short-term task force to assess Section activity;
5. Continue self -funded President’s Forums (two next year);
6. Appoint a Committee Coordinator;
7. Expand participation by visible and other minorities;
8. Establish media training for Branch spokespeople;
9. Improve communications with CBA national and members through improved deployment of Council;
10. President give an oral annual report at June Council meetings;
11. Equality Committee Chair participate in the Executive’s appointments process.

In addition, the Branch web site has been developed; we are looking at break-out sessions for Section Chairs and elected reps at Council meetings; and we are hiring a Member Services Coordinator on staff. We have moved toward less oral reporting at Council Meetings and will continue our expanded outreach to include all volunteers.

Resulting from the successful President’s Forum on Solicitors Issues, we have established a Solicitors Issues Committee which will work independently, and in conjunction with the Law Society’s Futures Committee to look at areas of concern such as Multi-Disciplinary Practice, Title Insurance, and so on. We are holding our second President’s Forum in Richmond, on June 19th, this time emphasizing marketing and client relations. I encourage all of you to attend. We organize these Forums on a strictly break-even basis, in order to make them as accessible as possible.

This is your organization, speaking up and out for the professional and practice issues that affect us all. We continue to welcome your suggestions, and take them all seriously. I also wish to personally thank the many volunteers who make this organization strong and vital. See you on June 19th.

This article was published in the June 1998 issue of BarTalk. © 1998 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.