Immigration Myths Dispelled
Every year the BC Branch co-hosts with the Law Society a one-day event which brings together members of the media and the legal profession. The objective is to provide access to information which allows reporters to more accurately cover issues or stories related to the law. The 1998 Law and the Media session, held November 7, focused on “Immigration: The BC Experience of Coming... or Going”. Panelists covered topics as diverse as policing problem areas, the deportation and appeals process, and the politics of immigration. More than 40 members of the media attended, and feedback was extremely positive. A special thank you to the CBA Immigration Section, which assisted in finding informative speakers and refugees willing to speak about their experiences.


Civil Litigation Conference
The next bi-annual Litigation Conference will be held January 14-15, 1999 in Vancouver. Described as the premier litigation CLE for the season, keynote speakers include Mr. Justice Binnie of the Supreme Court of Canada and Lord Michael Mustill, recently retired House of Lords Judge and now a leading international arbitrator. The faculty includes Chief Justices McEachern and Williams, noted U.S. tort litigator Joseph B. Cox Jr., together with a number of Supreme Court Judges and leading BC counsel. Discussions will focus on current issues facing litigators, including substantive and procedural developments (18As, rule changes, fast track, costs, evidence, pleadings among others), appeals and case management in both court and ADR contexts.

Broader issues to be addressed at the Conference include resolution process selection, court system goals and direction, advancing “new law” cases, the use of technology in litigation and the courts, and meeting client-driven cost and resolution criteria. Consult the CLE calendar and Conference brochure for more information.

These articles were published in the December 1998 issue of BarTalk. © 1998 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.