At the risk of sounding like a Whitney Houston lyric, at the CBA we’ve embraced the idea that young lawyers and law students are the future – without the involvement of this and future generations, the association as we know it will eventually wither away.
The CBA is currently working on an association-wide policy to engage younger members, but in the meantime our Sections and Forums are taking a look at their own procedures, and starting to critically think about how to make what they do more accessible and relevant to lawyers at the beginning of their careers.
Last year we created the Law Students Forum, with representatives from each of the country’s 23 law schools, to give students a united voice on the national stage. The Forum will afford students the opportunity to work together to exchange ideas, raise awareness and to advance their interests. It will also help establish a connection between students and the CBA’s Sections and Forums which, depending on the group, could include participation on conference calls, seeking new ideas and feedback on various initiatives, opportunities to publish articles on the CBA webpage or otherwise engage in section activities.
The Young Lawyers Forum has been active for some time now, and recently collaborated with the CBA Futures Initiative on the development of Do Law Differently: Futures for Young Lawyers, a guide aimed at helping law students and young lawyers make the transition from law school to a career as a legal professional.
The Competition Law Section has been a leader in outreach, offering a young lawyers’ speed-mentoring breakfast at its fall conference, and a Young Lawyers Annual Half-Day Symposium, bringing together CBA lawyers and Competition Bureau officers in first 10 years of practice.
Here are some of the things other Forums and sections are doing:
- In November 2015, CBA Wellness honoured two students from the University of Victoria Law School for their work in creating a wellness club. CBA Wellness also provided funding for the UVic Wellness Volunteers Appreciation Luncheon, which was attended by a number of VIPs from the local legal community.
- The Forum is working on promoting its online course (Mental Health and Wellness in the legal profession) to law students and young lawyers.
- CBA Sections offer seven essay contests for law students; the Competition and Immigration Sections also open their essay competitions to young lawyers. These competitions allow students to start building a profile within the legal community, connect with senior members of the bar, and hone research and writing skills.
- The IP Section sponsors the Fox Moot Advocacy Award and hosts an annual young lawyers’ reception at the CBA IP Judges Dinner as part of its yearly IP Day.
- Air and Space Law holds an annual mentoring event – a meet and greet with McGill Institute of Air and Space Law students, and a networking event with law students in Toronto.
- Military Law co-sponsors Major-General Henry Smith Memorial Award at the Canadian Jessup Moot Competition (prize for top three oralists).
If you have an idea for ways your section or forum can connect with young lawyers and law students, be sure to let the Section executive know, or email us at sections@cba.org.