In the spirit of National Volunteer Week which took place April 15-21, CBA National magazine profiled outstanding CBA members who have made a difference. To set the stage, we caught up with CBA Vice-President Ray Adlington of McInnes Cooper in Halifax to talk about what volunteering has taught him, the impact it can have on a lawyer’s career and community and how to best get involved.
"As for the value that the volunteer derives, I think that their work within the CBA fosters a sense of community among them that is very important, because of the isolated lives that we lawyers lead as professional secret keepers. Practising law can be an isolating experience, in large part because of the duty of confidentiality. It’s obviously fundamentally important, but as an individual and a human, it is not always easy mentally."
"Because our CBA membership is broad based, CBA positions are for the most part very well thought through and often provide a reasonable position for Canada. Legislators and regulators alike seriously consider our positions. I am proud to be part of such an organization."
"I became involved very early in my career with the CBA, primarily through it annual conferences. The CBA opened my eyes to our role, as lawyers, as guardians of the rule of law throughout the country."
"In my current role as chair of the National Equality Subcommittee I would really like to see action steps. CBA as a whole has gone through a lot of restructuring with an aim to being more transparent and inclusive. I would like to build upon that and ensure that CBA nationally is connected with its provincial branches in meaningful way and that we are collectively not just striving for but are achieving diversity and inclusion."
"Throughout my career, I have benefitted from the work of the CBA and have felt personal satisfaction in being a volunteer. Ultimately, I hope that my volunteer time with CBA contributes to a vibrant and healthy organization that continues to be the leading voice of the legal profession for many years to come."
"I’ve always considered myself very lucky to be a lawyer in one of the freest and most tolerant countries in the world. Volunteer work for the CBA is one small way of thanking a profession that has provided so many opportunities for me."
"As lawyers, we have gotten here through a lot of hard work but also, for most of us, through the privilege of having physical and mental health, and having families and communities that supported us to succeed. I believe we have an obligation to use that privilege productively. My parents did that, without ever calling it volunteering - it was just identifying a need that you have some ability to help meet and then doing something about it."
"In the few legislative submissions or judicial comments I’ve been involved with, CBA volunteers and staff have always been professional, competent and motivated by something more than self interest. Sometimes however, I’m able to sneak in a point or perspective that might have been overlooked."
"The CBA remains, in my opinion, the strongest and most relevant national legal organization in Canada. Its work is important enough for lawyers and all Canadians that I want to ensure its work continues as best as it can."
"Volunteerism was instilled in me at a very young age while I was watching my parents and other members of my community give back. I am very fortunate to be able to practice law and carve out time to work on programming for non-profits, whether community organizations or professional organizations like the CBA."
"We have an obligation to help members of the public learn about the contours of the law and how it affects them. As lawyers, our role doesn’t begin and end with participating on behalf of clients. Our profession, and the privileges that come with it, require us to engage with public debate and hopefully make a positive contribution to those discussions."
"The more you put into the CBA, the more you get out of it. My involvement began as taking the opportunity to develop a better understanding of the substantive law applicable to my practice, pensions and employee benefits, and has grown to encompass learning from the many diverse perspectives among CBA members."