Without the kind of information which would establish baseline representation, it is difficult to assess what progress is being made towards more proportional representation of social groups in the legal profession, to determine whether members of disadvantaged groups are leaving the profession in atypical numbers, and to ascertain whether members of disadvantaged groups enter particular kinds of legal careers.

There is no sharp line between a disability policy and a healthy workplace policy—a fact that law firms would do well to remember when they are considering accessibility issues for lawyers with disabilities. Accessibility benefits entire firms, their members and their clients.

While many firms have the best of intentions when it comes to fostering an inclusive working environment, it’s often hard to measure how the firm is progressing in relation to the benchmarks it has set in terms of diversity. Besides the obvious indicators, how do you know if you’re truly making progress on diversity?

A list of links to resources on advancing diversity from across the web.

Seven years after Sean McGee and a colleague at Ottawa law firm Nelligan O'Brien Payne LLP put a call out to form a band for a charity event, the group is still going strong. Getting up on stage and performing is not that different from getting up in court and making your case.

A profession that has structured its role around solving problems for others has been curiously passive in the face of its own discontent.

The fight for work/life balance is against a workplace culture, not unique to private practice or the legal profession but historically prevalent in both, that recognizes and rewards only that lawyer for whom living life to the fullest means taking the occasional Saturday off.

Resources from across the web

Recognizing the importance of work-life balance to Canadian lawyers, the CBA asked the federal government to extend Employment Insurance maternity and parental leave benefits to self-employed persons. The government listened, and help will soon be available through this program.

The year 2009 opened with a barrage of bad economic news, including bankruptcies, foreclosures and layoffs. Law firms are starting to feel the pinch as clients suffer from the downturn. But will that pinch turn into a financial squeeze that delays some senior lawyers’ retirement plans?