On March 8, International Women’s Day, fifty women lawyers and judges gathered in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island for the 9th annual PEI Women Lawyers Forum luncheon and professional development day.
Bridget Morriscey and I co-chaired the event. The theme for the professional development component was “Raising the bar on ethical practice.” Participants were fortunate to hear from Lynn Murray, Q.C., senior partner with Key Murray Law, and Brenda Picard, Q.C., executive director with the Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission. We discussed the ethical obligations we have as lawyers to colleagues and to our clients and considered the human rights dimensions in our service delivery to clients, as well as in our own firm management with employees.
Participants had the opportunity to reconnect with friends and colleagues and to meet articling clerks and new lawyers joining the bar. On behalf of the P.E.I. branch of the CBA, the Women Lawyers Forum was also able to present a donation to PEI Family Violence Prevention Services with board members Selina Pellerin and Andrea Leclair Shefler in attendance.
On behalf of Bridget and myself, thank you to the attendees and all of the supporters including Justice Nancy Key and Jane Smith with the CBA for making the event a success.
Some of the event participants doing the “Balance for Better” pose as part of the 2019 IWD theme.
Emily MacDonald is the Chair of the Women Lawyers Forum on PEI