The CBA Women Lawyers Forum (WLF) is gearing up for another year of exciting and engaging programming.
Please take a moment to introduce yourself to your 2023-2024 Executive, which includes lawyers from across the country. We cannot wait to carry on the work we have been doing with our current Section members and hope to welcome more this year!
WLF Mandate
The WLF looks forward to continuing to explore our mandate in the hopes of making the Section as inclusive and impactful as possible. Stay tuned for exciting updates to come!
WLF Bi-Annual Conference – November 2-3, 2023
Join us in Toronto, November 2-3, 2023, for the CBA Women Lawyers Forum Conference, “The Multiverse Lawyer: Embracing Our Roles.” Discover the many facets of lawyers’ identities and their evolving roles as leaders, mentors, caregivers, and activists in the legal profession and beyond.
This in-person event, the first in four years, offers a unique opportunity for professional development and networking. Explore how these roles are changing in the dynamic future of the legal profession and equip yourself to become a more influential leader, compassionate mentor, and engaged community member.
Registration is open, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Touchstones 2.0 Podcast Series
The WLF is so excited to announce the 2023 Touchstone 2.0 Podcast Series in the year of the 30th anniversary of the original report, “Touchstones for Change: Equality, Diversity and Accountability”. The series will be launched at the 2023 CBA WLF Conference networking event on November 2, 2023.
The original report, was the result of a task force chaired by the Honourable Bertha Wilson, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada. The report examined the role of women in the profession and the impact of discriminatory practices and offered recommendations on achieving gender equality. Thirty years later, the Touchstones 2.0 Podcast series will connect with past authors and contributors to explore how gender equity has improved since the original report and how the profession can move forward.
Cecilia I. Johnstone Award
The WLF is pleased to announce that nominations are open for the Cecilia I. Johnstone Award.
The Cecilia I. Johnstone Award was established in 2007 to recognize women who have achieved professional excellence in their field and influenced other women to pursue legal careers, supported other women in career advancement or opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them. It is named to honour an outstanding lawyer, judge, CBA President, woman, and friend who passed away April 15, 2006.
Nominations are open until October 6, 2023, and the winner will be announced on November 3, 2023 at the CBA WLF Conference.
“Writing Them In” Essay Contest Winner
The WLF is pleased to announce that Amelia Eaton is the winner of the 2023 CBA Women Lawyers Forum Essay Contest – Writing Them In for the paper “Motherhood, Mass Incarceration, and Colonial Control: Problemitizing Current ‘Solutions’ to Indigenous Maternal Overincarceration”.
Amelia is entering her 3L year at the Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University. She is grateful for the generous support of the Law Foundation of Nova Scotia in completing her law degree. She will be clerking at the Court of Appeal for British Columbia in 2024-2025.
Madam Justice Series
The WLF continues to share the stories of diverse judges from across Canada through our ongoing Madam Justice Project.
The scope and title of the Madam Justice project are under review as we strive to become more inclusive. Please contact us with your ideas for judges to profile and your suggestions for a new name for the project.
Member Articles
If you would like to submit a member article to be featured in The Common Room, please contact us.
Check out our latest member articles below!
More relevant, recent PD!
On-demand recordings are now available from our EDI Series (free for CBA members):
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Thank you,
Catherine Ewasiuk (Vancouver, BC)
Chair, 2023-2024 CBA Women Lawyers Forum