CBA initiatives are projects that advocate for change in the legal profession, offering innovative strategies, plans and tools to advance legal practice. This year, our volunteers and employees worked on many impactful endeavours. Here are the highlights.

Strategic initiatives by the numbers

CBA Truth and Reconciliation

The Path

The journey to reconciliation starts with greater awareness of Indigenous Canada. We launched the updated Indigenous cultural awareness course, The Path: Your Journey through Indigenous Canada, in January 2024. This six-module online program focuses on Indigenous issues in the legal profession.

This training program was one of the commitments made by the CBA Truth and Reconciliation Taskforce. The Path was created and updated by NVision Insight Group, a majority Indigenous-owned company, and was developed with First Nations, Inuit and Métis advisors and reviewers. The updated program was vetted by an Indigenous lawyer for accuracy related to legal references.

The new version includes interactive software to create a richer learning experience for participants. Plus, 25% additional content was added, including  new information on land acknowledgements, stereotypes and misconceptions, and urban Indigenous realities. The Path now features examples of how First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, communities and governments are leading reconciliation efforts in different sectors. It also includes new information on the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Persons (UNDRIP), which is now in force in Canada.

Building Indigenous Intercultural Capacity Lecture Series for Staff

In partnership with NVision Insight Group, the CBA launched Building Indigenous Intercultural Capacity anti-bias training in March 2024. This webinar series was delivered live in both English and French in three parts:

• Race and culture
• Bias and stereotypes
• Building Indigenous intercultural capacity

Participants told us they appreciated the live format of this series. It created a safe space where they could comfortably ask questions to the Indigenous moderator.

CBA Well-Being

Individual initiatives under the Well-Being Initiative are led by the CBA Well-Being Subcommittee.

CBA National Conference on Well-Being

On November 7, 2023, we hosted the CBA Conference on Well-Being live in Toronto and online. Thought leaders gathered from across Canada to share strategies and perspectives on creating healthier legal workplaces.

The former Chief Justice of Ontario, the Honourable George R. Strathy, delivered the keynote address on Creating Healthy Organizations. Dr. Nathalie Cadieux provided a highly anticipated review of the National Study on Well-Being in the Legal Profession. Plus, registrants participated in sessions, panels and breakouts on topics from building diverse and inclusive workplaces to managing change.

The conference attracted over 125 in-person and virtual attendees. The event’s success highlights the CBA’s commitment to our Well-Being Initiative—a topic critical to the future of our profession.

CBA Roundtable Well-Being Meetings

As a follow-up to the CBA Conference on Well-Being, we presented six virtual roundtable sessions in November 2023. The sessions attracted 85 attendees who joined thought-provoking conversations on how to implement well-being best practices in the workplace.

In honour of Mental Health Week, we held another roundtable in May 2024. The sessions were very well-received by attendees.

The Well-Being Hour

This year, we produced six new Well-Being Hour programs. This powerful series of on-demand video conversations focuses on legal professionals’ current challenges and overall well-being. New sessions in 2023 and 2024 include:

• Burned out: What happens when law firms fail to retain female lawyers due to well-being challenges?
• Beyond mindfulness: What can the legal profession learn from the medical profession?
• Be an ally: How can non-Indigenous lawyers help better the working environment for Indigenous legal professionals?
• Take care: What can Indigenous legal professionals do to support their well-being within the existing firm structure?
• Women in the Legal Profession: What happens when law firms fail to retain female lawyers due to well-being challenges?

By creating relevant programs like these, we deliver on our promise to help lawyers lead healthy, happy lives.

CBA Mental Health First Aid Course

In partnership with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, we presented a Mental Health First Aid Course in Toronto on November 8, 2023. This vital course was created to improve mental health literacy, a topic that needs more understanding and awareness. Participants left with the tools they need to seek mental health help for themselves or provide support to the people in their lives.

Dear Advy

We continued our work on Dear Advy, a monthly advice column that tackles anonymous questions about well-being in the legal profession. Popular topics this year included:

• Setting healthy boundaries as a young lawyer
• Networking tips for solo lawyers
• Being upfront about mental health days
• And more

Other Well-Being Activities

We also undertook the following legal well-being activities in 2023–2024:

• Offered free mindfulness sessions for CBA members during Mental Health Week in May 2024
• Discussed ways to collaborate with other CBA Sections next fiscal year
• Promoted the Lawyer Assistance Programs and the free Mental Health and Wellness in the Legal Profession course

CBA Legal Futures Initiative

Individual activities under the Legal Futures Initiative are led by the CBA Legal Futures Subcommittee.

CBA AI Technologies in Practice

We launched an AI Technologies in Practice webinar series in June 2024. The series focuses on the practical applications of AI for lawyers and law firms. It brings together top legal and tech experts to weigh in on three key topics:

• AI-powered legal research
• AI-powered legal writing
• AI predictive analytics for law

The webinar launch was a notable success, with 722 attendees. As our industry experiences massive digital transformation, we will continue to create content like this to guide our members.

CBA Fireside Futures

This year, we launched an exciting addition to the popular Fireside Futures series, called Forecasting the Future:

• Part 1 explores what the legal profession will look like in 10 years
• Part 2 examines what’s in store for future legal education and articling programs

These on-demand videos feature forward-thinking industry experts who provide participants with valuable takeaways. In 2024, we will launch a session on why young lawyers are leaving the profession.

Other Legal Futures Projects

We look forward to continuing our work on the Legal Futures Initiative.

What’s next?

We’ve reached out to other CBA Sections for potential collaborations. Plus, in the next fiscal year, we plan to work with external organizations focused on legal research and data on the profession.