Greetings from the new-ish Chair!
This message is a long overdue but, as they say, “better late than never”. Welcome (or welcome back) to the Public Sector Lawyers Section!
I am Melissa Burkett and let me start off by expressing how honoured I am to be the Chair of the Public Sector Lawyers Section for this 2024-2025 section year. As I have transitioned into the role of Chair (which has coincided with a particularly busy time in my legal practice), I have been fortunate to lean on the great work and support of the Section’s Officers (Will S. Randall II (Edmonton) (Vice-Chair), Mark Rieksts (Halifax) (Communications Officer), Melanie Bueckert (Winnipeg) (Secretary), and Karen Liang (Vancouver) (Past Chair), as well as the assistance and dedication of the Section’s Executive Committee members, which includes provincial and territorial Branch Chairs and Members-at-Large.
Together, the Officers and the Executive Committee work hard to ensure that public sector lawyers across the country maintain a strong voice within the CBA and that issues that uniquely impact public sector lawyers are considered.
Upcoming Sessions
The Section is committed to providing continuous and topical professional development to our members. To that end, stay tuned for details and registration information about the following upcoming sessions:
- May 9, 2025 – Brown Bag session on The Media, Misinformation and the Law
- May – Joint session with the National Aboriginal Law Section
- June – Webinar on Artificial Intelligence
CBA John Tait Award of Excellence
The John Tait Award of Excellence is presented to a public sector lawyer or law office that has achieved the highest standard of professional conduct and competence and has made a significant contribution to social justice and community affairs. If you, or someone you know, is a worthy recipient, I encourage to submit a nomination.
Nomination deadline: May 23, 2025. Please see the Section webpage for more information and to submit your nomination.
Promote the Section’s “In the Public Interest” Essay Contest
Law students are encouraged to enter the Section’s “In the Public Interest” Student Essay Contest. This contest awards a prize for the best paper written about the contribution of public sector lawyers or an important development in the law affecting public sector lawyers in Canada. Entrants have a chance to win a $500 cash prize and to have their essay published on the Section webpage.
The submission deadline for this year’s contest is April 25, 2025. Details on the contest criteria and eligibility are available on the Section webpage.
The winner of last year’s essay contest was Mirabelle Harris-Eze and you can read her winning essay here!
Section Elections
As Section Elections approach, I encourage Section members to consider running for Secretary or for a Member-at-Large position for 2025-2026. Nominations will run from April 30 to May 30, 2025. Stand by for the election email from CBA!
Join our LinkedIn Group
The Section has a LinkedIn group! Please join us and share information.
Thank you,
Melissa N. Burkett, Chair, 2024-2025, CBA Public Sector Lawyers Section