What does it mean in 1999?

by Doug F Robinson QC

Two special events will be hosted by the CBA in the coming months. At first glance, they look unrelated: a President’s Forum on the Business of Law on April 16; and a National Flag Day Citizenship Ceremony for 100 new Canadians on February 15. Yet, these different events reflect two critical components of the CBA’s role in serving the legal profession.

First, and foremost, we are responsible for providing tools and supports that help our members face the challenges of practising law today—and in the future. It is our job to ensure that all lawyers, no matter the size of their firms, can benefit from the collective power of a strong professional association. The National CBA has worked hard and long to identify the top issues facing the profession, and the BC Branch is preparing to take that work one step further, with a President’s Forum that focuses on practical advice and preparation for BC lawyers.

The President’s Forum on the Business of Law will bring key speakers to Vancouver to discuss the business complexities of legal practice. Topics include multi-disciplinary practices, globalization, Y2K, lawyer mobility, technology, partnership issues, and law firm management. Following through on our commitment to keep President’s Forums both informative and affordable, this one-day event will feature several breakout sessions to allow participants to choose a selection of the many topics to be covered. In keeping with the successful format of earlier Forums, any resolutions or conclusions which result from the day’s discussions will be considered by the Executive Committee for further CBA action.

The National Flag Day Citizenship Ceremony speaks to another essential role of the CBA in supporting the profession: we are showing the media—and their public audience—the value of the Canadian justice system and the proud role of lawyers within it. For many of these new Canadians, it will be their first experience of being citizens of a country which has an independent judiciary and lawyers who are trained to uphold the law without prejudice or potential influence by other parties. We are proud to carry that message, and in so doing, promote a positive image of our profession.

The image of our profession is an issue which has been the focus of many discussions I have had with individual members of our association. The Kelowna Pilot Project told us that client relations—not advertising—is key to influencing public opinions about lawyers. For that reason, our Communications Committee is working to develop a curriculum module to help lawyers learn how to better apply client relations theory to their practice. At the same time, the Committee will be reviewing recent data provided by the American Bar Association and the Law Society of BC, to help us better understand the profession’s strengths and weaknesses in terms of public opinion.

I see 1999 as a year of building on all the information—both factual and anecdotal—which has been gathered to date, and using it to develop a strategy for positioning our profession for success in the coming millennium. We all pay a price for decreased respect and increased cynicism directed at professions in general, and the legal profession in particular. This is not simply a matter of ensuring a better bottom-line; public confidence in the law—and the people who practice it—determine the strength and health of our society as a whole. I believe that the CBA has both a self-interest and public interest in this cause, and I look forward to hearing from you regarding any ideas you may have about how best to tackle the issue of public confidence in the legal system.

This article was published in the February 1999 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2006, all rights reserved.