Quebec 2008
Maya Angelou, Jean Chrétien, Phil Fontaine, and Chantal Hébert are among the high-profile keynote speakers at the CBA Canadian Legal Conference in Québec City, Aug. 17-19. Check for updates online (including online registration form).

Web: www.cba.org/CBA/quebec2008/main/

CBA Recommends Parliamentary Review for Bill C-3 Within One Year of Implementation
While it welcomes the most recent changes to Bill C-3 (security certificates and special advocates) passed by the House of Commons, the CBA says the legislation may still be vulnerable to a constitutional challenge, and should be subject to parliamentary review within a year of implementation.

CBA Submission: www.cba.org/CBA/submissions/pdf/07-59-eng.pdf

CBA PracticeLink
Podcast: Leveraging the Media to Help Grow Your Practice
You see your competition on the six o’clock news being described as a leading legal expert. You say to yourself, “I could do that. Why didn’t the reporter call me?” This podcast will show you how to effectively gain the media’s attention, without having to hire a high-priced public relations firm.

Web: www.cba.org/cba/PracticeLink/podcasts/media.aspx

Also new on CBA PracticeLink:

• Clients 2.0: Collaboration Creates Enduring Relationships
• Capturing More Time (and Billing it Too!)
• Even the Lone Ranger Needed Tonto: Support Staff for

Solo Practices

• Quick tips on marketing, going solo, client services, and more.

All this and much more at www.cba.org/practicelink.

CBA Urges Federal Government to Honour International Agreements on Climate Change
The CBA is urging the federal government to honour Canada’s international commitments to address climate change rather than adopting legislated targets proposed in Bill C-377, the Climate Change Accountability Act.

CBA Submission: www.cba.org/CBA/submissions/pdf/08-10-eng.pdf

CBA and Other Bar Associations Call for Closing of Guantanamo Bay
CBA President Bernard Amyot, together with 34 Bar leaders around the world, has called on U.S. President George W. Bush to immediately close the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. “Few governmental operations by democratic countries have shown such a profound disrespect for the rule of law,” says Bernard Amyot. “Guantanamo Bay has come to signify injustice for some at the hands of the powerful.”

Letter to Prime Minister with joint statement: www.cba.org/CBA/submissions/pdf/08-15-eng.pdf

Advocacy
For a snapshot of CBA’s advocacy initiatives, please visit www.cba.org/CBA/Advocacy/pdf/CBAAdvocacy.pdf.

CBA Awards
The CBA offers a wide array of awards to recognize excellence in the legal profession. Many deadlines for nominations are coming up in April. New this year, the 2008 Touchstone Award (www.cba.org/CBA/Awards/touchstone_award/) is open to both individuals and organizations.

Details on CBA awards, including eligibility and deadlines: www.cba.org/CBA/Awards/Main/default.aspx.

Susan McGrath Wins 2008 Douglas Miller Award
Susan McGrath of Iroquois Falls, Ont., has been named the 2008 winner of the CBA’s Douglas Miller Award. She received the award from Mary Carol Miller, spouse of the late Doug Miller.

A sole practitioner from a small community in Northern Ontario and a mother of three, Susan McGrath is a leading advocate for increased funding for legal aid and a spokesperson for the needs of small-firm lawyers and sole practitioners in rural and remote communities.

News Release: www.cba.org/CBA/News/2008_Releases/2008-02-24_miller.aspx

Guile Debate a Success
Student teams from UBC’s Faculty of Law faced off in the 9th Annual Guile Memorial Debate on February 15 at the Law Courts Inn. A standing room only crowd enjoyed final arguments in a boisterous debate that honours the memory of Robert H. Guile, QC and emphasizes humour and camaraderie in the law.

This year’s Guile Debate winners are Matt Brandon and Brittany Skinner, who will share a grand prize of $1,000. Runners-up, DJ Larkin and Mike Berger, receive awards of $250 each.

Continuing Legal Education
Competition, Crime and Punishment: The Practice, Procedure and Substance of Criminal Competition Law
April 28-29, 2008, Toronto

2008 National Charity Law Symposium
May 7, 2008, Toronto

CBA National Citizenship and Immigration Law Conference
May 15-17, 2008,
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

2008 National Environmental, Energy and Resources Law Summit
May 15-16, 2008, Ottawa

2008 Tax Law for Lawyers
May 25-30, 2008, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.

2008 Mid-Winter Meeting Resolutions
Child Support Recalculation Services
The CBA is calling on all levels of government to ensure an accessible and inexpensive means to formalize adjustments to child support as family circumstances and income change.

Rule of Law In Kenya
Given the post-election crisis in Kenya, the CBA is urging the government of that country to support the rule of law and to protect the fundamental rights of its citizens.

Full text of resolutions: www.cba.org/CBA/resolutions/2008res/

This article was published in the April 2008 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2008, all rights reserved.