Alisa Noda – The Spirit of Community
On July 3, 2007, an important centre of community was lost. Alisa Noda was, and will remain, an inspiration to anyone who knew her. In her work in Aboriginal Law, West Coast LEAF, and in her own neighbourhood, Alisa Noda acted as a convener, facilitator, negotiator, and advisor. Her work in the legal profession spanned two and a half decades, beginning at Justice Canada, and ending with the firm of Noda and Associates. In every place in her life, Alisa believed in collaboration, and the idea that the contributions of a diverse group of individuals would always produce a better result.

Over the years of West Coast LEAF, many women and men have contributed their time, expertise, money, and passion for equality. The organization, like all non-profits, has had times of change and times of great stress. Sometimes the issue is funding (as the recent closure of NAWL attests), sometimes it is internal politics, sometimes it is an external challenge. Often a fork in the organization’s life will appear in those times – one path leading to a painful closure, another path leading to dynamic redefined role. Taking the right path requires true leadership at the helm, something all non-profits seek.

Alisa was certainly such a leader for West Coast LEAF. The CBABC recognized her contributions to West Coast LEAF when she was awarded the Community Service Award in 2005. And her commitment to the organization cost her – she once estimated that her income went down by $20,000 a year while she was Chair of the Board. She also donated over $10,000 to West Coast LEAF above and beyond her time, good humour, intelligence, and ubiquitous red pen!

Losing a friend and colleague is never easy, but Alisa would not have asked for a lot of attention or maudlin grief. She only asked, as she did when she was alive: that one take one’s profession seriously; do what is right and just in one’s work; give to community in whatever ways one can; and serve one’s clients with dignity and respect. Thank you, Alisa.


CBA Sections Make Financial Sense
There are many reasons we belong to the CBA. We are the advocates on issues that affect lawyers’ personal and professional lives; the voice of the profession on issues of policy and law reform; and a key supplier of continuing professional development (“CPD”) opportunities for lawyers.

Our members know how important CBA Sections are. For many members, Sections are the most tangible benefit of membership, and provide an opportunity for networking, fostering collegiality, and CPD.

Some form of mandatory CPD will be implemented by the Law Society in the near future, and the CBA has been part of the consultation process surrounding this issue. One of our concerns is that there be accessible, affordable and convenient CPD for all lawyers, especially those that live outside the major centres.

Section meetings qualify as CPD hours. We have invested in technology to ensure that virtually all Section meetings can be attended by teleconference at the request of any member. We have successfully utilized Webinars to allow remote attendance over the Internet. The CBA offers a “privilege pass” allowing non-members to try a Section before joining, and this can be found at www.cba.org/bc/pdf/sections/section_coupon.pdf.

This all adds up to significant savings for Section members. There is no need to spend money on travel, hotel, or lose the working days to get to and from a full-day program. Sections just may be the most accessible, affordable and convenient CPD.

Enrol today! Download a Section enrolment form at www.cba.org/bc or contact the CBABC office.


Aboriginal Law Student Scholarship Trust
CBABC has partnered with the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF) to advance legal education for Aboriginal persons through the establishment of a trust fund to provide annual scholarships for Aboriginal persons to attend B.C. law schools.

NAAF has an excellent record in honouring the achievements of Aboriginal people in Canada through its National Aboriginal Achievement Awards and the administration of more than $27 million in scholarships and bursaries to Aboriginal students across the country since 1988. The Law Foundation of British Columbia has also recognized the value of this initiative by committing to match funds raised by the CBABC.

Make a contribution by December 31, 2007 and become a founding patron. All contributions received prior to March 31st will be acknowledged at a spring launch event.

For more information visit www.cba.org/bc and click on Initiatives.


CBA/UBC Mentorship Program Reception Awards
Two prestigious CBA Awards were also awarded at the ceremony to two students for their outstanding academic achievement, as well as their service to the law school and the community. This year’s recipient of the CBABC Law Student Award was Jennifer Lau, and the recipient of the CBA Finance Services Award was Jennifer O’Leary.

These articles were published in the December 2007 issue of BarTalk. © 2007 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.