BarTalk February 2004
Volume 16, Number 1

Law Week is April 12-17, 2004

Diversity: Celebrating Your Right To Be Unique
Law Day celebrates the anniversary of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, each year with a different theme – the 2004 theme is “Diversity: Celebrating Your Right To Be Unique.” In B.C., Law Day has expanded to a full week of events celebrated throughout B.C. Events are often organized by lawyers in their local communities, e.g., a mock trial competition will be held in Victoria. New this year is a Law Week 5k Fun Run/Walk and a new venue for the Law Week Open House in Vancouver.

Volunteers are needed for the Open House, the 5k Fun Run/Walk, and the Dial-A-Lawyer Program. To lend a hand, please e-mail cba@bccba.org with the subject “Law Week Volunteer” or call Rose Fabbro at 604.687.3404, ext. 313 or toll free 1.888.687.3404.

Open House
The Law Week Open House in Vancouver has a new venue! It will be held at the Vancouver Law Courts on Saturday, April 17 between 10 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., with keynote speakers stepping up to the podium at 12:00 noon.

Members of the public and the profession are invited to view the following:

• two citizenship ceremonies;

• mock trials performed by students in the courtrooms;

• displays providing information and activities to educate the public about the justice system; and

• the B.C.-wide CBA public speaking contest.

An open house schedule will be posted at www.cba.org/bc by April 2.

5k Fun Run/Walk
Join us for the CBA’s first annual Law Week 2004 5k Fun Run/Walk. This family event will take place at UBC on April 4 at 9:00 a.m. The entry fee is $20 per person (children 14 and under may enter for free). The event is stroller and wheelchair accessible. No pets please. See the related insert in this issue and register today!

Dial-A-Lawyer Program
The CBA will hold its province-wide “Dial-A-Lawyer” program on April 17 between 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. During that time, members of the public are invited to call the Dial-A-Lawyer numbers to speak with a lawyer about a legal problem for up to 15 minutes. The Dial-A-Lawyer numbers are 604.687.3221 in the Lower Mainland, and toll free in B.C. 1.800.663.1919.

Student Mentor Program
This program has been successful for many years, due to strong support from CBA members. The program matches students with lawyers for a half-day in the lawyer’s workplace.

In response to expressed interest, students in Nanaimo were able to take part in the program for the first time last year. That involvement will continue this year as students in both Nanaimo and the Lower Mainland will have the opportunity to explore law as a career option.

Province-wide Youth Contests
Public Speaking: The annual Barry Sullivan Law Cup public speaking contest is open to students enrolled in Law 12 classes throughout B.C. The speeches will reflect the impact of the law on the life of all Canadians. The contest will be held at the Open House at the Vancouver Law Courts on April 17. Interested parties are welcome to listen to the speeches.

Photo and Short Story: These two contests are open to students throughout B.C. This year students will focus on topics stemming from the broad theme of diversity. The winning stories will be published on the CBABC Web site once the winners have been selected.

QC Appointments

Congratulations to the following CBABC members who received the QC designation in December 2003:

Joyce W. Bradley
James L. Cassels
W. Ross Ellison
David E. Gillanders
Romano F. Giusti
Catharine Herb-Kelly
John W. Horn
Ian D. Izard
Thomas G. Kendall
John L. Leathley
Richard B. Lindsay
John O. E. Lundell
Charles R. Kennedy
R. Hector MacKay-Dunn
David F. McEwen
John S. McKercher
David A. Paul
Derrill W. Prevett
Allan P. Seckel
John G. Tait
Anne K. Wallace
Kenneth J. Yule

Section Enrolment Prizes

The CBA and the Continuing Legal Education Society (CLE) are happy to announce the winners of the annual CBA Section enrolment draws. Members who enrolled in four or more Sections were eligible to win one of four prizes. Special thanks to CLE for providing the prizes, and congratulations to our winners:

• A gift certificate for $700 to be used toward any CLE product(s) Winner: Jerry McHale, QC, Victoria

• Complimentary registration to a regular, one day CLE Course (value $375) Winner: Jeffrey Andrews, North Vancouver

• Complimentary registration to a regular, one day CLE course (value $375) Winner: Peter Warner, QC, Prince George

• A gift certificate for $300 to be used toward any CLE product(s) Winner: Marjorie Mooney, Surrey

New CBABC Section - Employment Law

Created in December, this Section focuses on law related to non-unionized employment, e.g., employment contracts, wrongful dismissal, human rights, WCB issues, privacy issues and, perhaps, employment immigration. More than 120 members have enrolled. Contact the CBABC to participate in this new Section. The enrolment fee is $12 plus GST.

The Legislation and Law Reform Committee

This committee:

• Promotes–on behalf of the profession and the public–well-developed, practical laws by coordinating the CBABC’s participation in the development of government policy and legislation;

• Provides a focus through which the CBABC membership may assist the Government of B.C. in ensuring that legislation is as comprehensible, workable and unambiguous as possible and that it does not violate the rule of law; and

• Works to ensure the bar and the public are made aware on a timely basis of changes and proposed changes to the laws, regulations and policies of the Government of B.C.

If you have any questions or proposals for law reform in B.C., contact the comittee’s Chair, Tim Delaney (Tel: 604.687.1323, e-mail: tdelaney@lklaw.ca).

We Have a Winner!

Congratulations to Seema Chaskar who won a yoga mat and 10 classes at Bikram’s Yoga College of India in the December BarTalk contest. The value of her prize is $165.

The answer to the contest question “What is Bikram’s full name?” is “Yogiraj Bikram Choudhury.”

Bikram Yoga College of India has two Vancouver locations (2893 Cambie Street 604.876.9642 and 1650 Alberni Street 604.662.7722). Your first class at the College is free.

These articles were published in the February 2004 issue of BarTalk and are subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2004, all rights reserved.