BarTalk June 2003
Volume 15, Number 3

Assessing and compiling information for your benefit

by Nicole M Byres

The Childcare Committee is a special committee of the CBABC. Its mandate is to identify various childcare resources and information, which would be of assistance to lawyers with (or planning) families, and to make this information available to members in a web- based format. The information the committee has researched and compiled relates to care issues, adoption, and flexible work practices which may assist individual lawyers and law firms.

Why is This Project Important?
The CBA’s recent membership survey (conducted in November 2002) confirms what we have been hearing for some time now – that achieving balance between work and family is one of the most important issues facing the legal profession in Canada.

Simply put, lawyers want both an interesting law career and meaningful family time. This issue is also important to law firms, who want to recruit and retain the best lawyers.

Currently, child care and work/life balance information is found in many sources. The committee has been compiling this information so it may be available in one location. The committee has also committed to maintaining and reviewing the information on a regular basis to ensure that it remains current and relevant.

How can you help?
The committee is ready to submit the information to the CBABC webmaster but recognizes that there are gaps in the information provided. The committee also believes that there is a wealth of experience that other lawyers and law firms may be willing to share, thereby making the information even more useful. Watch for the next announcement on when and how you can access the Web site, and there will be information there on how you can contact committee members with your ideas or information. In the meantime, if you are interested in contributing information, resources, or sitting on the committee, contact Committee Co-chairs: Nicole Byres (Tel: 250.368.8211, E-mail: nmb@mcewanharrison.com) or Barbara Young (Tel: 250.765.9733; E-mail: byoung@kendallpentylawbc.com).

Nicole Byres is a Co-chair of the CBABC Childcare special committee. She practises primarily in the areas of personal injury defence, corporate, and municipal law with the law firm of McEwan, Harrison & Company in Trail, B.C.

This article was published in the June 2003 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.