BarTalk June 2005
Volume 17, Number 3

BC Women Lawyers Pioneer Again

by Michael C Woodward

Raised from an early age by a working single mother, I saw first-hand the real challenges facing at least one woman struggling to achieve credibility in a career while simultaneously running and paying for a household of three children. It took enormous effort, and for a period of about 10 years, she was exhausted every second of each day.

So the issue has always stayed on my radar, and I have always remained something of a student of it.

Notwithstanding the educational advantages they enjoy relative to women at large, and some positive cultural traits that have ensued, such as the virtual absence of divorcee stigma (gotta love that Pierre Trudeau), I believe those challenges are still extant for B.C. women lawyers, whether paired up or single.

I believe this is an important issue for this Branch. It goes to the nucleus of “members for members.” I have said this for many years, and I am feeling very celebratory, and very proud of the formal creation in Charlottetown of the Women’s Lawyers Forum as a national conference of the CBA.

In my first year on the executive, I was pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Margaret Ostrowski, Q.C. (then Branch past president, and new Bencher) in thinking about and formalizing the structural options open under branch and national bylaws, and the ”how to’s” for those options. Margaret was the first Chair of what was then an informal ad hoc group of senior women lawyers styled the “Women’s Advisory Council.” In 2002 the executive discussed it in April, chose its recommended option, and presented it to Provincial Council in June, where it created a time limited special committee, which was to pursue creation of a Women Lawyers Conference (later called a Forum) at both the national and provincial levels.

That mission was easily achieved by these pioneering women lawyers, and after becoming a branch conference, chaired successively by Margaret, Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Q.C. and now, Jennifer Conkie, the Forum moved to the national stage.

At the February mid-winter meeting of National Council, the Women Lawyers Forum was formally created as a National Conference. The adopted reasons included this formally stated premise:

“WHEREAS the B.C. Branch’s Women Lawyers Forum has had widespread acceptance as a member service in its first year of operation, successfully launching a mentoring project to engage women lawyers from urban and rural centres, an education program focusing on resiliency and leadership topics, and enhanced communication with and among B.C. women lawyers…”

I really couldn’t be more delighted. These are good times for member relevancy. Stay informed about the CBA’s doings. You’ll be as impressed as I am by these pioneering B.C. women lawyers, who have made a good thing happen. Fast. With flawless execution. Our present and future members are in your debt.

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