BarTalk October 2003
Volume 15, Number 5

Independence of the Bar

New CBA President speaks out at national AGM
Bill Johnson of Regina took over the chain of office as national President of the CBA on August 19. In his inaugural speech, Mr. Johnson told CBA members that the independence of the legal profession must be preserved. “As lawyers, we must be vigilant in the defence of our independence, not only for ourselves, but for the citizens of our nation,” he said.

“Independence of the bar is embedded in our Association’s constitution. Without a healthy bar, however, all talk of independence and the rule of law is empty. We must provide our members with the best tools available to help them be the best lawyers possible. If we ensure excellence, we ensure the independence of the profession.”

Mr. Johnson, a partner at Gerrand Rath Johnson, is a civil litigator specializing in commercial matters.

For the news release on Bill Johnson and his presidency, visit www.cba.org/CBA/News.

Receivables 101

Guerrilla Tactics on Getting Paid
Looking for alternatives to the traditional retainer approach to billing clients? According to Lonny Balbi, of the Balbi & Company Legal Centre, guerrilla tactics are sometimes necessary and he has 94 suggestions to encourage clients to pay up.

Mr. Balbi and Edmonton lawyer Marla Miller collaborated by searching the legal landscape to find some gems which would be of practical value to lawyers, and he offers up these in the current “trade secrets” portion of CBA PracticeLink. Along with the usual suggestions – providing written quotes, estimating accurately and reporting regularly to clients – he encourages credit card authorization and “striking while the iron is hot,” particularly when a file has just been settled.

To read the other 90 or so guerrilla tactics on getting paid, visit CBA’s new portal Web site, CBA PracticeLink. You’ll also find articles and guides on client care, tips for marketing your practice and managing your finances, as well as suggestions on how to balance work and personal life. To see CBA PracticeLink, visit www.cba.org/CBA/PracticeLink.

National Identity Cards

Yea or Nay?
As debate heats up on the pros and cons of national identity cards, the national Immigration, Criminal, Constitutional and Privacy Law Sections are collaborating on a CBA policy position. The CBA will stress that a national policy on identity should rightly be adopted by Parliament before considering any specific implementation measures, including a national identity card. When it comes to national identity cards, discussion centres on issues such as justification for the cards, what is achievable by the cards, what other countries have learned, impact on individual liberties, privacy versus national security, and whether the enormous financial cost could be better put toward achieving public safety in other ways.

The CBA will appear before a Parliamentary Committee in October and will attend the Minister of Citizenship’s Biometrics Forum.

These articles were published in the October 2003 issue of BarTalk and are subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.