BarTalk December 2001
Volume 13, Number 6

What Are Lawyers Capable Of? Judge For Yourself

The CBABC Communications Committee, with the support of Provincial Council and the National Office, has been active in the past two years, working on initiatives to address the public image of the profession. Public perceptions about lawyers was identified by members in a national Ipsos Reid poll, as being one of the top two priorities for CBA action.

One of the initiatives undertaken in BC was a province-wide poster and ad campaign. The campaign focused on educating the public about the ways in which lawyers work with their clients to solve common life problems and prevent future legal difficulties. BC led the rest of the country in researching and developing this campaign, based on a similar concept used in Virginia.

The ads provoked a lot of positive feedback, particularly from lawyers. On a very frugal budget, ads were placed in targeted local papers, and the posters were distributed throughout the province, for posting in community centers, libraries, and law firms.

This year, with the support of the National Communications Committee and Senior Director of Communications Stephen Hanson, the next phase of the campaign has been developed. The campaign is designed to make people re-think their perceptions about lawyers, and to think about the attributes they admire in famous people who also happen to be lawyers. Posters have been developed, as have short, effective radio ads.

People who are featured include:

• Mahatma Gandhi;

• Nelson Mandela;

• Peter Tchaikovsky;

• Anne Montminy;

• William Deverell; and

• Ken Dryden.

Before BC undertakes this campaign, the Communications Committee would like to hear from you. Examples of both the new and old posters are shown on the Web site, at www.bccba.org. We ask that you take a few moments of your time to give us your feedback on both. Once you have signed in, click on the “Your Voice Counts”.

If this is your first time signing in, use your CBA member number as your user name and welcome as your password.

Notes from UBC and UVic

The CBABC had an active season at both UBC and UVic this Fall.

Sheena Mitchell, member of the CBABC Membership Committee, hosted a CBA membership drive for first year students during UBC’s Orientation Week in September and answered questions about the benefits of student membership.

In early October, the CBABC hosted a lunch panel, which was well attended by students from all years at UBC. Panel members Leslie Small, Credentials Department and Kuan Foo, Equity and Diversity Program Coordinator, both of the Law Society of British, discussed the requirements for admission to the bar and dealing with inappropriate questions during the law firm recruitment process. The panel also included students who had worked during the summer at law firms and organizations, including Lang Michener, Davis & Company, McCarthy Tetrault, Department of Justice, Armstrong & Company, and West Coast Environmental Law. Student panelists discussed their summer experiences and answered questions.

At the end of October, UBC and the CBABC hosted the annual Mentor Reception at Cecil Green Park. 150 students and mentors attended the reception, as well as CBABC representatives Frank Kraemer and Carman Overholt. Students met with their mentors, some for the first time and the CBABC presented its UBC law student achievement award to third year student Sean George.

At UVic, the CBABC and UVic External Affairs Representative Tim Livingston, organized a mock interview session with law firm recruitment coordinators to help prepare students for interview week. And on October 25, UVic held its annual Mentor Reception for mentors and students.

Our thanks to Christine Mingie for this article.

These articles were published in the December 2001 issue of BarTalk and are subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.