For Immediate Release
August 14, 2006
ST. JOHN’S, NFLD. – The new President of the Canadian Bar Association says that judicial impartiality and increased access to justice are fundamentally important to all Canadians, and that the legal profession must speak out in their support.
J. Parker MacCarthy, Q.C. of Duncan, British Columbia, who receives the chain of office at the CBA Canadian Legal Conference in St. John’s on Aug. 15, says he expects the profession will be increasingly called upon to explain the role of Canada’s judges.
“With Canadians paying more attention to our judges than ever before, it is essential to educate the public on the vital role of the judiciary and the importance of protecting its independence and impartiality,” Mr. MacCarthy says.
As Associate Counsel with the Nanaimo-based firm of Ramsay Lampman Rhodes, Mr. MacCarthy perceives a looming crisis in the delivery of legal services outside Canada’s urban centers.
“Our profession can and must see this challenge as an opportunity,” Mr. MacCarthy says. “By supporting lawyers outside Canada’s largest cities and promoting the professional opportunities that exist outside urban Canada, we can help ensure access to justice for all Canadians.”
Mr. MacCarthy says lawyers are facing challenges of change within the profession resulting from demographic shifts, greater fragmentation, new legal service delivery models, technological advancements and globalization. He says the Association will lead the response to these challenges, starting with revamping its strategic plan in light of the recent Report of the CBA Futures Committee.
A graduate of the University of British Columbia in both political science (’71) and law (’75), Mr. MacCarthy was called to the Bar in 1976. He served as President of the Cowichan Bar Association (1978) and the Nanaimo County Bar Association (1980-81), director of the Legal Services Society of BC (1993) and a Governor of the Law Foundation of BC (2002-04). He also regularly takes on volunteer and pro bono work in his community.
A CBA member since 1976, Mr. MacCarthy brings a wealth of provincial and national CBA experience to his new role. He served on the executive of the CBA-BC Branch, including a term as President in 1993-94. Nationally, he served on the CBA Board of Directors and Finance Committee, chaired the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Conference, and served as Director of both the Law For the Future Fund and the Canadian Bar Foundation.
Parker MacCarthy receives the CBA Presidential Chain of Office from outgoing President Brian A. Tabor, Q.C. at the Canadian Legal Conference Closing Lunch on Tuesday, Aug. 15 in the St. John’s Convention Centre, Marconi Hall. The event is open to accredited media who have registered with the CBA Media Centre.
View Parker MacCarthy's Speech to CBA Council from the Incoming President >
The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 36,000 lawyers, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
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CONTACT: Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association, Tel: (613) 237-2925, ext. 146; E-mail: hannahb@cba.org. Aug. 11 - 15: (709) 726-7594.
