The Canadian Bar Association
Judicial Activism On CBA President's Agenda In Manitoba
OTTAWA - The Canadian Bar Association's work on emerging professional issues—including globalization, multi-disciplinary competition and title insurance—as well as the independence of the judiciary and the impact of change on the legal profession, will be outlined by CBA National President Barry L. Gorlick, QC, during his visit to Winnipeg, Feb. 4-6, 1999.
Mr. Gorlick is attending the Mid-Winter Meeting of the CBA's Manitoba Branch in Winnipeg. He will address the Manitoba Council Meeting on Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.
His speech touches on the changing face of the legal profession, new client-friendly billing methods, the increasing presence of accountants and other professionals in the provision of legal services and judicial activism.
The public is becoming increasingly aware of court activities and judicial decision making. High profile cases such as the recent BC judgment on child pornography, Latimer, the sexual assault trial of Gerald Regan in Nova Scotia, captured public attention and generated debate about the judges' decisions.
"Judges seem to be under attack. They are being challenged by those who disagree with their interpretation of the law, and who accuse them of going too far, of interfering with Parliament and the legislatures," says Mr. Gorlick.
"To isolate a decision with unpopular ramifications, and to put in the balance the value of an independent judicial decision is dishonest and misleading. We certainly cannot stand quietly by while some discredit our highest institutions by attacking judges who are doing their jobs."
Elected CBA president in 1998, Barry Gorlick has long been active in the Manitoba Branch and at the National level of the CBA. He chaired the Civil Litigation Section in Manitoba in 1984-85 and later was president of the Branch in 1993-94. At the National level, he has been a member of the Executive Committee since 1994.
The Canadian Bar Association is dedicated to improvement in the law and the administration of justice. Some 36,000 lawyers, notaries, law teachers, and law students from across Canada are members.
Contact: Hannah Bernstein, Canadian Bar Association
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