CBIA: For Lawyers, by Lawyers
The Canadian Bar Insurance Association recently launched a new term-life insurance benefit that provides comprehensive, level coverage to age 80, at some of Canada's most competitive rates. Visit www.barinsurance.com


Wanted: Lawyers Alive
The CBABC Lawyers Alive column is a biographical feature of a living B.C. lawyer (or lawyer who practiced in B.C. for a significant time period). This column is intended to celebrate the achievements of our colleagues while they’re still alive to appreciate it. It’s a place to talk about the great work and diverse interests of our friends and colleagues.

Profiles should be 500 words or less, photo welcomed. For more information about our author guidelines e-mail bartalk@bccba.org or call 604-646-7856.


Nanaimo Student Mentor Program
The Student Mentor Program has long been a successful part of the Law Week. Strong support from lawyers has provided a valuable opportunity for many high school students to explore law as a career option and to broaden their understanding of the legal profession.

The program has two components: the first, involves having students spend a half a day at the lawyers office or in court; and the second, involves having lawyers attend the schools to discuss their work and help increase students understanding about the legal profession.

This year the program in Nanaimo was organized by Michael L. Warsh with 8 schools and 14 lawyers participating. The Law Week Committee looks forward to the continuing success of this program next year and thanks the following lawyers for their participation this year: Peter Hertzberg, Chuck Radcliffe, Ben Falkenberg, Jerad Larson, Michael Wasserman, Chris Churchill, Nicole Cederberg, Peter Theocaris, Peter McNeil, Rick Johnston, Vic Svacek, Burt King, QC, John Bennie; and Lou Shelling.


BCLI - Project on Pension Division on Marriage Breakdown
At the request of the Ministry of Attorney General, the British Columbia Law Institute has established a committee to review the division of pensions on marriage breakdown (Part 6 of the Family Relations Act). A list of issues under consideration is at www.bcli.org/pendiv.html. Comments on how the legislation is working or suggestions for reform (on these issues or any others) must be submitted to the Pension Division Project Committee no later than January 31st, 2006.


Legal Agents to Department of Justice
The Department of Justice Canada is looking for qualified law firms to express their interest in being considered as legal agents of the Attorney General of Canada. If you would like your firm to be considered, please check out details at: www.canada.justice.gc.ca.


Pro Bono Law of BC to Launch New Website
Pro Bono Law of B.C. (PBLBC) is launching its new ProBonoNet.bc.ca website in January 2006. Responding to the demand for its Online Poverty Law Training Course and its directory of services and resources, PBLBC is streamlining navigation to the secured sections of the website to make it easier for lawyers to access the training and new pro bono opportunities.

Time spent by lawyers learning from and reviewing the content of PBLBCs Online Poverty Law Training Course can be included in the self-study section of the Law Society’s Annual Practice Declaration. The training course includes an overview of welfare law, income assistance and disability assistance, effective skills for interviewing poverty law clients, reconsideration applications, tribunal proceedings and judicial review applications.

The new website will also manage PBLBCs Roster Programs which were launched in November 2005. The Federal Court of Appeal Program, Judicial Review Program and Family Law Program provide lawyers with opportunities to assist pre-screened clients with well-defined and meritorious legal issues. Each volunteer lawyer determines the scope and terms of the assistance that s/he can provide, while PBLBC provides the necessary support and resources so that volunteer lawyers are able to focus on the discrete goal of the representation agreement. For more information, contact Executive Director Jamie Maclaren at info@probononet.bc.ca or 604-893-8392.

These articles were published in the December 2005 issue of BarTalk. © 2005 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.