Trinda Ernst, Q.C., of Kentville, Nova Scotia is the CBA’s new Second Vice President-elect, following voting by 189 members of Council. A partner since 1992 at Waterbury Newton, she practices wills and estates, elder law, corporate/commercial law and real estate law. She will become Second Vice President at the Canadian Legal Conference in Dublin in August, the first step on the way to the presidency of the CBA in 2011.
Call for nominations; 2009 Cecilia I. Johnstone Award
The Cecilia I. Johnstone Award was established in 2007 to recognize women who have achieved professional excellence in their field and influenced other women to pursue legal careers, supported other women in career advancement or opened doors for women lawyers in a variety of job settings that historically were closed to them. It is named in honour of an outstanding lawyer, judge, CBA President, woman and friend who passed away April 15, 2006.
The award is presented annually to candidates that possess the highest standards of professional conduct and competence, a high level of excellence and leadership and/or commitment and service to other women.
The Women Lawyers Forum of the CBA will hold its annual meeting in Dublin, Ireland during the CBA Canadian Legal Conference. The meeting agenda includes the election of a Secretary-Treasurer and four Members-at-Large for the September 2009 to August 31, 2011 term. Details.
The Section is currently looking for articles for its next newsletter. If you would like to contribute to the next edition, please contact CBA Newsletters.
Meetings
Women Lawyers Forum Reception and Meeting, August 2009 (Dublin)
Mandate
The Women Lawyers Forum is aimed at promoting the stature and influence of women in the profession, as well as developing assistance programs, networking opportunities and mentoring programs.
The objective of the Women Lawyers Forum is to provide:
Personal and Professional Development
develop mechanisms to assist women in the legal profession to enhance their professional opportunities; and
develop business and professional confidence for women in the practice of law, including private practice, public service, and in-house counsel, and in community leadership.
Networking, Mentoring and Liaising Opportunities
provide a forum for networking, education, mentoring and information-sharing for women in the legal profession;
co-ordinate a mentoring system and other resources for mentoring of women in the legal profession; and
liaise and share resources with other legal jurisdictions, women in the judiciary, other professions, and organizations of professional women; and
work and liaise with other Canadian Bar Association Conferences, Sections and Committees, particularly the Standing Committee on Equity, on matters of mutual concern.
Resources
develop communications tools to assist women lawyers in identifying and making contact with available resources.
Leadership
to encourage and support CBA Branches to form similar Forums in each of their respective jurisdictions, with the goal of sharing information and promoting their programs.
Origin
The Women Lawyers Forum was established at the 2005 Mid-Winter Meeting of Council, as part of the CBA's ongoing mandate to enhance the professional interests of its members.
