What's New
Newly elected President of the CBA–BC Branch, Sharon Matthews, has not only built a busy private practice but has also become known as a tireless volunteer promoting issues of importance such as access to justice and legal aid.
Sharon finds that her active involvement with the CBA has both improved her practice and enriched her relationships with members of the bar. She believes that the opportunity to learn other lawyers’ perspectives on substantive and procedural issues has assisted her in becoming a better litigator at home and across the country. She also believes that the opportunity to foster collegial relationships with other lawyers assists in more efficiently resolving disputes on the merits for her clients, instead of simply driving the adversarial process. Through volunteer work with the CBA, Sharon does her part in upholding the rule of law by promoting legal aid and access to justice. To ensure that justice is served, Sharon believes: first, more must be done to ensure that everyone has access to legal representation and second, for effective representation, the bar must reflect the diversity of our population.
In August, Pascale Pageau from Montreal took office as Chair of the Women Lawyers Forum (WLF), after serving on the executive for three years. I have had the pleasure of knowing Pascale very well for a number of years, and we share a firm commitment to the cause of women and women lawyers in our society.
Judging from her career path, the WLF will no doubt benefit from Pascale’s excellent leadership skills, her initiative, and her determination. Not only is she a talented lawyer, she is also a businesswoman of vision who has reinvented the practice of law, moulding it to fit the demands of women lawyers and the needs of the business world.
By Julie Latour, Co-Chair of the CBA-Quebec Women Lawyers Forum
Linda K Robertson’s blog
Linda K. Robertson, our very own Women Lawyers Forum Secretary-Treasurer, has a featured blog on slaw.ca, a Canadian online legal magazine. To read Linda’s blog please visit: http://www.slaw.ca/author/robertson/
LinkedIn
In order to create networking opportunities and a forum for discussion and exchange on subjects relevant to the Women Lawyers Forum, we have recently created a group on LinkedIn.
This professional networking site allows you to:
- Establish connections with other professionals interested in mentoring,
- Access liaising opportunities,
- Share cases and accomplishments; and
- Keep informed about upcoming Women Lawyers Forum events and activities.
If you’re already a LinkedIn member, we invite you to join the CBA Women Lawyers Forum group. You can easily do by clicking on the “Groups” tab type “CBA Women Lawyers Forum” in the search box and select the “Join Group” option. If you are not already a member, membership in LinkedIn is free and easy to join by going to http://www.linkedin.com/home
We look forward to meeting you on LinkedIn.
The Women Lawyers Forum wants to get the word out!
The WLF is one of the largest conferences within the CBA and many of its members are doing incredible things within their legal communities and beyond. These accomplishments reflect positively on the legal profession as a whole and on the contributions made by women lawyers across the country.
To ensure these accomplishments are broadly recognized, the WLF will be highlighting these achievements and triumphs in upcoming newsletters and on its website as a new monthly feature - “What’s She Up To?”
Let us know what our members have been up to lately. If you or a colleague you know has recently accepted a new position, appointment or award that you think should be recognized, pass it on to the WLF editorial board, and we’ll spread the word!
Contact Gathoni Njuguna.
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