Dear Section Members,
The CBA Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Section Executive Committee has been working hard and keeping active!
Our Section contributes to national policy, comments on legislative initiatives and offers in-depth continuing legal education. On that note, we have two webinars scheduled for 2018 which are part of the CBA Law Series:
We've also been working on putting together panels for the American Bar Association (ABA) Conference and the ADR Institute of Canada (ADRIC) Conference. This past year, we organized a panel of speakers (Sandra Burke, Q.C. Trudy Burge, M.Sc., Dolores M. Crane, Q.C., Janis Pritchard, Dr. Nicole Sherren) to present at the ADRIC Conference in October 2017, on R. v. Jordan (SCC) Decision: Implications on Family. Stay tuned! We hope to have the video presentation available soon to share with you.
In December 2017, the Section held its annual in-person Section executive meeting in Ottawa to share, collaborate, and set our priorities for the year. It's clear that access to justice is of critical importance and that ADR is a means to obtain access to justice. Check out the Gallery webpage for photos from the executive meeting.
I am pleased that this message is part of our new communication with members initiative, to deliver relevant pan-Canadian content throughout the year. Our goal for these updates is to provide a hub for information about legal developments and activities related to ADR across Canada and the exchange of ideas amongst members. But we need your input! If you have ideas or would like to contribute content, please contact us.
Also visit the ADR Section webpage to learn more and meet the 2017/18 Executive.
Member engagement also means planning for the future. To this end, the ADR Section is pursuing approval to reserve an executive member-at-large position for a young lawyer. We have launched a law student essay contest in memory of our past Chair, James L. Thistle, Q.C. We are moving forward with implementing the CBA resolution approved in 2016 - Training Lawyers to Resolve Everyday Legal Disputes by engaging with law societies and law schools. We continue our collaboration with ADRIC and are looking for other opportunities to present on ADR topics. In that regard, if you have any ideas for ADR topics or speakers, please let us know.
GET INVOLVED
- The ADR Section has several active committees and would welcome expressions of interest from those wanting to get involved by contacting Crystal Lam. ADR committees include:
- Legislation and Law Reform
- Professional Development
- ADRIC Liaison
- Communications
- Awards and Essay
- Join the Section’s LinkedIn page
If you have other ideas or are looking for other ways to get involved in the Section, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you.
Johanna C. Price
Chair, CBA ADR Section