May 8, 2019
Share Your Views By Participating in our Articling Review Survey
Are you a current articling student, new lawyer (under five years of call), principal, firm recruiter or mentor of articling students? 

We want to hear from you. We are seeking feedback on the types of training and mentoring articling students are receiving, issues related to discrimination or harassment and how prepared articling students feel to practice as 21st century lawyers.  

Why are we leading a review of articling? Articling, as a form of applied learning, is part of the traditional journey into the Canadian legal profession. The articling system has been in place for many years in various forms across Canada. A positive articling experience can provide young lawyers with a strong foundation for an ethical and rewarding legal career. Whereas a negative articling experience can lead to issues throughout the career of a lawyer. 

As part of our articling review process, and in partnership with the law societies of Saskatchewan and Manitoba, we are launching two surveys: one directed at articling students and new lawyers (under five years of call), the second directed at principals, recruiters and mentors. The surveys are designed to help us better understand the experiences and supports that articling students are getting during their articles. The results of the surveys will allow us to critically assess whether our existing systems are appropriately preparing lawyers for the future.

Take the surveys at the links below:

The surveys take about 15 minutes to complete. At the end of the surveys, you can enter for a chance to win a free LESA course of your choice (excludes multi-day programs). The survey responses will be analyzed in aggregate form only. Nothing shared by you will be linked to you in any way. Please encourage your colleagues and articling students to complete the survey if they fall into the categories outlined in the surveys. The surveys will remain open until June 17, 2019.

Questions? Read our FAQ or email us. 
Webinar Reminder: Big Changes to CPLED on the Horizon
Over the past year, the Canadian Centre for Professional Legal Education (CPLED) has been on an exciting journey. Incorporating feedback and data from students, lawyers, other professions and the latest educational practices, CPLED has created a new type of bar admission program to better reflect the changing legal landscape.
 
The new CPLED Practice Readiness Education Program PREP (PREP) is being piloted this year and focuses on competency-based skills for the lawyers of tomorrow. This includes areas such as practice management, working with clients, trust accounting and cultural awareness. With modernized teaching and assessment tools, the new CPLED uses a combination of in-person and online learning.
 
Join Dr. Kara Mitchelmore, CEO, CPLED for an overview of the new program, what it means for students and how lawyers can participate in preparing the next generation of lawyers.
 
Register here to attend the webinar session on  Thursday, May 9 from noon - 1 p.m. (MT). To learn more, visit the CPLED  website.

Judicial Dispute Resolution Schedule
Edmonton
The list of available dates and assigned JDR Justices have now been posted on this website .
 
Calgary
The list of available dates and assigned JDR Justices have now been posted on this website .
 

New Resource: Requesting Consent for Cloud Usage and Email Communication in your Retainer Agreement
Communication is essential to effective client service. Retainer agreements provide a first opportunity to communicate the scope of your engagement and the associated fees. The retainer also allows you to clarify your client’s objectives and expectations, your role and expectations, general timeframes and how best to communicate with you.

New Resource: Email Tips to Save You From Heartache
Email communication is effective and efficient in many ways, but we have all experienced moments when our heart skips a beat:

  • Did I send that email to the wrong person?
  • Was that a reply to all?
  • Did I forget to attach my attachment?
  • Did I attach the wrong attachment?
  • Was my tone appropriate?
  • Should I have not sent that at all?

None of these second thoughts are welcome experiences in your day. Worse yet, mistakes like these could have serious consequences. We have two easy and effective adjustments that you can make to your Outlook email settings to save stress and reduce errors in your email communication.

Federation of Law Societies of Canada 2020 Family Law Program
The Federation’s National Family Law Program has issued a call for papers and presentation proposals for their next conference, scheduled from July 13-16 in Halifax. For more information, please visit this website.