Law Times

LAW TIMES COVERING ONTARIO'S LEGAL SCENE | APRIL 1, 2019 19 www.lawtimesnews.com in Convocation. The two-term bencher, who is running again, says she used to sit as a member of the law society tribunal, adju- dicating discipline matters, but she has moved away from that role in part due to the major time commitment it involves. Now, she serves on a number of committees, including chair- ing the proceedings authoriza- tion committee, the professional regulation committee and the technology task force. She is also co-chairperson of the profes- sional development and com- petence committee (where she co-authored the minority report that called for abolishing arti- cling) and participates in other committees. Horvat says that, while an in- dividual bencher can have direct inf luence on what gets accom- plished in the committees and at Convocation, benchers have to be f lexible and vary their work- ing style based on the situation. "Nobody's going to come in and change the world when they're elected as a bencher. I think, to get things done, you have to work positively and co- operatively with your colleagues. And that's just based on my per- sonal experience," she says. "In certain issues on cer- tain circumstances, working the backroom is the way to get things done. In others, it is form- ing alliances. I've never done this myself, but I've heard of my col- leagues trading issues: I'll sup- port you on this issue if you sup- port me on that issue," she says, adding that, if a bencher feels passionately about an issue, they can express that to their fellow benchers directly and work on the best course of action to take to accomplish their goal. François Baril isn't a bencher yet, but the partner in Gowling WLG's Ottawa office is running in his first election. He is, how- ever, past president of the Asso- ciation des juristes d'expression française de l'Ontario, and he thinks the negotiation and man- agement skills a lawyer develops in such a position are crucial for anybody wishing to become a successful bencher. "I think a person can be in- f luential. I wouldn't be doing it [running] if I didn't think I could make a difference. Personally, I think it's like any other type of or- ganization in that you have to cul- tivate relationships, understand how the organization works and then figure out what the path- ways forward are and then work those pathways," he says. Baril says the key to being successful in a complicated and diverse organization is having the "ability to find consensus from different positions, hav- ing the ability to listen, having a good understanding of how governance works [and having] a good understanding of how to make files that appear large and impossible to move progress in small incremental steps. That is, that is often how it works with these big organizations." The challenges of working within an organization may be something not all lawyers are expecting, says Beach, explain- ing that as a criminal lawyer he's not used to working within large groups. Mostly, he just deals one on one with a Crown during pre- trial discussions and then argues things out in front of a judge. "You don't sit there in a com- mittee room for two or three hours chewing the fat about various issues. I found that to be quite difficult," he says. "I think the other thing I wasn't very good at, because I'm not the most collegial of people, is that you really have to interact with your fellow benchers. A lot of the things that get done are in informal discussions between the benchers themselves. I'm just not very good at that, but I'm better than I was. I learned over the years how to be able to interact with other people and discuss the issues in a more so- cial setting rather than standing up in court and arguing things." In fact, Beach has become so used to working with others that his goal is to organize all of the East region benchers into a "pha- lanx" so they can travel together and work together to bring the concerns of Ottawa and eastern Ontario lawyers to what some consider to be a Toronto-centric Convocation. In addition to developing negotiating and interpersonal skills, Beach, Ross and Horvat all say that being part of Convo- cation has allowed them to meet people they are happy to have in their lives. "It's a very interesting thing to do and part of the reason I did it was because, although I go to court every day and I still enjoy being a criminal lawyer and I'm not going to retire, it was a totally different experience. You meet a lot of people, particularly law- yers who you wouldn't meet in the ordinary course of business," says Beach, adding that many people he met through Convo- cation are now good friends. "This is going to sound corny and cheesy, but the friends I've made and the people that I've met being a bencher are people I would never, ever have encoun- tered in my practice or in my daily life. And I've made such amazing friends and met such wonderful people that to me, that's been the part [of being a bencher] that's most worth it," says Horvat. Ross says she knows she's go- ing to miss being a bencher. "I'll miss the exciting work. The work for me is really inter- esting and exciting — absolutely, totally engaging. Very absorb- ing. The nature of the issues and the interesting, diverse, dynam- ic, amazing people in our profes- sion that I've had the privilege of getting to meet and know — I'm going to miss that immensely," she says. "It has been an ongo- ing life education, so that's been such a treat, such a pleasure." LT Work involved in serving successfully BENCHER ELECTION François Baril, a partner at Gowling WLG's Ottawa office, says negotiation and management skills are crucial for anybody wishing to become a successful bencher. Continued from page 18 REBECCA DURCAN RE-ELECT www.rebeccadurcan.com BENCHER CANDIDATE 2019 "Rebecca has been an outstanding Bencher. She has a depth of knowledge of the regulatory process that is unsurpassed, and the judgment, warmth and compassion to be a great colleague. The Law Society needs Benchers like Rebecca." Christopher Bredt, Bencher, Senior Litigation Counsel, BLG COMMITTED TO: • Reducing Barriers to Increase Access to Justice • Heightened Transparency • Continuing Governance Review • Increasing Diversity and Inclusion rdurcan@sml-law.com | @Durcanrebecca Untitled-11 1 2019-03-27 3:26 PM For experience and commitment electmurchie.com Re-Elect Barbara Murchie YOUR BENCHER FOR: Competence • Enhance skills requirements WREHQHƫWWKHSXEOLF Technology & Innovation û(QFRXUDJHXVHWRLPSURYH$- û&RQVLVWHQWZLWKSULYDF\DQG JRRGHWKLFV Fairness & Respect û7KDWôVZKDWZHVWDQGIRU DQGWKDWôVZKDWZHSURWHFW Barb serves as an adjudicator on the Law Society Tribunal and a Director on the Law Pro board Untitled-7 1 2019-03-27 11:52 AM

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