Law Times

www.lawtimesnews.com Law Times / February 4, 2008 Page 15 Something for everyone at OBA Institute O ntario lawyers looking to boost their skills and improve client service would be well advised to attend Canada's largest continuing legal education event — the Ontario Bar Association's Institute. This year — the 33 rd for the OBA — there are CLE programs in 20 different practice areas, in- cluding family law, civil litigation, ADR, administrative, and labour and employment. Those attend- ing can also take advantage of a host of free special events. The full-day criminal justice program took place on Saturday at the OBA conference centre in downtown Toronto. The rest of the programs go today and to- morrow at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Chair of the OBA Institute, Margaret E. Rintoul, says that besides a great roster of sub- stantive programs — almost all of which qualify attendees for LAWPRO premium credit — there is a great lineup of special events and luncheons. One program of particular interest is the two-hour media training session, "Managing your message," which takes place Tues- day at 1:30 p.m. The free program is the continuation of the OBA's successful media training course, which has been used by almost 200 members. "A lot of members found it very valuable so we decided as part of the Institute program to make this available for attendees, if they want to spend a bit of ex- tra time. I think it would be very useful for them," says Rintoul. "It's certainly going to be a valu- able program for anybody who wants to take it up." This program aims to give lawyers the tools to confidently and effectively communicate with all forms of media. Karen Gordon, principal of Squeaky Wheel Communications, will lead this innovative and interac- tive program and will share her tips and skills developed after 16 years of dealing with the media. "I've heard Karen Gordon present and she's an excellent speaker, just in terms of hear- ing what she has to say, let alone hear what she has to teach," says Rintoul. "I would think anybody who is speaking to media on a regular basis would benefit from some training." Another added bonus for In- stitute attendees is the different group breakfasts. Today, there are three different breakfast programs: sole and small firm; the Ontario Lawyers' Assistance Program; and a bilingual breakfast with André Marin, ombudsman of Ontario. Rintoul assures that there will be simultaneous translation dur- ing the bilingual breakfast. "So if you're not fluent in French, you'll still know what's going on," she says. There are also lunch speakers on both days of the event, says Rintoul. Today Attorney General Chris Bentley will be presenting the keynote address. "We'll probably be hearing some insights for the AG's office, because they've got their new ini- tiatives and quite often we hear a bit about those at the lunch speech," says Rintoul. The lunch speaker on Tues- day is Chief Justice of Ontario Warren Winkler. "It'll be pretty much the first major OBA event for the chief justice to be speak- ing at. We're looking forward to that," she says. However, those attendees who only want the nitty-gritty sub- stantive programming won't be disappointed. There are full-day programs in civil litigation, fam- ily, municipal, trusts and estates, and criminal justice. "Certainly, the biggest, at- tendance-wise, are the core pro- grams," says Rintoul. "Those are the backbone of the Institute and, by definition, the largest atten- dance, because they're the largest group of various practitioners." The solid civil litigation lineup is a fast-paced, intensive program that will cover a broad range of litigation issues: injunctive relief, essential case law, the oppression remedy, opinion evidence, and appellate advocacy are some of the topics on the agenda. The family law section is equally impressive. The popular "View from the Bench" session has an impressive panel of Justice Susan E. Lang, Ontario Court of Appeal; Justice David L. Cor- bett, Superior Court of Justice; Justice Susanne R. Goodman, Su- perior Court of Justice; and Jus- tice June Maresca, Ontario Court of Justice. This year's trust and estates program looks at the changing dy- namic of the family and its effect on the estate; support claims in broken and reconstituted families; administering the family company through a trust or estate or as an attorney; dealing with clients with diminished capacity; estate plan- ning and protection for disabled persons; DNA in estate matters; organ and tissue donation; when charities are part of the plan; in- come splitting and attribution; the latest on joint assets and secret trusts; and other planning for "se- cret" friends and relations. There are also half-day pro- grams and those for smaller groups: public sector, real property, taxation, pensions, environmental, aboriginal, and many more. "We've got a very good mu- nicipal program, which is already getting very good response," Rintoul says. "The aboriginal is always a very popular one within a small group but it always gets a good response." Some programs don't run ev- ery year, so this year attendees can look forward to programs that were missing last year. "Health law is presenting a program this year. They haven't been with us for a while," she says. "Administrative law has a good program and, again, they haven't been in every year." There's also a Young Law- yers Division dinner at the In- terContinental Hotel on Front Street tonight. While it isn't a substantive program, it's great for those lawyers looking for ways to in- crease efficiency and satisfaction in their practices through health and well-being. This informal panel and din- ner will discuss warning signs and suggestions for preventative steps you can take to achieve the elusive work-life balance while increasing the effectiveness of your practice. "It's not a substantive program, it's more of an interest program, but I would certainly recommend it," says Rintoul. The OBA is always willing to take walk-ins for those who didn't pre-register. "The only risk is they may have to wait for their materials, if for some reason we're tight on bind- ers," says Rintoul. "We've always been able to accommodate the last-minute people — and even the walk-ins." For more information on the 2008 OBA Institute, visit www.oba. org/en/pd/institute08_en/default .aspx ©2007 Teranet is a registered trademark of Teranet Inc. and Closure is a trademark of Teranet Enterprises Inc. All rights reserved. IT'S THE NEXT LOGICAL STEP TERANET'S CLOSURE™ SERVICE* enables lawyers to securely manage real estate closing funds online reducing the need for certified cheques, direct deposits and couriers. Now you can submit your documents for registration using the Teraview ® software and manage the transfer of closing funds using the Closure service – all without leaving your office. For more information, visit www.closure.ca and register for free today. * The Closure service can only be used for real property closing transactions in the province of Ontario. 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