Law Times

Law TiMes • May 16, 2011 NEWS 41% never return to practice Continued from page 1 fi nd it hard to get that sort of practical advice at large Bay Street fi rms where formal mentorship schemes tend to dominate. When it comes to is- sues like work-life balance or whether and when to have children, female lawyers would benefi t from more informal structures, according to Nevin. "Firms do a really good job helping women develop the technical capacity necessary to par- ticipate in the meritocracy," she said. "Where they have a harder time is with social and extracurric- ular issues. Th ere's real mentoring that needs to happen, and because of the trust issues, it can't be formal. It's got to be informal as well as formal." In Southren's view, communication is key when young female lawyers feel unsupported on Bay Street. Law society eff orts like the Jus- ticia project represent an important cultural shift, but fi rms still usually need a push to go further with reforms, she said. "Institutional fi xes don't work for everybody. Th ey provide a baseline, but above that, you have to think for yourselves about what you need, what you're lacking. Th e way I think we get the industry to conform is to communicate, speak out, articulate ideas, and get creative." Southren's fi rm, Lerners LLP, recently ap- proved her proposal to help targeted associ- ates and partners enhance their business de- velopment skills in order to build their own books of business. Andrea Taylor, director of operations at ATD Legal Services PC, says young female lawyers could be surprised at how receptive fi rms will be to their ideas. "Th ey want to hear what you want and what you need to stay because it's cost- ing them money if you leave," she said. "Th ey've poured a lot of money into your training and it's not a smart business move for them to lose you." According to Andrea Burke, a partner at Da- vies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP, too many women avoid confronting issues after assuming there's no solution. "Often, the lawyer will come and say they're leaving, and it's the fi rst time the management actually knows there's an issue," she said. "But if it had been brought to them before, there could have been a solution worked out." For those who take the ultimate step and leave practice altogether, the LSUC's Return to Practice working group wants women to understand the consequences of the choice to stop practising. "Returning to practice after an extended period is often analogous to initial entry into the profession," reads the report pre- sented to April's Convocation. Providing more information on what it takes to return after an extended break "would help women make informed professional de- cisions before leaving the practice of law and when returning," says the report. Although returning lawyers don't have to go through articling again or rewrite any exams, they'll face a practice review if the break was longer than 10 years as well as a host of other common issues. Th e working group found that more than half of the men who left practice were back within two years, compared with just 38 per cent of women. About 41 per cent of women never re- turn, versus just 24 per cent of men, and those who do come back face diffi culties adapting to new technology and diff erent practice areas without their old legal networks for support. Th e working group recommended more ed- ucational resources for lawyers planning to de- part the profession as well as fi nancial assistance for those who need help to return. It also wants Convocation to provide funding for career counselling services to women lawyers from sole or small practices who intend to take leaves for maternity, parental or compassionate reasons. A decision on the report is on hold until the fall when the new batch of benchers has its prior- ity planning session for the upcoming term. PAGE 5 LEAF continues fight Continued from page 1 Freedoms coming into force, has been a "standard bearer" of con- stitutional judicial review of state action since then, Akazaki said. He hailed LEAF interventions that helped enshrine equal pay for equal work and rape shield laws among many others. "LEAF has helped to skillfully thread equality law through the modern tapestry of Canadian soci- ety. For that, we, the Ontario Bar Association, the voice of the legal profession, is justly proud," Aka- zaki said, adding that the organiza- tion's key contribution was to make constitutional law comprehensible to ordinary Canadians. "Bringing the Charter to the people is what LEAF's lawyers have done so well." Joanna Birenbaum, LEAF's di- rector of litigation, tells Law Times the group has been particularly busy during the last two years as it continues its mission to achieve substantive equality for women and girls. "Achieving that is a tall order, but it's work that is as impor- tant today as it has ever been, and we have achieved really signifi cant gains in our 26 years," Birenbaum says. "In the last two years, we've been running on the fi nancial sup- port and the volunteer hours of our donors. We're continuing to ramp up our litigation, so we take this award not only as recognition for our past work but also as sup- port for our future work." Th e OBA also handed out three distinguished service awards to members who have made a mark over the years. Th e late John Hodg- son, who died earlier this year, was a charity law heavyweight who co-founded Th e Philanthropist, a journal for practitioners in the non-profi t sector, and what would later become Imagine Canada. Ontario Superior Court Jus- tice and former OBA president Heather McGee was another dis- tinguished service award recipi- ent. During her time as president, she also acted as executive direc- tor, a dual role never performed before or since. "Heather's work not only made the OBA more democratic on the inside, it made it more politically relevant on the out- side," Akazaki said. Former Canadian Bar Asso- ciation president Eugene Meehan was also honoured for his service. On top of his Supreme Court practice with McMillan LLP, he has four law degrees, is a former law professor, and is licensed in six diff erent common law juris- dictions, including fi ve in Canada and one in the United States. "I am proud to be a lawyer, not because of what I do, but because of what lawyers across Canada do," Meehan said while picking up his award. "Nobody gives back to our profession, to our commu- nities the way we do." For video related to this story, visit lawtimesnews.com. Be a... ...standout. The business of law is growing more complex by the day, and in today's knowledge economy, standing out from your colleagues is essential. The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) can help you excel in your field by building the expertise and skills you need. The CBA is committed to offering you the best Professional Development (PD) in the country – including our new, interactive and online CBA Skilled Lawyer Series. Our leading edge in-person and online programs are accredited, cost effec- tive and tailored to your needs and area of practice. CBA's PD resource web- site will enable you to search upcoming programs, manage your mandatory credits and communicate with PD course colleagues and leaders. Stand out by visiting www.cba.org/pd. INFLUENCE. LEADERSHIP. PROTECTION. Untitled-6 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 5/10/11 4:26:21 PM

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