Law Times

PAGE 4 NEWS June 14, 2010 • Law Times Study highlights need for flexible hours Report identifies work-life balance as key reason lawyers leave private practice BY MICHAEL McKIERNAN Law Times es in lawyer status proves it's on the right track with its Justicia and Retention of Women in Private Practice projects. Th e study examined the demographics of lawyers who changed their status in 2009 and their reasons for doing so. "One of the very signifi cant T reasons women were changing status was due to work-life bal- ance," says Janet Minor, a bench- er who chairs the LSUC's equity and aboriginal issues committee. "Th ey explained that involved better hours, fl exible scheduling. Th at is the exact focus of much of the work of Justicia." According to the study, men and women left private practice for many of the same reasons. he Law Society of Up- per Canada says a new study examining chang- Th e only signifi cant diff erence was among those who cited work-life balance as a major fac- tor in the switch. Just nine per cent of men chose reasons such as fl exible scheduling, reducing stress, and spending more time with family, compared with 21 per cent of women. Th e Justicia project has re- cruited 57 fi rms to its think- tank tasked with identify- ing ways of keeping women in private practice. Th e fi rst stage, now completed, laid the groundwork for law fi rms to develop their own parental- leave programs. In the second phase, the project identifi ed fl exible working arrangements as the next area law fi rms need help in implementing, says Jo- sée Bouchard, the law society's equity adviser. "Th is is exactly what our change-of-status study fi ndings say that we need for women private practice than men and identifi ed two key points in their careers when the diff erence was particularly pronounced: during their fi rst 10 years in the fi eld and when they have young dependent children. Th e number of women in private practice dropped to 32 per cent after a change in sta- tus from 47 per cent before the change. For men, a similar, less dramatic pattern emerged, with 54 per cent in private practice before the change and decreas- ing to 46 per cent after. Th e numbers of men and Many firms allow for flex- ibility but usually in an 'ad hoc arrangement where someone is asking to be treated differently from the norm,' says Joy Casey. to stay in the profession, espe- cially when they have young dependent children." Th e study indicated women were much more likely to leave women in private practice show a sharp drop among those with young children. For men, 56 per cent were in private prac- tice before the change, a num- ber that fell to 44 per cent after. For women, the drop is twice as large, falling 25 percentage points to 32 per cent after the change from 57 per cent before. The Prosecution and Defence of Environmental Offences Stanley D. Berger Sentencing Database prepared by: Jonathan Myers and Stanley D. Berger Sentencing Charts now in electronic format Revised and updated, this service reflects the not yet in force amendments made to federal environmental laws by the their implications. Looseleaf, binders (2) & Internet access • $289 • Releases invoiced separately (3/yr) P/C 0159030000 • Vol. 1 ISBN 0-920722-57-1 • Vol. 2 ISBN 0-88804-370-8 Ontario Environmental Protection Act Annotated Dianne Saxe This service clearly explains the intentions and effects of almost every section of the Act, its regulations, and the Looseleaf & binders (3) • $459 • Releases invoiced separately (4/yr) P/C 0488030000 • Vol.1/2/3 ISBN 0-88804-112-8/-180-2/-338-4 Toxic Real Estate Manual Frederick Coburn This resource covers the fundamental principles of private and public liability connected with contaminated property and features pertinent case law in the area of vendor and purchaser transactions, landlord and tenant relations and secured financing. Looseleaf & binder • $118 • Releases invoiced separately (1/yr) • P/C 0408030000 • ISBN 0-88804-172-1 Key Developments in Environmental Law Stanley D. Berger and Dianne Saxe This is the only resource providing a review of key developments in environmental legislation, policy and case law during the past year with chapters written by leading practitioners from across Canada. Hardbound • Approx. 150 pp. • August 2010 • On subscription $105 • P/C 0152140000 One time purchase $115 • P/C 0152010000 • ISSN 1913-0252 . More than 3,000 reported and unreported cases, annotated with expert commentary and analysis, you won't find elsewhere. , c.14, preparing you for Look for the for Select Decisions in our online services! Environmental titles Th e results come as no sur- prise to Maryellen Symons, co-chairwoman of the Ontario Bar Association's feminist legal analysis section. "It doesn't tell us anything we didn't know," she says. "But it's important because it really does bear out that there are diff eren- tial impacts on women of vari- ous aspects of the legal systems and confi rms what we've been hearing from other sources." Th e OBA group held a one- year review of the Justicia project last week. Symons says the feed- back was positive. "Th e level of participation is pretty high and impressive. Th ere's still work to be done and steps to be taken, but I think it is making a diff er- ence and having an eff ect." Th e study's promotion of fl exible hours pleased Sharon Davis, president of the Wom- en's Law Association of On- tario. "It's inconvenient when lawyers have to have some time off but it's one of those neces- sary things," she says. "It's cer- tainly well worth it when they return. Anybody who is happy with what they do is going to do it very well." Joy Casey, a litigation lawyer and co-founder of A Call to Ac- tion Canada, also welcomed the study for highlighting the need for fl exible work arrangements. "Many fi rms permit fl exible work arrangements, but usually it's an ad hoc arrangement where someone is asking to be treated diff erently from the norm." Casey's group, which promotes diversity in the legal profession, wants to develop work environ- ments that incorporate fl exibility, thereby making it available for everyone. She believes projects like Justicia need to look outside of large law fi rms or perhaps even beyond the profession for ideas on retaining women. "If you believe you have a systemic problem, and your so- lution group is made up com- pletely of people who are in that system with the problem, it's not the best way to get so- lutions," she says. "Our focus is getting in-house counsel and others involved with coming up with solutions and ideas to make change. Many of them have ex- perience in private practice, so they've seen it from both sides." Th e study's authors collected the information by e-mailing a survey to every lawyer who reg- istered a change in status with the law society. In 2009, more than 5,000 changes were reg- istered. About 4,000 of them had active e-mail addresses, of which 1,200 answered the sur- vey. Minor says the law society will continue to collect data on those who change status with the next study due in 2011. "We will be able to see if For a 30-day, no-risk evaluation call: 1.800.565.6967 Canada Law Book is a Division of The Cartwright Group Ltd. Prices subject to change without notice, to applicable taxes and shipping & handling. CA102 LT0614 CA102 (LT 1-2x4).indd 1 www.lawtimesnews.com 6/9/10 2:09:00 PM the trend changes at all and we may ultimately be able to see if some of our initiatives are not just appropriate but also whether they are actually working." LT Environmental Enforcement Act, S.C. 2009 Environmental Bill of Rights, 1993

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• Escalating Claims
• Bylaw Reform
• Focus On Real Estate Law