MIRIAM MAISONVILLE
from the president
Volunteerism
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broadening your expertise and any people in the increasing your engagement with practice of law give the profession. freely of their time to the profession Mentoring and not just to the Canadian Bar Through mentoring, you can help Association, the Law Society or a junior member of the profession one of the many pro bono groups. navigate his/her way through uniThey also give to numerous assoversity articles or as a junior practiciations outside our profession that tioner. Much has changed over the help our communities. years, especially technology, but Taking on pro bono cases, particMiriam Maisonville many of the same issues exist. ipating in committee work and helpPresident 2008/2009 ing and mentoring students are just Pro Bono B.C. Branch some examples of legal volunteering. Helping in this way enables you to Canadian Bar Association Why volunteer? There are give to someone who might never many reasons to give back, to get otherwise have a chance at justice. It allows for someinvolved and to help others. And more often than not one who would not have access to the courts, to have the person volunteering gets as much, if not more, his/her matter determined. out of volunteering than the recipient themselves. Why is that? Volunteering INTERNATIONALLY Learning
Volunteering to speak or make writing contributions will give you a wealth of information in the area you are dealing with. This practical knowledge can be used to benefit your practice. INCREASeD CLIENT BASE
For those starting out and building a practice and/or profile, client base can be increased by volunteering. Committee Work
Committee work can teach a plethora of things, such as how a good Chair runs a meeting, learning areas of law outside your practice, and how you can help others. There are a multitude of excellent committee opportunities to engage in at both the Branch and National level. Volunteering with committees benefits you by placing you at the forefront of CBA advocacy initiatives while providing you with invaluable networking opportunities. Besides self-benefit, involving yourself with committees increases your value within your firm by
These opportunities are incredibly rewarding and can only help you grow. Since 1990, the CBA has delivered legal and justice reform and capacity building projects in 29 countries. The CBA is committed to the values of an independent legal profession, an independent judiciary, the rule of law and the dignity of the individual. It knows that access to justice is essential to all of these values. There are many international volunteer opportunities. The CBA’s International Development Committee is currently seeking legal professionals to become members of our Resource Bank to support the CBA’s international development initiatives. You can find comprehensive information about the Resource Bank by visiting www.cba.org. BT To Download the 2009/2010 Committee Volunteer Form uuu http://www.cba.org/bc/ About_Us/pdf/committee_volunteer_form.pdf Forms will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on June 12, 2009. June 2009 BARTALK
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