Submitted by Section Co-Chair, Tina Parbhakar
Summary of Meetings
Number of Meetings Held: 7
November 14, 2014
Guest Speakers: Lorena (Lori) Staples, Q.C. and James A. S. Leg
Meeting Title/Topic: Amalgamation: Legal Framework and Greater Victoria Case Study
Synopsis: On the day before municipal elections in BC the Public Sector Lawyers and Municipal Law Sections presented a joint meeting on the topic of Amalgamation: Legal Framework and Greater Victoria Case Study.
December 03, 2014
Guest Speakers: David J. Bilinsky, Practice Management Advisor, Law Society of BC and Kyle Friesen, Legal Advisory Section, RCMP Pacific Region, DOJ Canada
Meeting Title/Topic: Freemen on the Land: Tips for dealing with organized anti-government litigants
Synopsis: Freemen on the Land is a movement that eschews government bodies and whose concepts and methods raise curiousity and concern. The FBI considers "sovereign citizen extremists" to be part of a domestic terrorist movement. In 2012, Associate Chief Justice Rooke of the Alberta Queen's Bench coined the collective term “Organized Pseudolegal Commercial Argument” (OPCA) litigants to distinguish them from the more usual types of vexatious litigants because they use a particular collection of techniques and arguments. This session covered how such litigants can be recognized, what concepts they rely on (so far without success) and what lawyers can do when faced with these types of litigants.
February 24, 2015
Guest Speakers: Darlene Prosser - Darlene is the Regional Director of and a senior counsel in the Aboriginal Law Section of the BC Regional Office of the Department of Justice. She was called to the bar in 1996.
Nils Jensen - Nils has been the Mayor of Oak Bay since 2011 and is also a barrister and solicitor for the Ministry of Justice. Formerly, Nils was a councillor for Oak Bay as well as a senior litigator at the Victoria Crown Counsel office.
Meeting Title/Topic: Navigating a public service legal career and political involvement
Synopsis: This session was about working in an impartial fashion for a public sector legal department, branch or office while simultaneously particpating in political activities, from canvassing door to door, to volunteering at a candidate's office, to running for and holding a political seat. The federal and provincial perspectives were canvassed, in terms of the legislation and / or guidelines that apply to lawyers as well as personal experiences balancing the requirements of civil service and active democratic engagement. Some of the topics covered included dealing with potential conflicts, perceptions and realities of political involvement, criteria that need to be met and the costs and benefits for public sector lawyers involved in political activities.
April 9, 2015
Guest Speaker: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: Public Sector Lawyers' Social
Synopsis: Public sector colleagues and members of the legal community who are interested in public sector issues were invited to a networking social. This get-together highlighted public sector lawyers' diversity, with practices at different levels of government and within various types of organizations, such as Crown corporations; health and educational authorities and institutions; and regulatory bodies including tribunals and commissions.
April 17, 2015
Guest Speakers: Kristy Foreman Gear, Legal Counsel, Federal Department of Justice, Nancy Brown, Barrister, Legal Counsel, BC Ministry of Justice and Priyan Samarakoone, Program Manager, Access Pro Bono
Meeting Title/Topic: Pro Bono Work for Public Sector Lawyers
Synopsis: Public sector lawyers have a passion for serving their community. One way for public sector lawyers to be involved in their community is by volunteering to do pro bono work. Public sector lawyers have unique employment obligations and situations of potential conflicts of interest to be aware of before engaging in pro bono work. This session explored those considerations from both the DOJ (Federal) and MOJ (Provincial) perspective and explored one successful example of pro bono work for public sector lawyers.
June 11, 2015
Guest Speakers: Karen Truscott, Governing Council, Vancouver Region, Association of Justice Counsel (DoJ), Steve Fudge, President, BC Crown Counsel Association and Sandra Wilkinson, President, Legal Services Branch Lawyers' Association
Meeting Title/Topic: Employment Issues for Public Sector Lawyers
Synopsis: In this session, the speakers summarized the history of their respective organizations which represent lawyers as government employees and some of the issues that have been the focus over the past few years and are currently under consideration. Some specific topics discussed were Provincial Crown Counsel’s upcoming round of contract negotiations; LSBLA’s efforts towards being recognized as a voice of legal counsel on the civil side and obtaining grievance processes and other benefits and the Association of Justice Counsel’s efforts with respect to management duties and billable targets. A theme that emerged was the need for respect of public sector lawyers’ mandate to uphold the rule of law, professional autonomy and desires for career development and stability in the context of the trends of re-organization/down-sizing without consultation and legislative imposition in lieu of bargaining.
August 20, 2015
Guest Speaker: N/A
Meeting Title/Topic: PSL Summer Social
Synopsis: A final social to celebrate the end of the CBA year and summer, with an open invitation to some other CBA Sections and non-CBA colleagues.
Reports and/or Resolutions Prepared by the Section
None. Co-Chair assisted with creation of resolution for Children's Law Section.
Comments and Observations of the Chair
We brought on three DoJ counsel onto the Executive this year and their energy has propelled the section forward, including through our first social, evening meeting in many years in Vancouver. Engaging with our PSL Members is an ongoing task as is buliding networks with other Sections. In the upcoming year, we are looking forward to working with other Sections on issues that impact public sector practices and continuing to provide a steady stream of lunch and learn sessions with interesting speakers on timely topics.
We have engaged in some discussions about continuing to have social events in Vancouver and inviting other Section members and non-CBA colleagues to get a taste for our section. We intend to have one social around the holiday period and one towards the end of the year. We want to ensure we reach out to PSL who practice with agencies and boards and in smaller practice groups as well as Crown Counsel throughout the province.