Progress, pressure & possibility

Find Your Rhythm (Optional)

Kick off your morning in an energized, mixed-abilities dance workshop led by Innovate Dance Arts. If dance is not your thing, sleep in and show up for breakfast, rested and ready to engage.

Breakfast

Holding the Line

Throughout history, women lawyers have pushed back against persisting structural and systemic factors in the legal profession. Where a barrier is identified, it’s only a matter of time before it becomes a milestone.

This forward-looking panel explores the past 25 years of progress for women in the field, including the Touchstone Report and CBABC Roundtables, to gain a clear understanding of where we are and where we still need to go.

Leah George Wilson, Miller Titerle
Kerry L. Simmons, KC, Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch

Health Break

Climb Higher Together

Too often, women rise through the ranks alone, depending heavily on their own self-motivation to advance their legal career. When every step depends on you, the journey becomes an isolating, uphill battle.

With perspectives from an in-house counsel, a solo practitioner and a law firm founder, consider what you can do to uplift the women in your life. Discover approaches to advocate for each other, foster reciprocal support and build resilient professional communities.

Nisha Bathe, Infrastructure BC
Sarah Klinger, Law Office of Sarah L Klinger
Leena Yousefi, YLaw

Lunch & Keynote

Two Firsts Paving the Way

Trailblazing women are role models to those who follow in their footsteps. Their ambition and bravery offer inspiration, enact social change and reshape expectations for women.

Take a closer look at the groundbreaking journeys of Bertha Wilson, the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada, and Claire L’Heureux-Dubé, the first woman appointed from Quebec to the Supreme Court of Canada. Consider how these firsts influence and empower women lawyers and judges today.

Constance Backhouse, University of Ottawa

Closing the AI Gap

Artificial intelligence is not slowing down. With usage increasing across the profession, AI is drastically changing how legal work is performed. For women lawyers, adopting AI isn’t just about not falling behind, it’s an opportunity to level the field.

In this walkthrough of AI technology and tools, discover how to streamline your drafting, summarization, research and file management. Identify appropriate use cases and common pitfalls while building the confidence you need to employ AI as a strategic partner in your practice.

Allison Morell, Dentons

Free Time

Retreat Dinner

Network with retreat companions over a buffet dinner and bring along your family! Guests and children welcome and encouraged. Purchase additional dinner tickets along with your registration.

Breakfast

The Making of a Leader

Vision. Courage. Authenticity. A leader is defined not only by what they have achieved, but the path they have carved out along the way.

Experienced women lawyers soaring in law speak on their unique leadership journeys, from the barriers they faced and overcame, defining moments in their careers and the skills that were vital to their success. Submit questions for the panel in advance via the pre-retreat survey.

Judge Tamara Hodge, Provincial Court of BC
Patricia Blair, River Valley Law LLP and CBABC President
Jessica Beverley, Metro Vancouver
Robin Gage, Arvay Finlay

Health Break

Rewriting the Rules of Well-being

Being honest about your well-being and the effect it has on your personal and professional life is not a weakness. It’s a strength. Staying silent is what causes the pressure to build to a breaking point, causing burnout.

Engage in a grounded, meaningful discussion centered on the emotional pressures women lawyers face. Shift your mindset and learn resilience-building strategies, boundary setting techniques and healthy habits you can rely on.

Shari R. Pearlman, Lawyers Assistance Program BC
Leen Hamdi, Lawyers Assistance Program BC

Lunch-on-the-go

Grab a packaged lunch to enjoy on your commute home, between spa treatments or while you continue networking with retreat peers.