Canadian Lawyer - sample

w w w . c a n a d i a n l a w y e r m a g . c o m M A Y 2 0 1 9 7 A T L A N T I C MCINNES COOPER LAUNCHES SET-FEE TRAINING PROGRAM A fter years of debating, discussing and deliberating the possibility of offering training programs for clients and prospective clients, McInnes Cooper has launched MC Legal Lab. The initiative is intended to provide interactive training workshops that deliver practical, hands-on skills on top legal issues affecting organizations. As well, notes Ian Pickard, a partner in the firm's Halifax office, the program is "meant to be a commoditized training tool." The off-the-shelf workshops run for 90 minutes and cost $1,250 — and that approach makes MC Legal Lab stand apart from its competitors, says Pickard. "Many law firms would deliver training for their clients. What's different about this is we have created a fixed price point. There is no haggling." While programs can be extended and enhanced, the expectation is that most companies will opt for the ready-to-go workshop. Initially, the topics are focused on labour and employment issues covering such topics as managing cannabis after legalization, conducting a workplace harassment investigation and managing properly in a unionized environment. Launching MC Legal Lab's Labour & Employment Essentials now is timely for McInnes Cooper for two reasons. First, a major deterrent to launching a training program is having to create the content. The Atlantic Canada firm, however, developed a series of half-day sessions as part of a major client project. "Rather than have these gather dust, we decided to repurpose them," says Pickard. "We wanted to see if there was a market." In addition, McInnes Cooper's business plan for 2019-2020 calls on lawyers to spend more time interacting directly with clients in their own backyard and not the firm's boardroom. "The goal is to go and meet with your client at their premises," says Pickard. The new venture, he adds, also helps lawyers connect with new companies and organizations. "We need to be more creative in finding ways of putting ourselves in the room with potential clients. This provides a definite method of doing that." While no participation targets have been set, the workshops are anticipated to be a success with the target market — medium-sized businesses with 50 to 100 employees. — donalee Moulton REGIONAL WRAP W H A T ' S H A P P E N I N G F R O M C O A S T T O C O A S T QUEBEC GEARS UP FOR FAMILY LAW REFORM P.8 LSBC ESTABLISHES LICENSED PARALEGAL TASK FORCE P.12 N O VA S C O T I A SEXUAL HISTORY CHALLENGES NOW FUNDED N ova Scotia wants to protect victims of sexual assault from the trauma of hav- ing their past relationships exposed in court. To achieve that goal, the justice department is now providing survivors access to free legal representation to challenge applications requesting their past sexual history be includ- ed in criminal court cases. "The program aims to protect complainants' privacy [and] personal integrity while preventing further trauma from having details of past rela- tionships used as evidence. Access to legal repre- sentation is an important step in helping to make the road to justice and recovery easier for the victims and survivors of sexual violence," says Department of Justice spokeswoman Heather Fairbairn. "Victims have a right to the same level of support offered to the accused in dealing with these applications." The new legal representation now being offered is part of the province's Sexual Offences Legal Representation initiative, which offers legal representation for applications involving medical, counselling or therapeutic records. Under the program, Crown attorneys will send a referral form to Victim Services when a notice of a s. 276 application is filed with the court and the victim has indicated they want legal representation. Generally, an individual's past sexual history is prohibited under s. 276, often referred to as the "rape shield." However, an accused may apply for this information to be included at trial because it is relevant to the case. The justice department's new legal initiative is bolstered by other resources, notes Fairbairn. Another service provides up to four hours of free independent legal advice to help survivors understand and navigate the justice system. Within three weeks of announcing the program earlier this year, 11 requests for legal representa- tion had been received. — donalee Moulton "We need to be more creative in finding ways of putting ourselves in the room with potential clients. This provides a definite method of doing that." Ian Pickard, McInnes Cooper

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