Canadian Lawyer

Regional wrap-up Atlantic Picture this: an aging profession N ova Scotia's lawyers are getting greyer, according to the statistical overview of the profession released each year by the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society. The 2013 Statistical Snapshot indicates 29.6 per cent of practising members were called to the bar more than 27 years ago. In 2006, that figure was only 24.5 per cent. That same year just under 50 per cent of practising lawyers were 17 or more years at the bar. Now this number is 52.8 per cent. "It is an aging profession," says NSBS executive director Darrel Pink. "A disproportionate number of those [older lawyers] are in small firms and sole practitioners." The statistical reality, gleaned from the 1,871 lawyer reports filed with the society this year, is not unique to Nova Scotia. "These are international issues," notes Pink. The increasing number of older lawyers brings with it special challenges for the society and the profession, he adds. Concerns about cognitive and other impairments need to be addressed so quality is assured and clients do not fall through the proverbial cracks. NSBS has a risk-management program and an auditing process in place to lend a helping hand and assess performance, respectively. Years since call 2006 0-7 8-16 17-25 27+ 432 451 448 432 2012 24.5% 25.6% 25.4% 24.5% 436 23.3% 44723.9% 43323.1% 55529.7% Practising lawyers - diversity (from 2013 Annual Lawyer Report) % 0f Population Acadian/Acadien3.6% African Nova Scotian/Black 2.3% Mi'kmaq/Aboriginal2.4% Visible minority 1.1% Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered 2.0% Disabled1.7% None of the above 63.8% Chose not to answer 22.5% Source: NSBS The latest snapshot captures an anomaly that made its first appearance last year. There is a slight increase in the number of sole practitioners in the province. Pink says this "blip" is likely a reflection of the fact fewer lawyers are getting hired on by the firms they The fall 2013 statistical snapshot from the NSBS is available online at: nsbs.org/statistical-snapshot-2013 articled with. "It's too early to say if this is a trend," he says. One trend that has emerged among Nova Scotia's 1,905 practising lawyers and  829 non-practising lawyers is the growth in the number of legal professionals identifying their employment type as government or public sector. From 2006 to 2013, the number grew by 18.2 per cent. — donalee Moulton donalee@quantumcommunications.ca First female justice minister for Nova Scotia I Lena Metlege Diab is part of Nova Scotia's entirely new cabinet. n the wake of the landslide election that saw the Liberal Party decimate Nova Scotia's reigning NDP government — leaving the former government with only seven seats in the 52-seat legislature and the ex-premier with no seat at all — an entirely new cabinet has been sworn in. Many of these new ministers, including Lena Metlege Diab, the province's justice minister and attorney general, are newcomers to the political arena. (The legislature may be familiar to Continued on page 8 www.CANADIAN L a w ye r m a g . c o m Jan uary 2014 7

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