Canadian Lawyer

10 J a n u a r y 2 0 1 5 w w w . C a n a D I a n L a w y e r m a g . c o m \ at L a n t I C \ C E n t r a L \ w E s t rEgIonaL wrap-up a proposal to allow prospective lawyers to skip the call to the bar ceremony started a heated debate at a recent Law Society of Upper Canada benchers meeting with some calling the plan "the final coup d'état" of a pro- fession that's continually "dumbing down." The motion initially seemed pretty innocuous: give law graduates an option for an administrative call to the bar of Ontario without first gowning up to watch proud family and friends cheer them on at a traditional ceremony. The proposal was a response to the rising numbers of graduates every year and, in turn, the increased cost and administrative hurdles around planning more ceremonies. With call to bar ceremo- nies only taking place in Toronto, Ottawa, and London, Ont., geography is also a barrier for some students, according to Bencher Howard Goldblatt, who moved the motion. On top of that, the new crop of Law Practice Program graduates will have to wait two months before their call to the bar. If the administrative option existed, they could be called soon after finishing their program. But in a 26-19 vote, Convocation decided attendance at the traditional ceremony should remain obligatory unless extraor- dinary circumstances prevented graduates from showing up. "I think that we need to recognize that being called to the bar is a different process from a motor vehicle registration," said Bencher Constance Backhouse, a professor at the University of Ottawa. "Our members are joining a learned profession with a long history of tradition and ritual." In-person calls to the bar are also an "occasion of opportu- nity for the law society," according to Backhouse. "As a regula- tor, we meet our new members in person for the first and, for some of them, the only time. We have their attention. We have the attention of their friends and family, which is not an incon- siderable point given how hard we work to construct a positive image in the community," said Backhouse. Some, like Bencher Alan Silverstein, said the motion wasn't going to rob anybody of the opportunity to attend calls if they wanted to, just giving other options. Bencher Judith Potter dis- agreed, saying call to bar ceremonies are "an important oppor- tunity for families to bask in the glory of the moment for their loved ones. I totally, totally feel that we need to continue with the traditions that are so important. We are dumbing down our profession in so many ways and this would be, to my mind, the final coup d'état," said Potter. But Bencher Peter Wardle described the situation as a mat- ter of "compulsion versus choice." "If the call to the bar is such a great thing, it's not going to matter that people are no longer compelled to come," he said. "They're going to make the choice because it's going to be something that they want to do. That's the secret here." Others, like Bencher Michael Lerner, suggested provid- ing those who finish the LPP with an administrative option would create a two-tier system between them and those who pursued articling. "The most important thing in my mind is I heard during the articling debate concern expressed by benchers and the profession as to a two-tier system. If we do not include the LPP licensing candidates with those who have gone through the traditional articling system, we have clearly made a two-tier system," he said. — Yamri Taddese yamri.taddese@thomsonreuters.com LSUC to keep traditional call to bar ceremony www.kuretzkyvassos.com Tel: (416) 865-0504 BARRY KURETZKY AND GEORGE VASSOS LEXPERT ® RANKED SINCE 1997 AND SELECTED TO BE IN "BEST LAWYERS IN CANADA" ntitled-1 1 13-12-04 9:49 AM Tim FraSer For The Law SocieTy oF Upper canada

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