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T LSBC investigating Rusen for confl ict he Law Society of British Columbia has begun a con- fl ict of interest investigation involving Victoria labour lawyer Marli Rusen. Rusen left Heenan Blaikie LLP on April 30, 2008. Prior to her departure she had represented the Victoria Police Board in labour settlements. "The law society has received a complaint with regard to Marli Rusen, and we have opened an investigation with re- gard to that complaint, and the investigation is ongoing," says Cara McGregor of the Law Society of B.C. "I can't pro- vide any more details, but I can tell you that it generally in- volves a confl ict of interest." On Aug. 21, Norman Bacal, co-managing partner of Heen- an Blaikie, issued a statement "in response to recent questions raised concerning the investigation of the former Victoria chief of police and comments regarding lawyer Marli Rusen. "Ms. Rusen left the fi rm on April 30, 2008, to pursue Number of bilingual lawyers on the upswing Françaises du Manitoba has doubled to 100 over the past four to fi ve years, according to Rénald Rémillard, its executive di- rector. He credits the province's widespread French immersion programming for the "steep" increase. "Most of our numbers are up because we're getting bilin- T gual anglophone lawyers who are becoming members. They have French as a second language, they've gone through the law schools and are now young lawyers," he says. The language abil- THE PRAIRIES ity of its members ranges from com- pletely fl uent down to "functional" bilin- gualism, he says. Rémillard says while the bilingual situation in the province has greatly improved recently, it's still far from ide- al. There is a growing demand for French-speaking lawyers practising family law, and while there are plenty of Crown attorneys who speak both languages, that's not the case with defence lawyers on the criminal side. There is also a need for bilingual people in other areas, such as hearing offi cers and legal secretaries. He says Manitoba has the fourth-largest contingent of bilin- gual lawyers in the country, trailing Quebec, Ontario with 650, and New Brunswick with nearly 300. here have never been more lawyers in Manitoba trying to have their clients found non coupable. Membership in l'Association des Juristes d'Expression Gold Standard Coaching I enjoy my career but wonder what opportunities out there would bring me more of the life I want. We coach professionals who enjoy successful careers but have a desire for a more satisfying, balanced life. If this is you maybe it's time to give some serious thought to exploring different approaches in getting where you want to be. Contact us for initiating an inspired career fl ight plan that leads to a more fulfi lling and balanced future. Conversations are strictly confi dential. Jonathan Kovacheff, LL.B, PhD. 905 649-8163 www.conxus.ca www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com OC T OBER 2008 9 other career opportunities. Her departure was well prior to certain information coming to our attention as a result of the investigation of the former chief of police," said Bacal. "Upon learning this information regarding the alleged con- duct of this former member of the fi rm, we reported the matter to the Law Society of British Columbia. "We assume that the law society will take actions it deems appropriate based on the information it receives." The Victoria Police Board accepted chief Paul Battershill's resignation on Aug. 13. This avoided a disciplinary hearing scheduled for Aug. 18. According to media reports, Rusen was romantically linked to Battershill while representing the police board in settlements involving former employees. — KELLY HARRIS kharris@clbmedia.ca Rémillard says it can be a competitive advantage for a lawyer to be able to read, write, and speak in both offi cial languages. "Sometimes the interpretation [of law] can be a little broader in one language. If you're reading French and English statutes, it's not uncommon to see differences, and one will probably