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The law societies in British Columbia and Ontario are trying to improve the perception of the practice with locum registries. They are primarily intended to relieve the pressures on small firm lawyers who currently have no way of taking time off and keeping their prac- tices going. The Law Society of British Columbia presented its small firm task force report two years ago and launched its registry a year later, while the Law Society of Upper Canada launched its registry in April 2009 in response to the report on the retention of women in pri- vate practice delivered in May 2008. So far, the response has been modest because only a handful of people have volunteered. "Everyone wants locum relief but no one wants to volunteer," says Michael Bernard, manager of com- munications and public affairs at LSBC. "Lawyers are really concerned about establishing a proper work/life balance. Finding a way to get away is a continual challenge." The LSBC is now working on pro- moting awareness that lawyers can use locums as a resource. This may be bol- stered by the society's "business case for the retention of women" which was pre- sented in July. In Ontario, the Justicia Project has been canvassing medium and larger firms across the province as part of a three-year pilot project to advance and retain women in the profession. Tom Conway, who is co-chairman of the retention of women working group, has been hearing a lot of interest expressed in the locum idea, but so far there are no volunteers listed on the web site. "There are some obstacles to overcome in the professional culture," he confirms. In Britain there is a professional mar- ket of people who choose to become locums. "Often they are quite senior," explains Wadkins. "They may have reached retirement level but don't want to give up work or they may have been involved in the management side of a larger firm and now want to work with- out the politics. Some lawyers choose locum work for the mobility and flex- ibility. They may work through the school term and take summer holidays off to be with their children. Others use it as an interim measure between ntitled-4 1 jobs or to stave off boredom. There is always a new challenge." The volunteers on the LSBC registry include a female lawyer with an administrative tribunal background and a male lawyer currently doing doctoral work. As well as encouraging lawyers to consider time spent as a locum as a valid career choice, potential employers need to overcome their reluctance. Bernard says the concept of a locum works well in the medical profession but acknowl- edges that the nature of law is not so cut and dried. "We are also finding that the problem concerning small practitioners is not so much getting two to three weeks clear, but containing day-to-day work so they get home at a decent hour during the week and on weekends. We're yet to see how this concept can help with that." Sweeney believes the law societies' initiatives will probably be of most assistance to the smaller firms, particularly allowing women to take some time off when there is no other readily available fallback. "I'm not sure how much it will be used by larger firms, but there are a lot of small firms in the province. We are hopeful and supportive." He is surprised demand hasn't been strong already in light of the recent economic downturn. "Firms are more reluctant to take on permanent staff and more open to a temporary solution," he observes. "They are more aggressively cost-cutting and so are very cautious when hiring." A definite spoke in the wheel is the attitude of some lawyers that no one can properly serve their clients or keep their practices running trouble-free but them- selves. John Miller, a managing consul- tant at Frances Armstrong Associates LLP, another U.K. legal recruiter, says there is always a risk when someone who is not familiar with the workings of the firm steps in. "It is not always the locum's fault when there is poor feedback. It may be that the systems and procedures of the law firm are at fault. They may not be uniform with other firms' best practices." Dye & Durham is the Largest Supplier of Indexes your LAW OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY source Buy only the Letters or Numbers you Need! • Available in complete sets or packages of individual numbers or letters • Sets from 1-2000, letters A-Z, Buff or White • Custom numbering up to 99999 and double alpha digits available • Bulk order specific numbers or letters to reduce waste, Indexes up to 30% post consumer content C For more information contact your D&D Sales Representative or call our Customer Care Line or visit us online dyedurhambasics.ca • 1-888-393-3874 PREFERRED SUPPLIER N U E www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com A UGUST 2009 15 7/2/09 3:26:13 PM W e ' R r E e E V a E O D y C S a 8 I n P E 9 H Y a P N p d R & 9 i A R D m a I 1 D C n D FREE Samples Available & o D a F A n N R Y M G E L D