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REGIONAL WRAP-UP BJ OPENS OFFICE IN U.A.E. that. The centre has become the financial heart of the Middle East and North Africa, serving a market of 1.8 billion people with a combined GDP of $1.5 trillion. The move also makes good sense considering the burgeoning trade rela- tionship between Canada and the U.A.E. Canadian exports to the U.A.E. grew by 28.8 per cent to nearly $1.5 billion in 2008, the latest year for which stats are available from Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada. Meanwhile, Canadian imports from the U.A.E. increased sharply — by 983 per cent — to $330 million in 2008. Some 20,000 Canadians now live and work perma- nently in the country. Unfortunately, a diplomatic squabble has recently erupted. The clash erupted after the U.A.E. booted Canadian Forces from Camp Mirage, a servicing hub for the military's Afghan operation. That move — along with new visa require- ments for Canadians entering the country — was viewed as retribution for Canada's refusal to expand landing rights for the U.A.E.'s state-run airlines. Yet Bennett Jones is confident the dust-up is not calamitous. Assaf says business people are always looking for growth opportunities and are typically undeterred by politics. "We hope that things will turn around, that the rela- tionship will get back to normal and these things pass," he says. "There's a strong national interest for Canada, both in terms of economics and also in terms of our national security, to have good relations with people in the Gulf." — ROBERT TODD robert.l.todd@thomsonreuters.com Middle East managing partner Dany Assaf. ATLANTIC FOR FAMIly lAWyERS IN NOVA SCOTIA tising in this area. They reflect contemporary legal guidance and best practice. "We don't create standards. We don't dream these up. They are very much an articulation of what is being done," says NSBS executive director Darrel Pink. "They really allow lawyers to have a reference point. To say, 'Here is what I should be doing,' or 'Here is what you should be doing.'" The "doing" ranges from conflict of interest to client com- F petence to reconciliation, affidavits, and children. Additional resources are also highlighted and/or available online to supplement the standards. These include a wide variety of articles, major cases that set the standards, checklists, and precedents. "It's all with the view of making practice a more uniformly high quality," says Pink. "It became clear that articulating standards was one thing but that resources to support these The "doing" is spelled out in 12 distinct sections of draft professional standards, available online at amily lawyers in Nova Scotia have new standards to live up to. The Nova Scotia Barristers' Society has now released draft professional standards for lawyers prac- is also needed." The new standards, developed by the professional stan- dards (family law) committee, have been more than five years in the making — a reflection of the effort involved. "It's very resource-intensive," says Pink. Lawyers seem pleased with the result, he adds. "The response from lawyers has been very favourable. There has been no controversy." Family law is the second area for which the barristers' society has created professional standards. The first was real estate law. "Family law was selected because there is a lot of activity in this area," explains Pink. "It is also an area where we thought we might be able to assist lawyers to do their jobs and reduce the friction." More standards will follow. Their creation is part of how the NSBS sees its mandate — and it's enshrined in legislation. "Other law societies have developed practice advice or prac- tice advisories, but it's not universal. We think it is what law societies should be doing," says Pink. He notes the NSBS has no alternative. "We are required to do that under the Legal Profession Act." — DONALEE MOULTON donalee@quantumcommunications.ca Experienced Professional Client-Focused A full service, bilingual law firm in New Brunswick, serving clients in Atlantic Canada and beyond. 1-888-743-4226 Saint John, NB Moncton, NB www.barryspalding.com 8 JAN UARY 2011 www. CANADIAN Lawye rmag.com Untitled-2 1 9/23/10 11:48:31 AM RA I S IN G THE B A R C ontinued fr om pa g e 7 lians.c a/F amStandar dsT est/F amStandar ds_T oC.html.