Canadian Lawyer

Quebec embraces Justicia project CENTRAL to stop a steady outflow of women lawyers from private practice and help them advance inside law firms, has taken hold in Quebec. After one year in operation, Quebec' J usticia, the project spawned by Ontario's Law Society of Upper Canada four years ago to find ways Justicia project is now embarking on an unprecedented survey of the trajectory of women lawyers in private practice with participation by 23 large, medium, and s be anonymous and remain confidential but should provide valuable signposts for the phase in which a guide is created of model policies for use by law firms to better support women lawyers in pri- vate practice, says Fanie Pelletier, equity adviser at the Barreau who is overseeing implementation of the Justicia project. An initial review of existing policies ners are female, according to statistics provided by the Barreau at the Quebec Justicia launch. They reflect a common reality in legal jurisdictions elsewhere. The survey information collected will on parental leaves and flexible work- ing hours indicated there is still much that is unclear about both at many law firms, contributing to the high number of those who leave because they want more work-life balance. "The majority of firms have policies for partners but the situation is ad hoc for associates and often the conditions governing the period before and dur- ing leave is elaborated, but what hap- pens when someone comes back is not spelled out," says Pelletier, adding that written policies are not always well seen. "Flextime is very vague and happens often only on a case-by-case basis." Interestingly, the Quebec Justicia Continued on page 10 We must look at best practices for the next generation, says Kim Thomassin. smaller law firms operating offices in Quebec. The law firms have all formally agreed to compile and hand over data in an established common format on the evolution of female hires and any depar- tures of women lawyers in their Quebec operations in what is the second phase of a three-year initiative launched in August 2011 by the Barreau du Québec. The Quebec bar is one of the most required to succeed in the business world and the world of business law. Traditionally, law faculties have placed little emphasis on the development L feminized in North America, with women now making up almost half of its membership and up to 65 per cent of bar school graduates. But despite their growing numbers, only 32 per cent of lawyers in private practice are women and only 20 per cent of law firm part- of such skills, but money from the McCarthy Tétrault Fund for Innovative Legal Education will be destined for workshops, seminars, or other activities to acquaint McGill students with evolving market trends or needs. One example could be a skills presentation workshop given that more and a business adviser, making some fluency in the ways of business essential from the start, says Thomassin. A committee composed of McGill faculty members, McCarthy Tétrault Clients of business law firms often want their legal adviser to also act as s managing partner for the Quebec region. FIRM'S DONATION TO BOOST LAW STUDENTS' BIZ SKILLS awyers at McCarthy Tétrault LLP have raised more than $450,000 for the creation of a fund at the McGill University Faculty of Law to finance activities that will help law students learn some of the skills more law firms are being required by existing or potential clients to make a pitch for legal work — also known as a request for proposal or RFPs, says Kim Thomassin, McCarthy Tétrault' headed by McCarthys partners Sonia J. Struthers and Robert P. Metcalfe from the Montreal office, and Brian C. Pel in the Toronto office. All three studied law at McGill and are among more than 100 of the law firm' graduates of the Montreal university (75 of those from its faculty of law). s lawyers who are — KL www.CANAD I AN Lawyermag.com SEPTEMBE R 2012 9 lawyers, and representatives of the business world will meet on an ongoing basis to decide on the type of activities to be offered. Raising money for the new legal education fund was a two-year effort spear- $450,000

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