Canadian Lawyer

REGIONAL WRAP-UP Quebec embraces JusTicia proJecT Continued from page 9 committee has also decided to take into account paternity leaves given that Quebec is the only Canadian jurisdiction that offers a generously funded five-week option for new fathers. That philosophical orientation is anoth- er way to lessen the stigma still attached to women who take leaves or seek flex- ible working arrangements for personal or family reasons, says Pelletier. "Women are still often seen as a time bomb — 'women will make babies and leave' — when the reality is that it is normal for people to have children — though not all do — and this is something that employers have to manage like any other employment issue. " tion to the requisite healthy book of busi- ness, says Pelletier, "there are informal criteria that are not always well known," and "gender-based bias still exists" with women continuing to sometimes be judged differently than men even though they exhibit the same attitude — being aggressive, for example. That being said, law firms are making As for promotions to partner, in addi- SPECIALIZATION IN BUSINESS LAW Part-time, Executive LLM program for corporate counsel and practising lawyers more efforts to prevent younger lawyers from leaving (the estimated cost to a law firm of losing a four-year associate is more than $300,000), says Pelletier, and involve- ment in the Justicia project is something Quebec law firms are making sure to men- tion during recruitment sessions. "We must make sure to take the time to look around and ask ourselves how are we doing in terms of best practices for the next generation," says Kim Thomassin, managing partner for the Quebec region at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, one of the law firms backing the Quebec Justicia project. "Too many immensely talented young women are leaving law firms and more and more of them are going to an in- house legal department. They rarely go to another law firm." Besides work-life balance, recognition through some level of partnership — and not just for the higher salary it brings — is important for female lawyers, says Thomassin. Ditto the need for lawyers to work more in teams, meaning there is more backup in the event of a parental leave or flextime arrangement. Other Justicia Quebec initiatives appre- ciatively being copied from the Ontario model include taking stock of and pro- moting career advancement activities, like mentoring, networking, business develop- ment, and leadership skills training. The Justicia project places no obliga- For more information, call 416-978-1400 or visit: http://www.law.utoronto.ca/programs/GPLLM.html TIME: EVENT: Supported by the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) - Ontario Chapter and in partnership with Carswell, a Thomson Reuters business. GLLM_IH_Apr_12.indd 1 10 SEPTEMBE R 2012 www.CANAD I AN Lawyermag.com tion on any of the participating law firms that is not agreed to in advance. Whatever the outcome, "it' tion, it's the journey," says Pelletier. "What s not about the destina- is important is the exercise itself, 23 law firms coming together, and that is impor- tant, and there will have been the begin- ning of change. " kathryn.leger@videotron.ca — KATHRYN LEGER 12-05-03 10:58 AM

• Cover