Coffee in the Times of COVID is a virtual gathering of small groups of young lawyers and/or law students around a topic of common interest, designed to facilitate social connection among the legal profession and give participants a chance to discuss the impacts of COVID-19 on their personal and professional lives, as well as the areas of law that matter most to them.
Cohort Stream (Pilot)
Coffee in the Times of COVID is about building your legal network, knowledge, and community. The cohort stream will engage a group of up to 20 young lawyers and law students in regular bi-weekly sessions hosted by a team of lawyer-facilitators from a partner Section of the Canadian Bar Association. Registration is free for CBA members and participants must be available to participate in all five sessions in the cohort.
Friday, February 12, 2021 - Friday, April 9, 2021
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm ET
Candid Discussions Among In-House Counsel
Join your in-house colleagues from across the country in a discussion group of up to 20 participants in a series of hot topics during the pandemic and for life afterwards. Discussions will range from what makes a successful in-house counsel, employment law during COVID, working remotely, working with external counsel and career progression. Please note that sessions will not be recorded to facilitate frank and open discussion. Don't miss this great networking opportunity to develop relationships with your colleagues in your cohort session group!
In collaboration with:
Facilitators
Sessions
How to be a successful in-house counsel
Friday, February 12, 2021, 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET
Introduce yourself! Discuss what a day in the life of is like for you and compare this with your peers. Share stories on an example of success, some challenges you face and what you think makes a successful General Counsel.
Employment law issues during COVID
Friday, February 26, 2021, 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET
Compare with your cohort how all of you are dealing with employment related issues in-house related to COVID-19 at your respective organizations. What sign-in screening processes do you have? What processes are there for entering the workplace? What happens if there's an outbreak? Will employees be provided options to work from home in the future? What does the return to work look like?
Providing value while working remotely
Friday, March 12, 2021, 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET
Share stories and strategies on how you are able to stay relevant and informed, ensure you have the ear of the right decision makers in your organization, even while working remotely. What has worked? What technology has been used? What could be improved? How do you check in with teams, with legal and non-legal staff? How do you stay aware of larger strategic goals while working on day-to-day activities?
How to work with external counsel
Friday, March 26, 2021, 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET
External counsel is supposed to support in-house counsel teams. Discuss strategies for hiring, budgeting for and the continual relationship with external teams. How do you decide when external counsel is needed? Who is chosen? What happens when something goes wrong or unexpected? How do you manage the expectations and keep those services cost effective?
Career trajectory, promotions and progression
Friday, April 9, 2021, 1:00pm - 2:00pm ET
The old adage that becoming in-house means your career trajectory has ended is not true. Discuss new career goals, how to ask for what you want, and getting the role that you want, what promotions could look like and what compensation is right. Explore different goals like skill building, branching into non-legal roles and more. In addition, how do you network and find new jobs?
