REGISTRATION & BREAKFAST
OBA Lobby and Conference Room A&B

OPENING REMARKS AND LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The Grand Salon

Conference Co-Chair: Glen Hickerson, Wilson Laycraft, Barristers and Solicitors (Calgary, AB)
Conference Co-Chair: Fabien Fourmanoit, Xplore Inc. (Toronto, ON)

Speaker: Teresa Donnelly, Emeritus Treasurer, Law Society of Ontario and Co-Chair of the LSO Mental Health Summit

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: CREATING HEALTHY ORGANIZATIONS
The Grand Salon

This review of important developments in administrative law across Canada over the past year is a signature event of the conference.

Speaker: The Honourable George R. Strathy, Former Chief Justice of Ontario

THE NATIONAL WELL-BEING STUDY
The Grand Salon

Join us as we discuss the results of the joint Federation of Law Societies/Canadian Bar Association study of lawyer well-being. Hear directly from the principal researcher on the study’s research team and explore how the data can be used to make evidence-based decisions about the policies and practices required to support the wellness of legal professionals.

• What are the recommendations?
• How can they be implemented in your firm?

Speaker: Dr. Nathalie Cadieux, Université de Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke, QC)

Moderator: Doron Gold, The Lawyer Therapist (Toronto, ON)

Q & A
The Grand Salon

NETWORKING BREAK
Conference Room A/B

BREAK-OUT SESSIONS | WORKPLACE INITIATIVES: SUCCESSES AND EMERGING TRENDS

Professional Assistance Programs, regulators, law firm managers and other groups within the legal profession were forced to experiment with new ways of delivering well-being support during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hear them describe what they believe was their best new initiative, how it was implemented and why it succeeded.

Learn what each of us can do with those initiatives, identify emerging trends and discover the next big idea in building a healthy workplace. Stay with one group or join several to take in as many great ideas as you can.

Breakout 1: Initiatives for Law Firm Management
Salon 1
How do you successfully meet client demands and support the health and well-being of your lawyers?

Speakers:
Leigh-Ann Ing, Head of Wellness, Gowling WLG (Toronto, ON)
Tara Owens Antonipillai, Founder of Cultivate (Washington, D.C.)
Leena Yousefi, CEO, YLaw (Vancouver, BC)

Moderator: Glen Hickerson, Wilson Laycraft, Barristers and Solicitors (Calgary, AB)

Breakout 2: Initiatives for Lawyers Assistance Programs
Salon 2
Hear about the innovative ways Lawyer Assistance Programs are addressing wellness and supporting EDI initiatives and learn what other professional associations are doing to address the wellbeing of their members.

Speakers:
Loraine Champion, Executive Director, Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society (Calgary, AB)
Colin Poulin, Legal Counsel, Canadian Medical Association (Ottawa, ON)

Moderator: Sandeep Prasad, Director of Strategic and International Initiatives, Canadian Bar Association (Ottawa, ON)

Breakout 3: Initiatives for Regulators
Salon 3
Legal regulators across Canada are working to better address lawyer wellbeing through the implementation of a variety of innovative programs. These programs aim to protect the public by helping lawyers to meaningfully address any health issues, and thereby prevent ongoing and future harm to clients. Speakers from various provincial regulators share details about their innovative programs, the philosophy and thought processes behind them, and how things are going so far.

Speakers:
Rennie Stonyk, Deputy CEO, Law Society of Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB)
Brook Greenberg, K.C., Chair, LSBC Mental Health Task Force; Partner, Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP (Vancouver, BC)
Kathy Lewis, Director of Admissions, Law Society of New Brunswick (Fredericton, NB)

Moderator: Stephanie Spiers, Senior Director, National Projects and Member Relations, Federation of Law Societies of Canada (Ottawa, ON)

Breakout 4: And How About the Rest of Us? Solutions We’ve Tried Everywhere Else to Build a Better (Balance?)
Conference Room C&D
Hear how coaching and other pro-active tools for managing personal development can be used to help improve the working conditions of legal professionals.

Speakers:
Sabine Neuman, Avocate et bien plus, (Paris / Montreal, QC)
Paula Pépin, The GC Collective/Lexgo (Vancouver, BC)
Paula Vital, Live the Present (Toronto, ON)

Moderator: Fabien Fourmanoit, Xplore Inc. (Toronto, ON)

LUNCH
The Grand Salon
Sponsor

MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT IN THE WORKPLACE
The Grand Salon

Whether it’s a small or solo practice, a medium to large firm or an in-house legal department, mental health support strategies need to address the unique challenges of each workplace and the experience of the lawyers working there. Join our panelists for a frank discussion of policies and practices that work and those that do little to nothing to support a kinder legal workplace

Speakers:
Christiane Saad, Director, Programme de pratique du droit, University of Ottawa (Ottawa, ON)
Sukhi Alberga, Bridging Legal Solutions (Toronto, ON)
Carole Dagher, VP, Legal, Loblaw Companies Limited (Toronto, ON)

Moderator: Solange Brard, Senior Advertising and Marketing Lawyer (Toronto, ON)

BUILDING A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE LEGAL WORKPLACE
The Grand Salon

While the national study results confirm that the wellbeing of those of us historically excluded or marginalized is still at a higher risk, the profession has taken action towards change. Hear from the 2SLGBTQ+ community, lawyers living with disabilities, and racialized lawyers on the challenges of building a workplace that supports wellbeing, and how we can build on the strategies and tools developed by their lived experience to propel the profession towards wellness.

Speakers:
Steeves Bujold, Outgoing CBA President, Partner, McCarthy Tetrault LLPTBC (Montréal. QC)
Beth Beattie, LSM, Senior Counsel Ministry of Attorney General of Ontario (Toronto, ON)
Samantha Peters (they/she), Black Femme Legal (Toronto, ON)
Sania Chaudhry, Forte Workplace Law (Calgary, AB)

Moderator: Doron Gold, The Lawyer Therapist (Toronto, ON)

MOVEMENT AND STRETCH BREAK
The Grand Salon and Conference Room A&B
Sponsor

BREAK-OUT SESSIONS | MANAGING CHANGE

Breakout 1: Law School to Articling to Practice
Salon 1
Each step towards the practice of law presents its own challenges. Understanding those challenges not only leads to better coping strategies for law students and young lawyers, it also helps firms develop a workplace that attracts and retains talent. Gain valuable insight from our panelists on how they manage the transition from learning the law to living the law.

Speakers:
Sylvia Yong, KPMG Law LLP (Toronto, ON)
Victoria Campbell-Dayman, McKercher LLP (Saskatoon, SK)
Trina McFadyen, Director of Professional Development, University of Manitoba Faculty of Law (Winnipeg, MB)

Moderator: Kwende Thomas, TD Bank Group (Toronto, ON)

Breakout 2: Addressing the Challenges of the Mid-Career Lawyer
Salon 2
It has been years since you entered the profession and weathered the challenges of your early career. While different, the issues that arise at mid-career can have a profound impact on your mental health and on the future direction of your career. Learn how to recognize the stressors, acknowledge when change is necessary, and take the necessary, sometimes difficult, steps to preserve your health and wellbeing.

Speakers:
Denise Finlay, Crown Counsel, Legal Services Branch, Government of Manitoba (Winnipeg, MB)
Martha Harrison, Partner, McCarthy Tetrault LLP (Toronto, ON)
Marlena Bova, Director of Talent, Dentons (Calgary, AB)

Moderator: KK Pinkowski, Doctoral Candidate/Royal Roads University (Victoria, BC)

Breakout 3: Practicing to Retirement
Salon 3
Whether you are dealing with succession planning, winding down your practice or exiting a “big law” partnership, dealing with the emotions triggered by the transition can be difficult. Senior Lawyers and LAP agencies discuss strategies for moving from a busy practice to retirement and how legal workplaces can support the transition.

Speakers:
Shari R. Pearlman, LCSW, JD, Assistant Director/Lawyer Counsellor, Lawyers Assistance Program of BC (Vancouver, BC)
Megan Shortreed, Paliare Roland Barristers (Toronto, ON)

Moderator: Justice Anne-Marie Hourigan, Retired Judge, Ontario Court of Justice

MOVING THE NEEDLE TOWARDS WELLNESS: NEXT STEPS AND CLOSING REMARKS
The Grand Salon

Meaningful change requires a commitment from all stakeholders in the legal profession to act. Join members of our speaker faculty for an interactive discussion on the key strategies and recommendations that emerged throughout the day and share your own perspective. Hear about next steps and how each of us can contribute to the creation of healthy legal workplaces.

RECEPTION
OBA Lobby

DINNER AND AWARDS CEREMONY
The Grand Salon
Sponsor

The CBA Wellbeing Subcommittee will be presenting its Wellie Award (formerly Award of Excellence) to recognize and celebrate someone who has displayed knowledge, compassion, and dedication to making the lives of lawyers better and more fulfilling.