November 26, 2021

Honorary LLD recipient: The Honourable John I. Laskin
At today’s meeting of Convocation, John I. Laskin was presented with a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa (LLD). Justice Laskin (retired) is a renowned expert in advocacy and a leader in judicial education. Read the Gazette article here.

Lawyer experiential training enhancements
Convocation approved three measures, recommended by the Professional Development and Competence committee, to enhance the experiential training component of the lawyer licensing process including leveraging the new Bridge to Practice platform by designing free training modules for licensing candidates and new lawyers. The new enhancements replace those approved in December 2018.  A fourth measure regarding paid placements was deferred to a future Convocation. See the full report.

By-Law 3 amendments
By-Law 3 was amended to improve processes and enhance the governance effectiveness of the bencher and Treasurer elections. Changes include requiring bencher candidates to complete an education and orientation course. See the full report.

AGM Motion – exemptions to paralegal licensure
Convocation approved the Paralegal Standing Committee’s recommendations in response to the motion made at the 2021 Annual General Meeting, including the Committee’s plan to establish a working group to study exemptions to paralegal licensure and consult with stakeholders. See the full report.

Hybrid delivery of paralegal education
The Paralegal Standing Committee approved a two-year pilot project for hybrid (online and in-person) delivery of paralegal education. See the full report.

Other decisions

• Motion re: Law Libraries was not approved by Convocation.