Crystal clear

The task of looking into the future of the legal profession and, in turn, the future of the Canadian Bar Association, is all the more difficult when broader social, economic, political, cultural and institutional factors are added to the mix. [...] Taking the leap into the void, accepting that there will not be complete information and that there are risks in the known and the unknown, we have put forward our considered opinion of the most likely scenarios for the profession and for the CBA 10 years hence, and for the directions it should take to master the unknown. [...] From the “clutter” of data, ideas, opinions, forces and pressures, the CBA must select those factors which will be the most critical drivers of change; assess their impact on individual members, the legal profession, and the CBA; and take actions to optimize the role of the CBA as a relevant and vibrant organization. [...] As a starting point, the CBA must re-affirm the values that lawyers and CBA members do hold in common, such as the desire to help society, improve the law and the administration of justice, and advance the ideals and image of the pro- fession – many of the values already cited in the Vision and Mission statements of the CBA. [...] It is time to revisit this area, to update the data on women in the profession, the obstacles and barriers that exist, and to develop new strategies to ensure that equity is achieved in the likelihood of the genders achieving similar levels of satisfaction during the course of a legal career.