TLA has online programs needed for professional development

Members of the Toronto Lawyers Association can take advantage of a range of online programs and sessions that will assist them in running a practice as they earn Continuing Professional Development credits.

“These programs are developed and attended by your local colleagues, lawyers from the Toronto area, and encompass subjects such as legal trends, advocacy, legislative & court decisions, as well as practice and firm management guidance,” according to the TLA.

The education programs offered in the next few months include Embracing LinkedIn: Make your Profile Work for You on Feb. 18 from 4:30 to 5:45 p.m. According to course information, “If you’re concerned your LinkedIn profile is pretty basic, that might be the reason you aren’t getting traction.”

Speakers will include Sandra Bekhor, a practice development consultant at Bekhor Management, and Joan Rataic-Lang, executive director/library director of the TLA.

Commercial List practice tips

The program Top Practice Tips for the Commercial List is offered on Feb. 25 from noon to 1 p.m. Justice Markus Koehnen and Heather L. Meredith, a partner with McCarthy Tétrault, will share insights on the “unique procedural aspects of the Commercial List and how to put the ‘three Cs’ of the Commercial List into practice,” as well as how to put a client’s case effectively into “real-time” litigation, according to course information

On April 13 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Part 1 of Powerful Speaking Skills for Lawyers is offered, led by Bonnie Gross, CEO of SpeechScience International Inc. Parts 2 and 3 will be  presented April 20 and 27.

• Legal innovation to be honoured at the 2021 TLA Awards Gala
• A new type of paralegal will not improve access to justice: TLA
• TLA offers a ‘head start’ for licensing and articling candidates

According to course material, Gross uses “a series of interactive exercises together with audio, video and computer bio-feedback technology to provide individual feedback on how to develop your voice.”

Advice for young lawyers

On April 16 from 1 to 2 p.m., Pre-Trials for Young Lawyers will give those with less than 10 years of experience in the profession tips on how to prepare a case for a pre-trial conference and what strategies can be used in those conferences.

The speaker is Ontario Superior Court Justice Jasmine Akbarali. Course information states that she will share her tips and tricks and describe how to: 

• prepare a case appropriately in the months leading up to a pre-trial conference;

• draft an effective pre-trial conference memorandum;

• identify and use effective strategies for success during pre-trial conferences; and

• take advantage of any momentum created at the pre-trial conference.

On May 14 from 1 to 2 p.m., the program Strengthening Connections to the Law Society is offered. Law Society of Ontario treasurer Teresa Donnelly is slated to lead a discussion that will include these topics:

• equality, diversity and inclusion
• resources
• mental health
• public interest and perceptions
• engagement and outreach

Research skills training

Along with the above programs, the TLA offers limited-enrolment sessions on how to improve research skills using popular databases. Upcoming events include Litigation and Legal Research on Feb. 25 from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., presented by Thomson Reuters Westlaw. According to the session information, participants will learn how “litigation research on Westlaw Canada connects with practical tools for evaluation, pleading preparation, arguing motions, trial preparation and more.”

The session includes:

• How to get a head start on legal research with thousands of legal memos covering 55 topic areas.
• Practice guides and expert commentary.
• Instant evaluation of the potential worth of a claim.
• Civil litigation checklists.
• How to find the right experts to help build your case.
• Personal injury practical guidance to enable plaintiffs and the defence to efficiently complete work at every stage from commencement to trial.

On March 25, Thomson Reuters Westlaw presents Research Training – Estates & Trusts Source Overview from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. According to session information, participants will learn about the “resources you need for estate planning, estate administration, and estate litigation with just a click of a button.”

Material to be covered includes:

• Histrop’s estate planning precedents 
• Fillable statutory and authored forms including checklists, letters, and precedents to reduce the time spent drafting and editing
• Current awareness resources such as CRA publications and WeirFoulds estates and trusts newsletter
• Court documents that provide insight on what is needed to craft compelling arguments
• Dependants’ relief quantums: find out what a claim is worth in a matter of minutes, with a look at Canadian cases where the court has overruled the provision of a will and awarded a dependent from the estate assets