PREPARED

THE DIRECTOR’S CHAIR
uggling is a physical skill involving the manipulation of
J
objects for recreation, entertainment or sport.
What about work, family, finance, health, et cetera? What
happens when you have so many balls in the air that you
are no longer doing your best work, and that “out of
control” feeling takes over as you fear the day one of those
balls is going to drop and what the repercussions will be?
Striking a balance is possible with the right
advice and tools.
The Practice Advisors at the Law Society
of Alberta are available to discuss legal,
ethical and practice concerns, and personal
matters such as stress and addiction. They
also mediate and arbitrate inter-lawyer
disputes.
They also provide assistance
and resources to lawyers in relation to
strategic planning, practice management,
marketing, and technology and systems,
with focus on the needs of sole
practitioners and lawyers practicing in
smaller settings.
For some time now, we have been
considering having a PA come to the NWT
for a week to not only do relevant CPD for our members,
but meet one on one with those who need assistance. The
purpose of raising this subject is to not only gauge your
interest in this initiative and determine which topics you
think would be most useful; but to also make you aware of
the resources available to help you with the management of
your practice.
Homewood Solutions provides our Lawyers Assistance
Program. It is an excellent resource when personal, family
or work-related life presents challenges that may be a little
more than you can handle. Counselling can be arranged
quickly, and their professional service providers will help
you in developing the skills and making the changes that
are required for you to regain control of your life. LPAC is
also here to assist, both locally and nationally.
Linda G. Whitford
If you don’t think LAP programs work, I would invite you
to hear first-hand from Timothy Daley, Past-President of
the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society. You may have read the
print version of this story, but login to YouTube and listen
to Tim’s story. It is inspirational and a testament to the
face that there are help and positive outcomes to be had.
Kudos to Tim for having the courage to bring this subject to
the fore, so that others may also receive help.
In closing… our thanks to Ben Russo for
his four and a half years of service to the
Society as the Director of Communications
and Professional Development. He was
also a very handy guy to have around
when it came to the “tekkie” stuff and
never once hesitated to pitch in whenever
it was needed. He continues by assisting
with the transition and the steep learning
curve for the position. We wish him all the
best in new position as the GM at the local
Elks Club.
In filling the position, we were fortunate to
receive expressions of interest from a
number of highly qualified candidates and
pleased when Nancy Zimmerman
accepted our offer. She will be a valuable asset to our team.
While some of you met Nancy at the Court of Appeal
Bar-B-Q, I will leave it to her to tell you more about herself
elsewhere in these pages.
Speaking of which - thanks to all who came out to the
Bar-B-Q and thanks to the Social Committee for hosting yet
another successful event.
And with that….make sure you take the time to enjoy the
summer. Summer Solstice began in the NWT at 11:04 pm,
June 20 th with the sun rising at 3:39 am and setting at
11:39. As we bask in +30 sunny skies, we are mindful of the
devastating situation in southern Alberta. It brings back
memories of 1963 when Hay River flooded. The
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4 ■ MAY/JUNE 2013 ARCTIC OBITER