ARCTIC OBITER

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
T
his last edition of the Obiter for 2013 is loosely
themed around volunteerism and charity.
Fortunately there is much to be written about the
involvement of our membership in our community
and on the various committees that make up our Law
Society. I am going to highlight some of the recent
volunteer work that keeps the Law Society operating
as smoothly as it does and one area in
need of improvement.
New Executive
First the good news: the election for the
2014 Law Society Executive is
complete. The 2014 Executive will
benefit from the return of Margo
Nightingale and the addition of
Shannon Cumming and Michael
Woodward. They will each begin their
three year terms on December 7, 2013
and are joining continuing members
Karen Wilford, Alain Chaisson and
Peter Hall.
One of the first tasks they will participate in is a
strategic planning session that is being organized for
early in 2014. The goal of this session is to map out
both short and longer term objectives for the Executive
and, ultimately, committees.
Should Societies regulate firms & associations?
Another task of the Executive is to attend the
Federation of Law Societies’ twice annual conferences
on behalf of our Society. The most recent conference
was held in St. John’s, Newfoundland in mid October.
The theme of the conference asked us as regulators
whether it is time to reconsider the current regime of
regulating individual lawyers in favor of expanding
regulation to law firms or other associations in which
Caroline G. Wawzonek
lawyers actually practice their trade. The conference,
as always, was an opportunity to share and trade ideas
and best practices to ensure that the law society
operates in the best possible way with a mindful eye
on emerging issues and trends.
Linda’s Retirement
A special committee was created this
year to assist in seeking a successor for
Linda in advance of her retirement in
April 2014. This committee has met
both before and after anything
resembling regular work hours and
their tireless commitment appears to
have paid off. We hope to be able to
announce our new Executive Director
in time for the AGM. Stay tuned for
details on a special farewell event for
Linda Whitford in the new year.
On that note, the social committee
remained steadily busy through the fall
and is now ramping up for the holiday
party scheduled for November 30, 2013 at the DND
Mess.
CLIA changes
This fall, members of the insurance committee and the
executive attended a special meeting of the Canadian
Lawyers Insurance Association (CLIA) in Toronto.
Significant changes are on the horizon for CLIA
including the departure of Alberta from at least the
mandatory insurance program and a general
restructuring of the board.
And now the challenge: Every year the law society
encourages members to make donations to the
Yellowknife food bank leading up to the annual
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2 ■ FALL 2013 ARCTIC OBITER