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The COVID-19 pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement—which itself has become shorthand for systemic discrimination against any people due to their colour or creed, particularly Indigenous peoples in Canada—have highlighted both the limitations and inequities in the legal profession and the justice system, as well as the opportunities that can come from major disruption.

The most successful leaders are those who are able to learn and grow from these experiences. Yet, dealing with failure well is not a skill we are ever taught how to do. It is a skill we either learn the hard way, or not at all.

Diversity means having a legal profession that reflects our population. Yet, foreign-trained law students, whether they are Canadians who study abroad or students who complete their law degree abroad before immigrating here, face daunting and unique challenges.

Workplaces have changed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Businesses must find tools to support their workers, and lawyers must find tools to support themselves.

I begin my term as Chair in unprecedented times. The pandemic has increased the value we at the CCCA can provide to our members. I am proud of how we have handled the crisis so far, redesigning existing services and creating new ones.

“Ethical fading” was not a common phrase until early 2020, when COVID-19 became an international pandemic and remote working became the new norm. Ethical fading occurs when those employees, who were continually reminded of their moral, ethical and cultural behaviours in the office, begin to forget. It is a term that all risk-mitigation groups with remote employees should have top of mind.

Despite how incredibly stressful this pandemic has been, it’s been a powerful example of how transformative mindfulness can be, especially on training and sustaining our mental wellbeing.

When people ask me why I left private practice, I usually blame my husband. I explain that when we married, he was already a partner at the firm where I was an associate. It made sense that I would be the one to leave. The truth is a bit more complicated. I left because I felt that I was not good enough to stay.

One emerging area with great potential for in-house counsel is in the development and implementation of an environmental-social-governance (ESG) framework to drive sustainability efforts within their organizations. Not only is this a good fit for our ever-expanding role given our skills and functions, but it also provides a refreshing opportunity for us to make a deep and lasting impact in our organizations.

Unconscious bias had suddenly manifested itself in my professional life. Without even introducing myself, how had my appearance conveyed that my role was merely that of a messenger and coffee fetcher? How did I transition from the role of a lawyer-to-be to a state of defensiveness in a span of seconds? And more importantly for female, racialized lawyers like myself, would defensiveness and self-justification be an inherent part of my job?