Education and resources

Parental Leave Support Program

Launched in November 2010 and developed by the Equity Office and Gender Equity Committee, this program is offered in conjunction with the Nova Scotia Lawyers’ Assistance Program (NSLAP). Designed to assist lawyers in Nova Scotia who plan to take parental leave, the program includes up to six parental leave coaching sessions, a Model Policy on Maternity and Parental Leave, one-on-one meetings with other lawyers, who can share their parental leave experience and advice, informative online tips and other web resources for all stages of this unique time of life.

See www.nslap.ca for more details. To inquire about coaching sessions, contact the Equity Office at 902 422 1491 or equity@nsbs.org.

Cultural competence 

Guidelines are currently in development for future education in the area of cultural competence education for lawyers in Nova Scotia, along with a resource list of instructors and online courses. Check back here in the spring of 2012 for more details. 

Legal information series

In collaboration with community organizations, the Equity Office and Racial Equity Committee are assisting in creation of a legal information series for racialized and Aboriginal communities, starting in 2012. The Equity Officer and pro bono law students developed two workshop presentations in 2010 to orient and introduce internationally trained lawyers to the practice of law in Canada. These were offered free of charge as part of the Newcomers’ Legal Education Workshop Series at Immigrant Settlement & Integration Services (ISIS).

The Racial Equity Committee also assists in creating pamphlets on Aboriginal Law and public information sessions on a wide variety of legal topics. In 2011, the Avalon Sexual Assault Centre collaborated with the Equity Office and Gender Equity Committee to publish Sexual Assault: Dispelling the Myths, a booklet for victims of sexual assault and helping the criminal justice system be more sensitive to victims’ rights and needs.