Society launches new and improved website

General notice/alert

The Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society is pleased to launch its new and improved website. With its contemporary design, clear navigation and fresh content, the site is more user friendly and provides greater transparency to the work of the Society. 

"The Society’s online resources are now the primary source of information about regulation of the legal profession in Nova Scotia,” says Darrel Pink, Executive Director.

“Improving access to that information is the goal of this initiative. With its improved functionality, the new website provides more intuitive access for members of the public, lawyers, those seeking admission and other stakeholders throughout the legal community.”

Summary of new features

  • horizontal navigation across the top, with convenient dropdown menus and side menus for each section;
  • greater visual interest on the homepage, with banner images and callout boxes to draw attention to current highlights and important notices;
  • four RSS feeds, for web users who want direct updates for News, Upcoming events, Professional Responsibility Hearings, and Decisions and Dispositions;
  • an events calendar and improved event listings for professional development options and other events of significance to the legal profession;
  • fillable online forms for submitting event postings and career opportunity postings for lawyers;
  • a detailed history of regulation of the legal profession in Nova Scotia, including a historical timeline (1749 to present) and list of Society Presidents (1860 to present);
  • content for the Distinguished Service Award and other awards and honours; and
  • homepage links to the Society’s Twitter feed and LinkedIn profile.

Improved and expanded information 

  • reorganized credentialing and admissions information to make it easier for articled clerks, transfers from other provinces, and transfers from other countries to access the forms and policies they require; 
  • more content for practising lawyers regarding their professional and ethical obligations, such as the Society’s new continuing professional development requirement;
  • improved Council and Committees sections, including more Council meeting materials and reports to Council, as well as Committee Terms of Reference, Work Plans and Progress Reports;
  • greater detail about the Society’s public mandate and efforts to improve the administration of justice, including updated information about the Equity Program;
  • reorganized and expanded content relating to the complaint resolution process, for both the public and lawyers;
  • updated information about other legal resources and key organizations throughout the province’s justice sector;
  • a Publications section for easy access to all Society publications, including the InForum newsletter, the Society Record magazine, the quarterly Nova Scotia Law News, the NSBS Annual Report and Financial Statements, and forms index.   

Resources and tools to assist in legal research
To assist in legal research, the Society has also revamped and refreshed the Library & Information Services tools and resources available online.

  • Researching an unfamiliar area of law? Start with one of the Society’s enhanced and now fully web-based Subject research guides, providing an overview of relevant legislation and texts and sources for case law, precedents, CPD and other online resources.
  • Seeking digests of Nova Scotia case law? The Case law page provides links to the Society’s decisions database Law News Online, as well as CanLII for Canada-wide case law.
  • Looking to borrow a particular book, loose-leaf publication or journal? Visit the Library catalogues page to search the Textbooks/treatises catalogue or Case reports, statutes, journals and reference material catalogue.

The Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society launched its first website in 2000, and the last major web upgrade was four years ago, in November 2007. Many thanks to Red Sky IT Solutions for its web development and technical expertise, and to Impact Communications for initial redesign work. A new content management system is also now in place, allowing for much greater efficiency, in-house content control and flexibility for continuing upgrades.  

Additional changes and improvements will be highlighted in future editions of InForum. Several web pages remain under construction but will be available very shortly. If you require assistance locating information on the new site, please call 422 1491.

The Society also welcomes feedback from the public and the legal profession – if you have a moment please take a look throughout the site and share your comments by phone at 422 1491 or by email at communications@nsbs.org.