January InForum: Webinars from the Solo & Small Firm Conference, Practice Resource Tool & more
- Society News
- External Independent Review
- Equity & Access
- Your Practice
- Changes in Category: November 25, 2021-January 27, 2022
- For Your Information
- Justice Development Goals Survey
- Feedback on Equity and Anti-Racism Legislation
- Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Family Division) Liaison Committee Meeting Minutes
- HELP Toolkit: Identifying and Responding to Family Violence for Family Law Legal Advisers
- Board Member Opportunity: Access to Justice & Law Reform Institute of Nova Scotia
- Volunteer Opportunity: Nova Scotia College of Physiotherapists
- Recruitment for Legal Membership at the Nova Scotia Health Research Ethics Board
- The John Yogis Music Scholarship
- Missing Wills
- News from the NS Courts
- Career Opportunities
- Upcoming Events
Society News
Webinars from the Solo and Small Firm Conference
Did you miss the November NSBS/LIANS Solo and Small Firm Conference? Watch the conference session recordings & find the presentation slides on the nsbs.org website:
- Cloud Computing Checklist
- Electronic Banking
- Implementing Alternative Fee Models in Your Practice
- Land Registration Update
- LIANS Update on Claims Trends & Cyber Security
- Pitfalls of Family Law Outside of Halifax and Sydney
- Positive Practices and Advancements from Practising Through COVID
- Practical Application of the Equity Toolkit
- Professional Ethics Hot Topics
- Representative Capacity
- Working in Virtual Courts
- Wills/POA Standards Committee Update
Use our New Online Tool to Find Practice Resources
The Society’s new practice resource search will help you find websites, articles, webinars, podcasts, videos and more to support you in your legal practice.
Are you seeking a specific practice resource? Connect with our Legal Services Support team at lss@nsbs.org.
Office Update & NSBS Library Appointments Suspended
Please note that our office is currently closed to the public due to the evolving COVID-19 situation in the province. Our staff continue to work remotely and are available during our office hours (8:30 AM-4:30 PM). Review our contact information.
We have suspended appointments at the Society’s Library until further notice, due to the evolving COVID-19 situation in the province. We will provide updates regarding Library appointments as they are available.
Recognition Reception Update
The Society typically hosts an annual recognition reception to celebrate our 50-year practitioners and to recognize our Distinguished Service Award (DSA) recipient. Unfortunately, we have been unable to host a recognition reception in 2020 and 2021 due to the ongoing pandemic situation and gathering restrictions.
We are disappointed that we have not been able to gather together and celebrate the many successes of our 2020 recipient, John Rafferty QC and 2021 recipient, Malcolm Jeffcock QC. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them both again on this honor.
About the Distinguished Service Award: Established in 1999, the DSA is presented to a member who has made significant contributions to their community, the legal profession and to the Society. Stay tuned as we put a call out for nominations in early April with a May 31st closing date. Learn more about the DSA.
Council Meetings
As our governing body, Council ensures we carry out our purpose to uphold and protect the public interest in the practice of law. Council members lend their voices and unique insights to decisions that impact Nova Scotia’s legal profession. Review our 2021-2023 Council bios.
The next Council Meeting will take place on January 28, 2022
External Independent Review
Call for Participation
The Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society has acknowledged the existence of systemic discrimination in the justice system and within the Society. In its acknowledgement the Society stated, in part:
We not only acknowledge and regret the existence of systemic discrimination within the justice system and the Society but also recognize the need for action and education to address it. The Society is committed to reducing barriers created by racism, unconscious bias, and discrimination. We are committed to continuing our efforts to learn, to adapt, to improve our processes and to lead Nova Scotia’s legal profession by example. In collaboration with our members, the legal entities we regulate, stakeholders, and justice system partners, we will work diligently towards eliminating all forms of discrimination in the justice system and in the Society.
As part of its commitment to eliminate systemic discrimination, I have been retained by the society, as set out in the Terms of Reference to undertake a comprehensive external, independent review of the Society’s policies and processes to identify and address any areas of systemic discrimination that exist within the Society.
I am writing to request the assistance and input of members of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society and the general public to share your experiences, views and opinions with me in relation to this review as outlined in the Terms of Reference.
If you wish to speak with me or provide your views in writing I may be contacted at the dedicated email address set up by the Society at druck@nsbs.org.
The review is being conducted on a confidential basis. Any conversations, interviews, or thoughts and opinions submitted in writing will be entirely confidential and any comments will be anonymized to remove any indicators of identity.
Thank you in advance for your anticipated assistance in the review.
Douglas G. Ruck, Q.C.
Equity & Access
Equity in Action: Identifying Opportunities to Make Your Workplace More Accessible
This Equity in Action blog post was written by Asha Pelly, NSBS Summer Law Student
Are you ready to make your office more accessible?
Our Equity in Action blog series is moving to step six from our Six Steps to Make Your Legal Workplace more Equitable – identifying opportunities to make your office more accessible. There are many ways to make your office more accessible to those with physical and nonphysical disabilities. Learn more about the definition of disability, types of disabilities, what it means to be accessible in our recent blog post Equity in Action: Defining Disability and the New Disability Equity Committee.
Recognizing African Heritage Month & Resources
On January 26, the Province launched 2022 African Heritage Month where, during the month of February, we celebrate and honour the culture, history, and traditions of people of African descent. This year, the theme is Through Our Eyes: The Voices of African Nova Scotians, in recognition of the important legacy and important contributions of people of African Nova Scotians, Black Canadians, and their long-standing history in the development of Canada.
This year’s theme explores and examines the effects of anti-black racism and the voice of African Nova Scotians who blazed the trail for change. The theme also aligns with the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent (DPAD) 2015-2024. The goal of DPAD is to strengthen global cooperation in support of people of African descent, increase awareness and the passage towards presence in all aspects of society.
Nova Scotia has over 50 historic African Nova Scotian communities with a long, deep, and complex history dating back over 200 years. African Heritage Month provides us with another opportunity to celebrate our culture, legacy, achievements, and contributions of our people – past and present.
African Heritage Month Opening Ceremonies Facebook Livestream
African Heritage Month Calendar of Events
Our Equity & Access Office has compiled the following African Heritage Month resources:
Books
The Hanging of Angelique – The untold story of Canadian Slavery and the burning of Montreal
By Afua Cooper
The professor of sociology at Dalhousie University in Halifax tells the story of Marie-Joseph Angélique, a slave woman convicted of starting a fire that destroyed a large part of Montréal in the 1700s. The work challenges the idea of a slavery-free Canada by way of documenting cases of legally and culturally endorsed slavery in the country.
Queer Returns
by Rinaldo Walcott
Rinaldo Walcott takes a look at categories of “queer and Black” and “Black queer” through the lens of multiculturalism and Canadian identity. The essay collection reflects on how capitalism, colonialism and sexual identity intersect and shape culture, politics and Black expression.
Policing Black Lives
by Robin Maynard
Montreal-based author and activist Robyn Maynard’s Policing Black Lives traces the underreported modern and historical realities of anti-Blackness within a Canadian context. Maynard examines the fact that slavery occurred in Canada for more than 200 years and that enslaved Indigenous and Black individuals were responsible for developing infrastructure for white Canadian settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries — and how that legacy has defined institutionalized racism today.
Viola Desmond’s Canada
by Graham Reynolds
The story of Viola Desmond, the next face of Canada’s $10 bill, is told in this comprehensive work by academic Graham Reynolds. Desmond, the civil rights pioneer from Nova Scotia, was jailed in 1946 for sitting in the whites-only section of a New Glasgow, N.S., movie theatre. The book highlights this act of resistance by way of an contextual overview of the Black experience in Canada, from slavery under French and British rule in the eighteenth century to the practice of racial segregation and the fight for racial equality in the twentieth century.
North to Bondage: Loyalist Slavery in the Maritimes
By Harvey Amani Whitfield
Many Canadians believe their nation fell on the right side of history in harbouring escaped slaves from the United States. In fact, in the wake of the American Revolution, many Loyalist families brought slaves with them when they settled in the Maritime colonies of British North America. Once there, slaves used their traditions of survival, resistance, and kinship networks to negotiate their new reality. Harvey Amani Whitfield’s book, the first on slavery in the Maritimes, is a startling corrective to the enduring and triumphant narrative of Canada as a land of freedom at the end of the Underground Railroad.
Websites
- A Brief History
- Black Cultural Centre
- Africville Museum
- February 8, 2020 Interview with Executive Director Juanita Peters discussing the new traveling exhibit “A Walk Through Africville”
- African Nova Scotian Decade for People of African Descent Coalition
Your Practice
Complimentary Services from LexisNexis Sponsored by the Society’s Library
Please note that this offering is a trial, offered by the Society until March 31, 2022. After the trial on March 31st lawyers may proceed with purchasing at their cost and LexisNexis will offer discounted pricing for lawyers who are interested in taking out a subscription.
Legal Research & Practice Materials
Between December 1 and February 28, 2022, register for complimentary access to 2 key tools to support you in your legal research and practice management. Access to these tools will be available from your office during this period.
Lexis Advance Quicklaw
Access the robust collection of caselaw that includes every case reported by publishers from 1970 forward and as well as all cases decided prior to 1970 that have been cited after 1970 are included. LexisNexis also offers a unique collection of more than 140 boards and tribunals decisions from all jurisdictions. The collection includes over 944,000 Canadian tribunal decisions, many of which are not available elsewhere.
Lexis Practice Advisor
Practice Advisor provides step-by-step guidance in managing matters and completing tasks efficiently while avoiding potential pitfalls through tools such as checklists, flowcharts, precedents with drafting notes, alternative clauses and current awareness. Practice notes are also included to help practitioners identify legal and procedural issues and solve them quickly, without the necessity of getting overwhelmed with legal history or theory.
Register for Lexis Advance® Quicklaw
You will receive an email from LAWelcomeKit@lexisnexis.com with the URL to the service, your credentials and information on accessing complimentary support. Training that might be applied to your annual CPD plan is also available. You can register for the following sessions:
- Lexis Advance Quicklaw – Wednesday, February 9 – 12:00-1:00 PM
- Practical Guidance – Tuesday, February 15 – 12:00-1:00 PM
- Lexis Advance Quicklaw – Thursday, February 17 – 10:00-11:00 AM
LexisNexis Newsletters and Podcasts & Webinars
PodCasts & Webinars
The LexisNexis series of podcasts and webinars feature timely discussions with top legal professionals from across Canada. They cover a wide range of timely issues within the legal profession and offer free CPD that can be applied to your annual plan. Access the recordings.
The LexisNexis newsletters provide an overview of the latest developments in many areas of practice. Review all of the latest Lexis Nexis newsletters.
Questions? Contact the Society’s Library Library Technician, Jennifer Haimes, at jhaimes@nsbs.org.
Updated Suggested Language for Orders of the Supreme Court of NS (Family Division) to Assist Lawyers in Drafting Standard Clauses
These clauses contain suggested language for orders of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Family Division) to assist lawyers in drafting standard clauses. The clauses were prepared by a subcommittee of the Supreme Court of NS (Family Division) Liaison Committee in consultation with members of the bench and bar.
The clauses were distributed to family law lawyers in November and the committee has since updated the language to reflect the changes to the Divorce Act and Parenting and Support Act language. Review the document (please note that this is a Word document).
Lawyers’ Insurance Association of Nova Scotia
- FRAUD ALERT: LAWPRO Issues Warning for Private Mortgages in Real Estate
- NSLAP WELLNESS: The Impact of Social Media on Body Image and Mental Health
Professional Responsibility Notices
- Notice of Reinstatement: Donn Fraser
- Revised Notice of Sanction: Duane Rhyno
- Notice of Application for Readmission: Mark David
- Notice of Resumption of Hearing: Christopher Ian Robinson
Changes in Category: November 25, 2021-January 27, 2022
In every issue of our newsletter InForum, we provide updates on category changes.
Judicial Appointments:
December 10, 2021 – The Provincial Court of Nova Scotia welcomed two new judges to the Bench. The Hon. Judge Christine Driscoll and The Hon. Judge D. Shane Russell. Read the announcement.
Welcome to our new Articled Clerks:
Annelise Nisha Harnanan |
Nikolas Robert Shymko |
Welcome to our new calls to the bar:
Olufolahan Omotosho Adeleke |
Santhini Anandan |
Meaghan Kathleen Carlson |
Adam Benjamin Haller |
Amanda Marie Smith Hatt |
Kelly Trent VanBuskirk QC |
Ashley Janice Wolfe |
Harvinder Singh Saran |
These members have changed to Practising status:
Kathleen Elizabeth MacKay Boyle |
Nicholas Henderson Comeau |
Shawn H. E. Harmon |
Vanessa Lynne Kinnear |
Dorianne Margaret Mullin |
Amber Natasha Penney |
Joseph Royden Trainor, Jr., QC |
These members have changed to Non-Practising status:
Sarah Julianne Belong |
Ms. Madeleine Anna Daisy Carter |
Ms. Ella Wendell Dodson |
Shani Beth Frugtniet |
Jacob Douglas Glover |
Tanner David McInnis |
Chee-Wang Ng |
Lindsay Bridget O’Reilly |
Adam Albert Panko |
Bhreagh Dorothy Ross |
Gregory William Sampson |
Divya Subramanian |
Jaimie Leigh Tax |
Renee Marie Jessica Thompson |
Michelle Yvette Williams |
These members have changed to Retired status:
Barbara Ignatia Gwendoline David |
Michael Francis Donovan, QC |
Donald William MacDonald |
Christopher Ware Morris |
These individuals have resigned:
Caroline Nadine Lirette |
Hugh Ross McLeod |
Christopher Mark White |
For Your Information
Justice Development Goals Survey
Participate in the 2021 Progress on Canada’s Justice Development Goals survey conducted by the Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters. This is the Action Committee’s annual survey of A2J activities for its 2021 Progress Report on Canada’s Justice Development Goals. Learn more.
Feedback on Equity and Anti-Racism Legislation
The Province is inviting feedback on proposed equity and anti-racism legislation being developed by an all-party committee.
Engagement is taking place throughout January and February through focus groups with community organizations, open virtual sessions, and an online forum and survey. The bill will be introduced in the spring session of the legislature.
Open virtual engagement sessions were held on January 22 & 27. More sessions will be added in February. Learn more about the proposed legislation and give feedback by taking a survey or submitting a comment. To register for an engagement session or to give input via email or phone, contact correspondenceoea@novascotia.ca or 902-471-4351.
Supreme Court of Nova Scotia (Family Division) Liaison Committee Meeting Minutes
HELP Toolkit: Identifying and Responding to Family Violence for Family Law Legal Advisers
HELP Toolkit: Identifying and Responding to Family Violence for Family Law Legal Advisers is now available on the Department of Justice Canada website
Board Member Opportunity: Access to Justice & Law Reform Institute of Nova Scotia
The Institute works as a law reform agency for Nova Scotia and takes on projects aimed at promoting access to justice. It is a member of the Federal Law Reform Agencies of Canada and the provincial delegate for Nova Scotia on the National Action Committee for Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters.
In 2019, the Law Reform Commission of Nova Scotia restructured from a statutory commission to an incorporated non-profit. The Institute carries on the Commission’s mandate to make recommendations for the modernization, improvement and reform of law but now also acts as a center of coordination, research, education and action on access to justice.
The Institute currently has a vacancy on the Board of Directors and is seeking an individual who is passionate about access to justice. Specific competencies include, but are not limited to experience with the family justice system, knowledge of the access to justice landscape including the difficulties of low and middle income individuals, and members of Black and Indigenous communities in Nova Scotia gaining access to justice.
If you are interested in this opportunity please submit your resume and a letter that connects your background to the above qualifications. Members of equity-seeking groups are encouraged to apply. We look forward to hearing from you. Please submit documents or direct questions to Ilana Luther (ilana@lawreform.ns.ca).
Volunteer Opportunity: Nova Scotia College of Physiotherapists
The Nova Scotia College of Physiotherapists (NSCP) is seeking volunteers for our Credentials Committee. The Credentials Committee considers applications for registration and licensure as a Physiotherapist in Nova Scotia. Learn more.
Recruitment for Legal Membership at the Nova Scotia Health Research Ethics Board
The Nova Scotia Health Research Ethics Board (NSH REB) is recruiting new members to fill the role of legal representatives on our virtual provincial board. The REB’s role is to review cutting-edge clinical research that involves human participants or their data and that takes place within Nova Scotia Health to ensure that the research respects and protects our research participants, patients and communities.
Legal members are persons knowledgeable in the relevant law (i.e. health, privacy) and cannot be part of NS Health legal counsel or risk manager. They represent the legal and ethical perspectives for research participants. Their role is to ensure that the information provided to research participants is readable, correct, and understood. The NSH REB does not expect that legal members understand the science behind the studies. It is the responsibility of scientific and medical board members to simplify the research study protocols so everyone on the board understands the study and what is expected of the research participants.
WHEN: Meetings are held once per month on Mondays from 4:00 – 6:00 pm
WHERE: Virtually through ZOOM. Links and materials sent through email.
INTERESTED? Want to learn more? Please email: ResearchEthics@nshealth.ca
The John Yogis Music Scholarship
To honour John Yogis QC and to recognize his lifelong love of music, the John Yogis Fund has been established. The income from the fund will support the John Yogis Music Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to a student of musical theatre.
Professor John Yogis, QC has been important in the lives of many of us, whether as a beloved friend or family member, an admired teacher, a respected colleague, or a generous mentor. One of John’s enduring passions was his love of music. Collecting CDs, attending concerts, waiting for an autograph at performance end, and travelling to London or New York for opera and musical theatre were all sources of great pleasure. Beginning as a youth, John collected and catalogued the programs of the countless concerts he attended. And he could recall the details of performances decades ago by favourite artists.
John’s knowledge of music and musicians—both classical and in musical theatre—was encyclopedic. The foundation of this store of information began when, as a boy, he had studied piano, taking lessons for many years at the Maritime Academy of Music, one of the founding branches of what is now the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts.
To honour John and to recognize his lifelong love of music, the John Yogis Fund has been established. The income from the fund will support the John Yogis Music Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to a student of musical theatre. The goal is to raise a minimum of $10,000 such that the Fund may become an endowment and have John’s name live on in perpetuity. The fund will be administered by Bravura Nova Scotia which John supported.
Bravura Nova Scotia is a registered charity (Business No: 889974176RR0001), and donors to the John Yogis Fund will receive an official tax receipt.
Donations may be made by contacting Angus Campbell, Treasurer at 902.444.0100 or BravuraNovaScotia@gmail.com
or via Canada Helps at www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/Bravura_Nova_Scotia/
(Please choose The John Yogis Fund from the dropdown menu)
About Bravura Nova Scotia
For the past century, Bravura Nova Scotia has supported performing arts education in Nova Scotia. Founded in 1921-22 as the Alumni Society of what was then called the Halifax Conservatory of Music, through a changing succession of names we have continued to focus on our key mission, supporting both students of music and dance and their teachers. Each year Bravura offers a growing range of scholarships, prizes, and bursaries to students and a number of fellowships to teachers who wish to hone their performance and teaching skills through further study. Many of these awards are supported by permanent endowments. Earlier this year, Bravura received a major grant from the Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage which will support a new scholarship in the name of Portia White, the first African Canadian to achieve international recognition as a classical singer. Bravura provides support for a number of performing arts institution including the Maritime Conservatory of Performing Arts, Conservatory Nova Scotia, Kiwanis Music Festival, Cecilia Concerts Society, Broadway Company Players, Halifax Institute of Traditional and Early Music, and the Nova Scotia Registered Music Teachers’ Association.
Missing Wills
Name on will: Gerald Moir
Any lawyers with information please contact Jessica Rose at jrose@weldonmcinnis.ca or 902-240-8774
Name on will: Pamela Walter
Last known residence: Louisbourg, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Christopher Walsh at Chris_walsh13@hotmail.com or 709-687-0889
Name on will: Christine Ann Riley
Last known residence: Mochelle, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Nicole MacIssac at nicole@valleyfamilylaw.ca or 902-286-3007
Name on will: Victor Berthiaume Osmond
Last known residence: Dominion, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Collin Currie at mgoogoo230@gmail.com or 902-704-3571
Name on will: Thomas Roy
Last known residence: Port Joli, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Jonathan Roy at mazda_3_gt@hotmail.com or 902-350-3544
Name on will: Isabelle Seager
Last known residence: Truro/Dartmouth, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Lenora Seager at lseager@eastlink.ca or 902-350-2368
Name on will: Bernard Murphy
Last known residence: Portapique, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Kristin Dobrosky at admin@kjdlaw.ca or 902-275-5093
Name on will: William Earl Hood
Last known residence: Lawrencetown, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Theresa Miousse at tmhood9@gmail.com or 902-435-7726
Name on will: Paul Lockhart
Last known residence: Truro, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Valerie Lockhart at vlockhart@eastlink.ca or 902-717-6717.
Name on will: Georgina Gardiner
Last known residence: Sydney, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Diane Nordine at dianenordine12@gmail.com or 902-565-2716
Name on will: Louis Madore
Last known residence: Sydney, NS
Any lawyers with information please contact Georgena MacIssac at georginamacisaac@gmail.com or 902-441-5780
News from the NS Courts
- All Family Law Matters Now Dealt with as per Civil Procedure Rule 59
- Provincial Court Extends Suspension of Most In-Person Proceedings
- Supreme Court Extends Modified Essential Services Model
- Jury Trials Suspended until Feb. 11, 2022
- The Hon. Judge Corrine Sparks Retires
Career Opportunities
- Experienced Legal Assistant
- Legal Assistant/ Paralegal
- Legal Administrative Assistant – Mi’kmaw Family and Childrens Services of NS
- Paralegal Assistant – Mi’Kmaw Family and Childrens Services of NS
- Collections Agent (Caller) – English & Bilingual Positions Available
- Crown Prosecutor
- Junior Lawyer and/or Experience Paralegal
- REAL ESTATE PARALEGAL
- PARALEGAL (Experienced)
- LEGAL ASSISTANT
- Legal Assistant – Business Law
- Litigation Clerk
- Family Law Paralegal
- Crown Attorney
- LEGAL OFFICE ASSISTANT – OVERFLOW
- FAMILY LAW PARALEGAL
- Solicitor
- Legal Assistant – Float
- Creditor Practice Paralegal
- Associate Lawyer
- Due Diligence Analyst
- Receptionist
- Administrative Lead
- LEGAL COUNSEL, LABOUR RELATIONS
- Paralegal/Administrative Support – Estates & Probate Practice
- Fraser & Co is seeking legal assistant / paralegal support
- PARALEGAL – LEGAL ASSISTANT
- Paralegal Instructor
- Dalhousie Faculty Association Professional Officer
- Legal Assistant with Burke Macdonald & Luczak in Lunenburg
- Corporate Assistant
- Real Estate Lawyer
- Corporate Legal Assistant/Paralegal
- Property Lawyer
- Family Lawyer
- Corporate/Commercial Lawyer
- Litigation Lawyer
- Corporate Associate
- Real Estate Paralegal
- Purdy Crawford Fellowship 2022/23
- Schulich Fellowship 2022/23
- Law Clerk, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal
- Legal Information Counsellor (Full-time Contract)
- Corporate Paralegal
- Lawyer sought for busy practice on Nova Scotia’s South Shore
Upcoming Events
These events include NSBS events as well as professional development opportunities and related events posted to the events page on our website.
- Transitioning to the Hybrid Workplace: Flex work, the right to disconnect, privacy, and other core issues (February 2)
- Keeping Up With COVID-19: The latest on mandatory vaccination, exceptions, testing, and more (February 17)
- A Guide to Construction Insurance and CCDC 41 – 2020 Insurance Requirements (February 17)
- Workplace Investigations from Complaint to Closure: Top recent cases and practical pointers (March 1)
- The Independent Medical Exam: Working together to make it work (March 10)
- Limited Scope Lawyering in Family Law Cases (April 28)