Trinda L. Ernst of Kentville, Nova Scotia, became national president of the Canadian Bar Association when the chain of office was transferred from outgoing President Rod Snow of Whitehorse at the closing luncheon of the CBA's Canadian Legal Conference. She brings to the presidency a threefold commitment: to encourage leadership in the profession, to promote volunteerism at the CBA and in the community, and to support advocacy on behalf of the profession.
"I want to build on lawyers' leadership skills - not just through our successful online Skilled Lawyer Professional Development Series, but by other leadership initiatives, including our RARE Finds diversity initiative that showcases success stories, our Canadian Corporate Counsel Association mentoring program for young lawyers and our annual leadership training workshop that brings together the best techniques for managing partners."
Ms. Ernst also recognizes the importance of the Work-Life Balance Resource Centre, launched by Young Lawyers-CBA, that contains more than 350 links to newspaper, magazine, journal and online articles that explore the causes and effects of this challenge to many of our members. Ms. Ernst will focus on the contributions of lawyers to the association. "Volunteerism is an important part of the legal culture. We are not just volunteers with the CBA or the legal profession. We are also volunteers in our communities, and our work benefits the communities in which we live."
Ms. Ernst plans to focus on strengthening the CBA's advocacy capacity on behalf of the entire legal profession.
"In the year ahead, I plan to foster a climate of inclusivity," says Trinda Ernst. "We need to explore opportunities for partnerships with other legal groups and associations that represent minorities so that our profession better reflects the public we serve."