President’s Message: Empowering Your Most Meaningful Transitions in Life and Law

Lawyers are practised at providing people with a measure of reassurance as they navigate intentional change or unexpected turbulence in their lives. The OBA’s recently concluded and highly appreciated Make A Will Month campaign – which saw dozens of members deliver nearly 40 free presentations to communities, province wide, throughout November – is a perfect example of lawyers empowering the public through information-sharing. Participants learned how enlisting a lawyer to prepare their will and powers of attorney helps them to preserve their wishes and protect all they hold dear – and what kinds of circumstances could warrant additions or amendments. Fresh chapters force unexpected questions and necessitate new understanding.

This is equally true for lawyers entering unknown territory in their professional or personal lives – and when that time comes, who better to instill the confidence and intelligence to carry them forward than fellow lawyers who’ve forged similar paths?

Amplifying the voices of experience in the interests of supporting members making bold moves is a key component of my Transitions in Life and Law mandate and one that is gaining great momentum.

In our communications and publications, including this issue of JUST., members are sharing wisdom they’ve discovered, tactics they’ve deployed, and unforeseen challenges for which they wish they had prepared in negotiating some of the most tricky and richly rewarding transitions of their careers.

But that’s just the beginning. If you’re looking for tried-and-true advice as you embark on a new phase – personally, professionally, or both simultaneously – we have your back: tailored peer support groups, topical programming, targeted opportunities and avenues for advancement and connection, and accessible, enlightening conversations – all designed to assist you in navigating the changes most meaningful and vital to you.

Some specifics to set your sights on:

• Sessions at the Ontario Legal Conference, our biggest PD event of the year taking place from February 3-6, on Navigating the Transition from Student to Lawyer and Navigating the Transition to Parenthood.
• An online program in March on Navigating the Transition from Private Practice to In-House. 
• New resources and peer-support meetings for retired, retiring and transitioning lawyers.
• A free Author Series event focused on Navigating the Messy Middle – A Fiercely Honest and Wildly Encouraging Guide for Midlife Women.
• OBA’s upcoming Real-to-Reel videos featuring candid, practical and relatable tips on transitions ranging from returning to work after a leave to setting out on your own to wrapping up your practice to relocating to a new town or setting.

In a world plagued by powerful disruption, the promise of my mandate is deeply personal: to ensure that all our members feel seen, supported, and equipped through those individual twists and turns that matter most. Whether you’re starting out, switching gears, or stepping back, the OBA will always be your community, your toolkit, and your steady ground.