Law Society of BC to provide maternity leave loans to self-employed lawyers and work on retaining Aboriginal lawyers in profession

CLEBC Staff/February 18, 2010

The Law Society of BC has announced a new maternity loan program that will loan a fixed sum of $2,000 per month for four months to self-employed women lawyers who give birth to a child. The loans will be funded by LSBC and repaid over four years. They are designed to help lawyers with the overhead of keeping a sole practice running while on maternity leave and are not meant to replace income. Details are available on the LSBC website.

LSBC Benchers have made changes to the current strategic plan with a focus on retaining Aboriginal lawyers in the legal profession. This initiative is part of an overall business case to be developed over the next year for enhancing diversity in law firms. The Benchers will also consider separating their investigative and adjudicative powers, and will take another look at guidelines for administering disciplinary matters.