Spring/Summer 2012

This is the first newsletter since my appointment as President at the December 1, 2011, Annual General Meeting. So much has happened since then! I was interviewed by a journalist about the 100th anniversary of the first woman lawyer to be admitted in 1912 to the Law Society of Alberta, Lillian Ruby Clements, for a story in Canadian Lawyer. Ms. Clements was fortunate to be admitted then, and so are we, as members in the honourable profession of the law.

AWL has been busy with a number of networking and learning opportunities described in this newsletter, and we have some interesting upcoming events listed below.

Our most exciting new initiative is the AWL mentoring program. Note the information inside and sign up to be part of the first program. All levels of experience are welcome, and everyone involved will benefit. As noted in Harvard Business Review, “Done right, mentoring is one of the most powerful, efficient ways to learn and to move up. But to reap those rewards, you need to pursue them with rigor and commitment.”

AWL is extremely pleased about our special guest for the upcoming Women in

A Message from the President Inside this Issue:

Upcoming Events:

• Golf Tournament at Elbow Springs Golf &

Country Club – August

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• Women in Law

Leadership Awards at

Sheraton Eau Claire – November 1

• Networking Night – Fall

2012 (details coming soon)

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Keynote

Luncheon

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New Mentoring

Circles Program

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Soup Sisters

Event

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Women in Law

Leadership

Awards

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Networking

Nights

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Wine Tasting 5

U of C Law

Bursaries

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Law Leadership Awards (see details inside). Nominations for the Awards are open until August 15, 2012, in five categories to honour the contributions made by women lawyers in our profession. Nominate someone you know for recognition at this elegant event.

I wish to personally acknowledge and thank our volunteers and our volunteer directors for their tireless efforts in organizing and delivering social events and projects for AWL. In particular, many thanks to Rebecca Brown, our past President, for her vision, leadership and continued work on our board of directors, and retired director Charlotte Christophersen, AWL’s former newsletter editor. Please join me in welcoming our new volunteer AWL newsletter editor, Sarah Hammond.

On behalf of all of us at AWL, best wishes for a sizzling summer. We look forward to seeing you at the next AWL event.

DianeDianeDianeDiane

Executive:

• President: Diane Pettie

• Vice-President: Deanna Steblyk

• Secretary: Marianne Panenka

• Treasurer: Roxanne Davis

• Membership Chair: Rani Wong

Directors:

• Rebecca Brown

• Stephanie Charlebois

• Katrina Edgerton-McGhan

• Sheri Epp

Meet the AWL Executive and Board of Directors:

• Rita Richardson

• Deanna Steblyk

• Chastine Taerum

• Tara Tiefenbach

• Sandy Gill

• Cheryl James

• Sharilyn Nagina

• Johanna Price

"Having It All – On Our Own Terms": AWL hosts Anne Giardini, Q.C., at its 2012 Keynote Luncheon

By: Rebecca Brown

On June 7, 2012, the AWL hosted its 2012 Keynote Luncheon at the Calgary Petroleum Club. This was a tremendous opportunity for professional women in Calgary to come together to listen to one of Canada’s most influential lawyers and well-known novelists. Anne Giardini is President of Weyerhaeuser in Vancouver, B.C., and previously served as its in-house counsel and General Counsel. She serves as Chair of the Board of the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival, and is a member of the Board of Governors of Simon Fraser University. In 2007, she was named a UBC Faculty of Law Distinguished Alumna. In 2010, she was appointed B.C. Queen’s Counsel, received the 2010 Canadian General Counsel Award for Business Achievement, and was named one of B.C.’s 100 Women of Influence. In 2011, Anne received the Canadian Corporate Counsel

Association’s Robert V. A. Jones Award and was named one of Canada’s most influential lawyers. She has been a columnist for the National Post, and published short stories and two novels (The Sad Truth

About Happiness and Advice for

Italian Boys). Anne is married with three children. Anne gave a thought-provoking presentation to a room of 173 people on the subject “How to Have it All – On Our Own Terms.” She touched on many interesting topics including Betty Friedan and the Feminine

Mystique, Ronald Dworkin's Justice

for Hedgehogs, Plato, Aristotle, happiness, giving advice, how to increase your Luck, how to find a good life partner, and how to have a good life by saying "yes" to opportunities that present themselves! It was a very special event and AWL was most fortunate to host Anne. AWL wants to acknowledge the generous support of the two Luncheon sponsors. The Investors Group headed up by Cindy Mawson and Caroline Daviduk acted as our gold sponsor, providing a donation to the “Because I am a Girl” campaign on

behalf of Anne as a thank you for acting as the guest speaker. Our bronze sponsor was The Counsel Network led by Sameera Sereda. AWL has enjoyed working with these women and their organizations, and looks forward to continuing these relationships. Door prizes were provided by The Belvedere restaurant and Holt Renfrew, and 10 lucky women walked away with personally autographed novels courtesy of The Investors Group and the AWL. Our sincere appreciation to these businesses for their support. A special thank you to the Luncheon committee members: Rebecca Brown, Diane Pettie, Roxanne Davis, Donnie MacBeath, Bergis Mostaghim, Marianne Panenka and Alisa Webber, as well as Lindsay Hamilton and Cheryl James. The funds generated from this event will assist AWL in continuing its various endeavours throughout the year, and with a variety of outreach programs geared towards women’s issues within the greater community

of Calgary and the province.

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Attendees at AWL's Keynote Luncheon, including keynote speaker, Anne Giardini, Q.C., second from left.

Caroline Daviduk of The Investors Group, right, thanks Anne Giardini, Q.C., left, at AWL's Keynote Luncheon on June 7, 2012.

AWL launches new mentoring program

By: Rani Wong

The Association of Women Lawyers is launching a new mentoring program for women lawyers in Calgary of all years of call and practice status. Mentoring is an important way for women lawyers to provide and receive support to and from other women in the profession to enhance their own careers and personal and professional lives. Many women may not have access to mentors or may not want to discuss certain topics in their workplace mentoring programs. The AWL mentoring program will be using a mentoring “circles” format. Each mentoring circle will consist of six to eight lawyers from all levels of seniority. Lawyers will be grouped according to work environment, such as large law firm, small law firm, in-house and government, as these groups likely face similar issues in their practice. The circles will provide an excellent opportunity for upwards and downwards mentoring amongst participants. The mentoring circles will meet at the Calgary Petroleum Club eight times between September 2012 and May 2013 on the following dates:

• September 20, 2012

• October 18, 2012

• November 15, 2012

• January 17, 2013

• February 21, 2013

• March 21, 2013

• April 18, 2013

• May 16, 2014 Each circle will have a facilitator and each session will focus on a different topic relevant to women lawyers including career development, networking/marketing, and work/life balance. If you are interested in participating,

please complete and submit the attached application form (see page 7 of this newsletter) together with the program fee ($100 for AWL members; $125 for non-members) to Melanie Gaston c/o Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, 3500, 855 – 2nd Street S.W., Calgary, Alberta T2P 4J8. There will be limited space so apply early. The deadline for applications is July 20, 2012. For further information, please refer to our website at www.awlcalgary.ca or contact Rani Wong at Soby Boyden Lenz at rwong@sobyboydenlenz.com.

We wish to thank and recognize our AWL mentoring program sponsors:

• Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP

• Borden, Ladner & Gervais LLP

• The Counsel Network

• Gowling Lafleur Henderson LLP

• Laurie Anderson and Debbie Johnson of Campbell O’Hara

• Jensen Shawa Solomon Duguid Hawkes LLP

• Norton Rose Canada LLP

• Peacock Linder & Halt LLP

• Soby Boyden Lenz See page 7 for the mentoring

program application form.

Participants laugh and cook together at Soup Sisters, April 29, 2012.

By: Sarah Hammond

On the evening of Sunday, April 29, 2012, approximately 30 "Soup Sisters" donned aprons and came together at The Cookbook Co. to create more than 200 servings of soup for the Calgary Emergency Women's Shelter. The delicious and nutritious homemade soup from Soup Sisters nourishes the women and children at the shelter and sends a strong message of support to those in need.

Soup Sisters volunteers and volunteer chef Pierre Lamielle guided attendees in creating five delicious soups from scratch while sipping wine and enjoying the kitchen camaraderie. Following the soup-making, attendees enjoyed a delicious dinner of homemade soup, salad and french bread. This sold-out event was the perfect way to network with other members while giving back to our community in a

meaningful way.

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Cooking up a storm with Soup Sisters

The 2011 Award recipients received accolades in five categories

By: Diane Pettie

We are excited to announce the 2012 Women in Law Leadership Awards will be held on November 1, 2012, at the Sheraton Eau Claire hotel. Nominations are now open and all members are encouraged to nominate deserving women lawyers. Nominations may be made online through the WILL Awards website at http://www.willawards.ca/default.asp?mode=webpage&id=474. The 2012 Awards will feature our special guest, The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, P.C., Chief Justice of Canada. AWL and The Counsel Network founded the first annual Women in

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Leadership in the Profession – In-house

or Government:

Janice Odegaard, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Suncor Energy Inc.

Leadership in the Community:

Gillian Marriott, Q.C. Executive Director,

Pro Bono Law Alberta

Leadership in the Profession –

Broader Roles:

Virginia Engel, Q.C., Peacock Linder & Halt LLP (Virginia was President of the CBIA in 2011)

Tomorrow’s Leader:

Kate Pedlow General Counsel & Program Officer,

Norlien Foundation

Leadership in the Profession – Private Practice (two recipients):

Maureen Killoran, Managing Partner, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP

Gwen Randall, Q.C. Davis LLP

which was moderated by Carol Frohlinger, Esq., a well-known author and leadership speaker, who led a frank panel discussion on building resilience, the disciplines of success, leadership communication and leading in a male-oriented industry. The panelists included:

• The Honourable Madam Justice Patricia Rowbotham, Justice of the Court of Appeal of Alberta

• Michele Hollins, Q.C., Partner, Dunphy Best Blocksom LLP

• Janice Odegaard, Senior Vice President & General Counsel, Suncor Energy Inc.

• Virginia Engel, Q.C., Partner,

Peacock Linder & Halt LLP

Law Leadership Awards in 2011, and the first Awards dinner was held on November 3, 2011, at the Westin Hotel, to recognize the recipients’ outstanding dedication, creativity, initiative, achievement and contribution to the community, profession, legal scholarship and pro bono activities. The 2011 Awards were granted to the award recipients in the five categories listed below. At the November 3, 2011, dinner, approximately 200 attendees enjoyed hearing about the Award recipients’ (see photos below) careers and leadership accomplishments. Earlier in the day, 60 women lawyers attended a Leadership Conference

Women in Law Leadership Awards to be held November 1, 2012

By: Marianne Panenka On March 22, 2012, our members enjoyed a relaxing glass of wine and gourmet appetizers at The Belvedere restaurant on Stephen Avenue mall. We had a great turnout, with members from all types of practices, and even met some exceptionally interesting international practitioners. Our members had an opportunity to touch base with those they had not seen in a while and to meet new people who will no doubt become part of their network in the future. Remember that your first glass of wine and great appetizers are always on us at our Networking Nights! Watch out for the announcement of our next Networking Night in the fall!

Warming up with a winter wine tasting at The Cellar

AWL supports U of C law students with two new bursaries

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By: Marianne Panenka

The Association of Women Lawyers has been busy fostering ties with the law students at the University of Calgary. AWL is committed to the advancement of women in the law and a key aspect of that commitment is to support those women lawyers just starting out in the profession. Our goal is to make sure that law students know that there is a network of support for them as they exit law school into the profession. In that vein, AWL is proud to

support two bursaries, of $750 each, at the University of Calgary Law School. The bursaries are awarded on a competitive basis to two law students who demonstrate financial need and who have shown a commitment to issues of equality by completing either Law 569, International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, or Law 559, Critical Legal Theories. For the past two years, AWL has also supported the University of Calgary Law School’s Candid Conversations event, where female practitioners are

invited to a roundtable to share their experiences as women navigating the legal profession. We hope to continue support for this valuable event. We now maintain a presence on campus through delivery of our brochures to all University of Calgary Law School students in their first year packages and by speaking with the students face-to-face from our booth on Clubs day.

We hope to see you in September!

AWL members reconnect at the March Networking Night

By: Diane Pettie

On a very frosty January 19, 2012, AWL members gathered at The Cellar on Stephen Avenue mall to learn about and sample wines of the world. Our sommelier explained the nuances of each wine and we had a chance to

relax and enjoy the beautiful cheeses and gourmet crackers and each others’ company. It was a great chance to learn about different types of wine from diverse regions in the world, discover which wines clicked on our palates and catch up with each other after the holiday season.

The tasting room at The Cellar.

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E-mail address: president@awlcalgary.ca

Web site address: www.awlcalgary.ca

Or check us out on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ groups/20853087328/

If you or your firm would like to become a Patron of AWL please email our President, Diane Pettie, at president@awlcalgary.ca

AWL wishes to acknowledge the support of our many Patrons who have made such a significant

contribution to our success over the years. Our thanks are extended to our current Patron Members:

Laurie Anderson Jennifer Edwards Jennifer Pollock

Marlene Barchuk Virginia Engel, Q.C. Johanna Price

Patricia Blocksom Sandra Hildebrand Gwen Randall, Q.C.

Judy Boyes, Q.C. Dina Honke Patricia Sealy

Rebecca Brown Marcia Johnston, Q.C. Joy Stuber

Barb Cotton Leslie Morris Francine Swanson, Q.C.

Deni Cashin Karen Muir Peggy Walden

Patricia Daunais, Q.C. Diane Pettie Judy Wong

We also have several members of the judiciary who have become Judicial Patrons, some of whom have

requested we not publish their names. For now, we would like to recognize and thank:

The Honourable Madam Justice Sheilah Martin

The Honourable Madam Justice Sandra Hunt McDonald

We also wish to recognize our firm patrons who have supported our activities on many occasions.

NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS: Please contact Sarah Hammond via email at sarah.hammond@blakes.com

(I would love any pictures, stories or anecdotes that you may have)

MENTORING CIRCLES PROGRAM APPLICATION 2012/2013

Name: ____________________________________________________________

Firm or Organization’s Name: _________________________________________

Year of Call: _______________________________________________________

Areas of Practice: ___________________________________________________

Currently Practicing: �Yes (full-time) �Yes (part-time) �No

Work Environment:

� Large/National (>50) � In-House

� Medium (15-50) � Government

� Small (<15) � Consultant/Contract

� Sole Practitioner � Other ______________

Work Phone Number: _______________________________________________

Home Phone Number: _______________________________________________

Email Address: _____________________________________________________

Topics Interested In: (please rank top 3 and check all others you are interested in)

� Networking/Marketing � Career Development/Partnership

� Time Management � Work/Life Balance

� Family Issues (child care � Financial Planning /maternity leave issues/senior care)

� Retirement Planning & Transitioning � Assertiveness & Bullying

� Other ___________________________________________________ Campbell O’Hara

An Association of • Barristers•Solicitors•Mediators

LAURIE M. ANDERSON and DEBBIE D. JOHNSON

Are there any firms or organizations that you would prefer not to work with in your

mentoring circle due to a conflict, or for any other reasons? If yes, please list them.

___________________________________________________________________

Does the fee create financial hardship for you? There may be the possibility of financial

assistance. If so, may we contact you privately about this? ____________________

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