Virtual Seminar: YOUR Legal Practice – Skills to Thrive (CPD 360)

Qualifies for 3.0 CPD Hours and 2.0 Ethics Hours.

In these three sessions, you’ll learn simple and effective tools and skills to improve your legal practice and reduce stress for yourself and your clients.

Navigating Challenging Client Relationships (Panel)
Moderator: Ronni Nordal, K.C.
April Derksen, MSW (Pending), BSW, RSW. Oaks Mental Health, Saskatoon.
Chantelle Johnson. CLASSIC, Saskatoon.
Davida Bentham. PBLS, Regina.

Clients entrust lawyers with some of the most consequential issues in their lives. Building trust and rapport between the lawyer and client is essential to finding solutions, but building these necessary components of the lawyer-client relationship can be challenging. Every client has perspectives, emotions, and lived experiences that affect lawyer-client interactions. Some have psychological challenges, past trauma, or mental illness, which further complicate relationship building. In this session, our panel of lawyers and social workers will draw from their experience and expertise to provide practical advice around:

• -Understanding and interpreting client behavior
• -Identifying trauma and mental health issues
• -Practical ways to respond with compassion
• -Distinguishing challenging client relationships from difficult client relationships
• -Establishing boundaries
• -Referral resources for legal and non-legal issues

Client Screening Processes: An Example
Beau Atkins. Evolve Law, Saskatoon.

Your first interactions with a client can set the tone for the entirety of the relationship, so it is important that they start off right. A simple and clear client screening process is a benefit to your clients, but also allows you to determine whether the client is a good fit for you and your practice. In this session, Beau Atkins and his onboarding team will demonstrate, in real-time, how potential clients are guided through Evolve Law’s client screening process.

Lawyer Well-being: Tools to Thrive
Alanna Carlson. Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, Saskatoon.

The most important part of your practice is YOU. Your personal well-being is key to a flourishing career in law. In this presentation, Alanna Carlson will share her story of recovery from chronic illness, explore barriers to health and success in practice (hello perfectionists!) and provide practical tools, skills, and resources that you can use to reduce stress and build well-being. No yoga or meditation required!

The virtual seminar will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 12:20 p.m.