This year, the ABA will hold its annual meeting in Toronto at the InterContinental Toronto Centre. It will run from Thursday to Saturday, August 4 to 6, and will include CLE credits, social and networking events, and entertainment.
Three presidential showcase programs have been planned: on Thursday, from 2:00-3:30 p.m., Trial Practices and Tactics in Canada and the United States will feature characteristics of trial practices in both countries, with barristers from Canada and trial lawyers from the U.S. facing off trying a case in which the plaintiff claims wrongful termination and a hostile work environment. On Friday, from 10:30 a.m. to noon,"Implicit Bias" and the Myth of Equal Justice will review real cases and present provocative research to probe how implicit bias distorts judgment in civil and criminal cases alike. On Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to noon, in Civil Rights in the 21st Century: More to Overcome, speakers will analyze the issues of civil rights and human rights, which continue to change and evolve as new challenges arise.
At the Friday luncheon passing-of-the-gavel ceremony, keynote speaker The Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, who served three terms as prime minister of Canada, will take questions from the audience, and The Honourable Louise Arbour of Brussels, Belgium, will be presented with the 2011 International Human Rights Award.
Other networking events include a welcome and outreach reception at the CN Tower's Horizons restaurant on Thursday evening, a champagne reception at the Hockey Hall of Fame on Friday evening, and the President's Reception on Saturday evening at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Among the CLE offerings are a review of Dodd-Frank one year later; a comparison of the Canadian and U.S. Supreme Courts; the perils of social media under the laws of the United States and Canada; the myths and realities of law-firm compensation;America's war on terror; general counsel with international issues; and strategic choices in international arbitration.
For information about available CLE credits and fees, see CLE Events at The Metropolitan Corporate Counsel website at www.metrocorpcounsel.com.
To register, call (800) 915-9801 or visit www.ambar.org/annual. Advance registration ends Friday, July 8.