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The CCCA is the premier organization serving the needs of in-house legal counsel and the associations and partners that serve us. I have been an in-house lawyer for 17 years and have been involved with both the CCCA and CBA for that same period of time and it is my privilege to serve as our President.
The CCCA is a vibrant and relevant organization and in our short 17 year history we have accomplished much, transforming ourselves to what we are today from our humble beginnings as the National Corporate Law Section in 1988.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE CCCA:
The CCCA has over 8000 lawyers as members.
Over 4000 are in-house counsel from a variety of backgrounds including corporations, not-for profit organizations, crown corporations and municipalities.
Our headquarters are in Toronto sharing offices with the OBA.
We have strong and strategic ties to the CBA at all levels.
All CCCA members are CBA members.
Many CBA member law firms are key sponsors and suppliers of the CCCA and hence it makes for a perfect partnership.
The CCCA has many key strategic suppliers that provide valued services to our members and support to the CCCA itself.
We have international affiliations with like organizations such as:
- La Asociación Nacional de Abogados de Empresa (ANADE) from Mexico
- Corporate Lawyers Association of New Zealand (CLANZ)
- Australian Corporate Lawyers Association (ACLA)
- Hong Kong Corporate Counsel Association (HKCCA)
- Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) in the United States and beyond
Most importantly we are the primary portal for in-house counsel. This is an important point to remember. Notwithstanding the diverse interests and demands of lawyers who serve their respective organization, no other entity is better positioned to serve its members in these very challenging times.
The demands on in-house counsel are many, varied and difficult. We are more than just lawyers doing black letter law. Our employers look to us for counsel, expertise and leadership in a number of areas including:
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Insurance and risk management
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Corporate governance and regulatory compliance
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International transactions and trade
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Governmental, public and media relations
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Business development
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Environment, occupational health and safety
One need only attend our conferences to see a demonstration of the breadth and depth of our educational programming.
To that end, the CCCA has developed products and services that are valued by our members:
NATIONAL CONFERENCES
The very successful National Spring Conference will be held this year in Ottawa, at the grand Chateau Laurier Hotel on April 23-25, 2006 and of course, we shall participate again in the Canadian Legal Conference which is returning to St. John’s Newfoundland at the Fairmont Newfoundland on August 13-15, 2006.
CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION
We also host a number of CLE seminars across the country designed for in-house counsel on topics such as: Financial Reporting, Accounting and Analysis; E-Discovery; General Counsel Roundtable; Competition Law Strategies against Counterfeiting, Piracy, and Anti-dumping and Small Law Departments. Our seminars are exclusive to corporate counsel only, to provide the optimal learning environment for our members.
CHAPTER SEMINAR SERIES
Our Chapters (of which we have at least one in every province) host local events that are of interest to us all. We have a very active series of chapter seminars being put on each year and for this year the Board of Directors approved significant funding to this activity as our members have asked for more to be delivered to them at the local level.
CCCA / LEXPERT CORPORATE COUNSEL DIRECTORY AND YEARBOOK
The Directory is an invaluable resource for all our members and is provided in a print format and on line.
NEW CCCA WEBSITE
We have invested a considerable amount of resources to enhance the content and services on our website. We welcome your feedback on the changes.
HONOURING EXCELLENCE
Each year, CCCA honours one of its own through the awarding of the Robert V.A. Jones Award to a pre-eminent corporate counsel, representing excellence in professional practice.
The CCCA is well served by a Board of Directors of 21 very committed in-house legal counsel which is further supported by a committee structure and our own dedicated full time personnel.
We have completed a new multi-year business plan that is tied to our key objectives as determined by our Board based on information gathered from our members and operations. Our activities and our budgeting process are inextricably linked together and performance is measured based on our plan.
Our prudent business planning and financial success, allows us to reinvest in the CCCA. Thus, we remain the association of choice for in-house lawyers in Canada. We all compete for scarce resources but our steady growth in membership and activities speaks volumes. Our members not only vote at our meetings but with their membership fees. They want more and we give them more, year in, year out.
I am very proud of our team. They are energetic, experienced and dedicated volunteers who give much not only to the CCCA but elsewhere in law and their respective communities.
On behalf of all employers who have allowed them to volunteer to the CCCA, let me be the first to thank you for their contributions and I am sure this does not go unrecognized within your organizations.
Further on that point, membership in the CCCA and in the CBA is one of the best ways to invest on behalf of your organization and yourself. In addition to the aforementioned, the CCCA provides members with the best network in the Canada. I personally have benefited not only from what I have learned but the relationships that I have developed. The value far exceeds the cost of a membership and that benefit has been magnified by my participation in the CCCA.
In closing, these remain challenging times for all in-house counsel but the CCCA is there for us all. We look forward to an exciting and productive year.
Robert Patzelt, Q.C.
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