Why You Should Know About the Coach and Advisor Network at the Law Society

​In November you might have seen a Tweet, email, or LinkedIn share announcing the launch of the Coach and Advisor Network (CAN) at the Law Society of Upper Canada and you might have wondered, what is this? We certainly did. Our interest was piqued, so we did a little investigating.

According to the Final Report to Convocation from the Task Force dealing with this initiative the purpose of CAN  “is to provide guidance and assistance in the development of competent legal professionals through coach and advisor supports that will be developed using a coherent, flexible, accessible and evolving approach.”

Basically, CAN provides lawyers and paralegals with access to “Coaches and Advisors” who are themselves lawyers and paralegals. The listed goals of CAN are to assist lawyers and paralegals in:

• assessing risks to identify strategies to avoid claims and complaints;
• implementing strong practice management systems;
• building on communication and relational skills;
• enjoying collegiality within the professions, finding work rewarding and having successful practices.

So, what do Coaches and Advisors do? At first glance the difference between the two can be confusing but the LSUC has made a handy chart to assist.  Briefly, interacting with an Advisor includes a one-off 30 minute phone call to deal with substantive law or procedure in the context of a particular client file. An interaction with a Coach would be a longer commitment (approx. three months) dealing mostly with assistance with practice management systems or skills development.

There really is no down-side to using this service. It is free (well, paid for by our LSUC fees) and you have access to experienced lawyers and paralegals to field your questions and provide you with some professional guidance. We can see this being most helpful for those just starting out, or who work in a sole practice, or who may not have a support network in place.

It is also a good way for more experienced lawyers and paralegals to give back to the profession. Lawyers and paralegals who want to volunteer as a Coach or Advisor must apply and are provided with several online resources and can participate in an “Introduction to the Coaching Model Workshop” (although it appears as though there is a wait list for this workshop). You can apply here to become a Coach and here to become an Advisor.

If you feel you would benefit from the services of a Coach or Advisor (i.e. if you want to develop a specific skill or have a question about a client file) you can request time with a Coach here and an Advisor here​.