UPDATE: This seminar occurred in the past, and the seminar materials are now available. You can use the LESA Library to access course materials or purchase course materials a la carte. Alternatively, you can view the complete list of upcoming seminars to discover live programs that are available now.
Did you know that LESA’s Annual Refresher predates the creation of the Legal Education Society of Alberta? The Refresher has been the must-attend event for Alberta lawyers since 1967, but how did it come to be the annual tradition it is today?
Former Executive Director Paul Wood QC shares the Refresher’s interesting history:
“When you think back 47 years there weren’t as many opportunities for lawyers to undertake structured continuing professional development. Those who were in the field were doing bits and pieces of it, such as the Faculty of Law, University of Alberta, and Canadian Bar Association – Alberta Branch with its Mid-winter Conference. Each came together with a view to creating a single major refresher to keep practitioners up to speed.”
It was these organizations – the ones providing individual parts of continuing legal education – who created the Banff Refresher Course. It was, and still is, a unique model where legal practitioners go to a distraction-free setting to receive a comprehensive overview of a single area of practice over a period of several days.
“There are many conferences that survey several areas of practice over six half-days; however, the Refresher is the only one I am aware of that dissects and examines in detail current developments in a single area of law in this comprehensive manner,” says Paul.
In addition to the educational opportunities, the networking opportunities have always been a critical part of the annual Refresher.
“Frankly, the two of them go together because there is a lot of learning that takes place over coffee or refreshments or social get-togethers at the Refresher Course,” explains Paul.
In 1975, the same group of people who were key players in starting the annual Refresher realized that Alberta lawyers and the profession would benefit from creating an entity for continuing legal education and the bar admission course, and so LESA was created.
It’s now been over 30 years since the responsibility of organizing the Banff Refresher Course was transferred to LESA. In the beginning, the Refresher was held at the Banff Centre, then at the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel, and in 2006, the Annual Refresher moved to the current setting at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louse.
“It is an excellent facility and some of the best meeting space in the province for a function of this size. It’s also consistent with one of the goals of the Refresher, to pull people away from their office and put them in a very comfortable location that encourages people to focus on what they learned in the day and to network and discuss what they are learning outside the sessions. It enhances the relationships among practitioners in the area of practice. They get to meet face-to-face with the person on the other end of the phone or e-mail thread, ” explains Paul.
LESA invites you to be part of the 47th Annual Refresher: Civil Litigation at the beautiful Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise from April 27 to 29, 2014. Find out how you can save $250 on your registration!
