A Year in Review with CBA-NS President, Kathleen McManus, KC, PhD
July 21, 2023
Kathleen McManus, KC, PhD, has been President of the CBA-NS Branch as of September 1, 2022, with her term coming to a close on August 31, 2023. As Kathleen begins wrapping up her Presidential year with the Nova Scotia Branch, we take a look back over this fulfilling and eventful year.
A brief background:
Kathleen McManus attended Dalhousie University where she received her Bachelor of Arts, after which she attended the London School of Economics and Political Science [LSE], where she received her PhD in Constitutional History, ultimately returning to Schulich Law School [Dalhousie University] for her Bachelor of Laws. McManus clerked with Arthur J. Stone, Federal Court of Appeal, before beginning his practice in Ottawa as a litigator with Justice Canada. Being from Halifax originally, when an opportunity arose to join the Atlantic Regional Office [ARO] of Justice Canada, located in Halifax, she decided to return “home”!
Kathleen continued to work as Senior Counsel for the Department of Justice (Canada) until January 2023, when she was appointed a member of the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board.
Kathleen has remained active in her community and profession throughout the years, teaching part-time for over 20 years at Dalhousie, and co-founding [along with past-President Agnes MacNeil] the Crown Law Symposium in 2018; which just celebrated its 5th annual event with over 240 attendees, and 30 speakers over two days! Kathleen is also a big music lover, especially partial to jazz and classical music, and continues to study the art of playing the piano, alto saxophone, and classical guitar!
Q&A:
Q: What drew you to getting involved in CBA?
A: Initially, as a Federal lawyer, although I practiced in Atlantic Canada, I never seemed to have a lot of cases actually in Nova Scotia, so I didn’t often have the organic opportunity to meet and network with colleagues in the province, but the CBA seemed a great way to network and meet colleagues locally. I also enjoy creating and assisting with continuing legal education, CLE, so I initially got involved with CBA through the professional development committee. Through joining the CBA I got the opportunity to engage with a great group of people who are members of the Nova Scotia Bar, and create connections I’ve kept for many years.
Q: Did you have specific priorities for your year as President that you focused on?
A: The focus for the year for me was to continue to help the Branch transition from the restrictions of the pandemic, and start to move things forward! This was the year that we were fully able to once again offer some of our significant in-person events; a return to “normal”. My goal was to create Branch events and CLE offerings in a way that would offer an opportunity for folks to gather and come together to not only make new connections, but to reconnect with many familiar faces and colleagues that members hadn’t really had the opportunity to do over the last few years.
Another focus of mine for the year was to take a look at what events we wanted to bring back, and if we could add in a new one or two as well. With help from the amazing staff at the Branch, we focused on the creation of a new event this year, the President’s Reception, which we hosted to welcome the incoming Board members and new Chairs and Vice-Chairs, as well as thank our outgoing Board and Chairs. It was a great opportunity to gather the hardworking volunteers, and is now confirmed as an annual September event each year to help us kick-off the start of another great year!
Another event created this year was the Past-President’s Dinner. In the Branch office one day I was looking at all the photos and awards on the wall of Past-Presidents and recipients, many of whom are still practicing. I thought, “What do we do to stay in touch with these valuable volunteers who have so much knowledge to offer, of which we’d be so thankful for” - and the Past-President’s Dinner was born! The event was a wonderful success and brought together many dedicated volunteers from over the years, some of them being involved for over four decades. There was a lot of reminiscing and sharing of valuable knowledge, history and context, that our younger lawyers around the table greatly benefited from.
Lastly, I committed to bringing back the Bench and Bar Dinner, which hadn’t taken place in five years. Unsure of what people’s thoughts would be on attending, or how we would go about coordinating it, we forged ahead. We struck a committee of three past-Presidents and with their tireless efforts and support [along with the amazing staff!], the event sold out in four weeks. The feedback from members was amazing, they loved the occasion and like the President’s Reception, this event is now set to be an annual event year after year.
Q: As your Presidential term nears its conclusion, what are you most proud of over the past year?
A: I think I’d say, I’m most proud of bringing back key events like the Bench & Bar, President’s reception, and organizing the past-Presidents event. All these events contribute to maintaining our connections with the legal community in Nova Scotia, and offering opportunities for our colleagues to gather.
Q: What would you say to other lawyers looking to get involved with CBA?
A: Looking back over this past year, and thinking about the Past-President’s dinner specifically, it struck me how much of a life-long enriching activity getting involved in the CBA is - both through personal connections and professionally. Those who get involved in the CBA are truly interested in participating and giving back to their profession, and those are fantastic people to get to know as you begin and maintain your legal career. The connections you make through CBA can be such a huge support for you and your career moving forward.
Final thoughts:
As we wrapped up our discussion, Kathleen wanted to thank the staff of CBA-NS, noting how they honestly do go above and beyond, which allows you to enjoy the great job you’re doing as a volunteer. A special thank you to Ian and Larissa for all their support. Finally, a sincere thank you to the Board members and all the CBA-NS volunteers who help propel everything we do at the Branch.