PD Program Proposals

Given the nature of the Bar in New Brunswick, programs rotate between communities so one community does not host all of the events. 

Planning a PD Event? Here are three tips to keep in mind:

  • PD programs are coordinated with the PD committee and Branch office staff. 
  • Consider holding joint PD events with other Sections.
  • Schedule early: Planning should take place at least six months prior to the proposed event.  

Program Proposals

The PD Committee reviews the proposals received at its meeting in February and June and contacts the program chairs following those meetings to advise them of the status of their proposals.  A budget is submitted by the PD Committee in May for the following year, to the Executive Director so that it may be included in the Branch budget process.

Due to the holiday periods, no seminars are scheduled between July 1st and August 31st or between December 15th and January 15th.  No PD shall be scheduled two weeks before or two weeks immediately after the MidWinter meeting.

The Program Chair(s) or Organizing Committee are responsible for the substantive content of the PD programs.  The PD Program Coordinator (staff) works with the Program Chair(s) or Organizing Committee to develop the brochure and budget.  Staff are responsible for confirming the meeting space, booking a block of hotel rooms, printing and distribution of the promotional material, printing and distribution of the conference materials as well as all other administrative and logistical tasks related to the conference and conference follow-up.

Program materials (papers and submissions) are to be submitted to the branch at least two weeks prior to the session for copying and insertion into the PD binders. It is desirable to have materials for distribution to PD participants so that they may have reference material for later.

 A. Full-Day Programs

Full-day programs are designed to cover basic areas of practice and should be repeated every two years e.g. Real Property, Wills and Estates, Civil Litigation, Commercial, Family and Administrative Law.  Other areas which should be done every three years are Criminal, Environmental, Legal Admin Assistants, Loss Prevention & Law Office Management.  Additional programs can be designed as needed and discussion of new legislation is always welcome.

Programs or events can be organized in various ways.  These include:

  • Lecture
  • Panel presentations
  • Debate
  • Workshops
  • Demonstrations
  • Fact situations or case studies

Normally, to properly cover the material presented you need to allow at least thirty (30) minutes per speaker.  In order to engage your audience it is always a good idea to include at least ten (10) minutes for questions from the floor.

It is strongly recommended that organizers plan a conference call among all the speakers, so that they have an opportunity to learn in advance what each of the others will be dealing with in the presentation.  If this is not possible, speakers should be encouraged to circulate an outline of their papers.  The Branch Staff is available to set up these calls, or forward materials for you.

B. Lunch and Learns

These two hour programs are based on a narrow topic with a specific focus that can be delivered in a short period of time.  They can be held over noon hour, from 12-2 pm and can include up to two or three speakers, depending on the topic and time required for each presentation.  These Lunch and Learns include lunch for the registrants and the speakers.  A moderator is helpful, although ABC-NB-CBA staff or Directors can assist in providing a welcome, and general opening comments.  In general ABC-NB-CBA attempts to reduce all expenses for these events, and therefore most speakers are from the local area.  Judges are excellent resources for ‘Lunch and Learn’ programming and offer a variety of topics for general practice.

C. Mid-Winter

The deadline for submission of proposals for the Mid-Winter Meeting is May 31st of each year.  The Mid-Winter Meeting Committee begins planning in the spring into the summer for the following February meeting. Sections are encouraged to suggest potential speakers for MidWinter or other events that may be of general interest to members. There are specific guidelines for the MidWinter Meeting and Program Chairs are encouraged to review the MidWinter Meeting Policy Manual.

  • Morning sessions are 3 hours (180 minutes).  Please plan for a 20 minute break about mid-way through the presentations.
  • No more than 3 presenters are recommended for the morning sessions.
  • Afternoon sessions are 3 hours (180 minutes) and have a short break.
  • No more than 3 presenters are recommended for the afternoon sessions.
  • Build in time for questions and answers from the audience (10-15 minutes).
  • Introductions take time, as does the physical movement of speakers to and from the podium