The Canadian Bar Association (CBA) In-House Lawyers’ new comprehensive professional development (CPD) program, running from Feb. 12 to May 21, caters specifically to current and future in-house counsel and focuses on their career growth beyond their daily legal responsibilities.
In a press release announcing the launch, the association shared that the CPD program titled “Designing Your In-House Career: A 4-Part Series on Strategy, Brand, and Leadership” will acknowledge in-house counsel’s unique career challenges.
CBA In-House Lawyers added that the series will tackle the distinct career management issues facing in-house legal professionals not formally trained in career strategy in the in-house context as they balance complex legal, business, and leadership demands.
The association noted that the career development series aims to help in-house lawyers:
- Steer their career trajectory instead of awaiting opportunities
- Strengthen their professional brand within and beyond their organization
- Develop practical leadership skills responsive to in-house realities
Paulette Nnorom, a lawyer coach, will lead the four-part live webinar series. The CPD program includes concrete tools, reflection prompts, examples applying to in-house professionals, and practical skills and strategies for designing objectives, transforming experience into business-focused value, and improving natural leadership styles.
Program structure
According to the association’s press release, the series comprises four one-hour sessions from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. ET. The planned timeline is as follows:
- Building Your One-Year Plan (Feb. 12): This session aims to help participants deactivate autopilot mode, single out key strengths and development areas, understand what progress looks like, and set intentional goals for 2026 with realistic roadmaps and built-in accountability measures.
- Positioning Yourself for Success with Your Resume (Mar. 5): This session aims to help in-house professionals translate traditional legal experience into business-focused value on their LinkedIn profiles, including by aligning their resumes with in-house expectations, framing their work in terms of impact instead of tasks, networking, and leveraging connections.
- Understanding Your Personal Leadership Style (Apr. 9): This session aims to help in-house lawyers learn about their natural leadership tendencies and communication styles, adapt approaches to various stakeholders and business partners, and lead confidently and credibly, given that in-house roles demand influence even without formal leadership titles.
- Identifying Opportunities and Leaning In (May 21): This session aims to help in-house counsel deliver strategic contributions rather than remain in reactive mode, including by identifying growth opportunities in routinary work, make their voices heard when appropriate, assume stretch roles without overcommitting, and promote trust and visibility across organizations and business units.
For the complete series, members can register through the association’s website for $150, while non-members can register for $325, with flexible participation options available.
CBA In-House Lawyers noted that registrants for the full series will get a digital copy of the 2026 Career Planner Workbook for the 21st Century Lawyer, a framework with quarterly review tools for clarifying goals, aligning goals, and advancing progress this year.
For individual sessions, members can register for $50, while non-members can register for $100. To address packed in-house schedules, the association offers live and on-demand sessions.