Bclma

The British Columbia Legal Management Association (formerly VALA) was founded in 1972 by a group of professionals then referred to as "office managers". They were the pioneers in a new career - law firm management. The BCLMA was formed about a year after the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) was founded, but it wasn't until 1982 that the BCLMA became an official chapter of ALA. These pioneers of the profession had to pay their own dues in the early years as the benefits of the association weren't well recognized by the lawyers, and the need to pay dues to both BCLMA and ALA proved onerous for some. With benefits soon proven, the issue of paying dues to both the local and international organization became less of an issue and BCLMA joined the ALA family, eventually sending two of its own on to the international board. The first meetings were held on a monthly basis at the old Lawyers' Inn on Dunsmuir Street. Most of the speakers were from the chapters and the meetings featured broad sharing of information. Topics included the latest in typewriters, photocopiers and the newest invention of the time - the computer. When the new courthouse was completed, monthly meetings moved to the new Law Courts Inn. When it was suggested that dinner costs be included in membership fees, the BCLMA's treasury grew to being capable of providing world class programming for its members. ...