BARTALK EDITORIAL POLICY

Download a PDF of the BarTalk Editorial Policy

1.0 PURPOSE

BarTalk is a publication of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch and covers legal news and issues from around BC.

CBABC’s mission includes promoting equality, diversity and inclusiveness in the legal profession and the justice system as well as providing opportunities for members to connect and contribute to the legal community. BarTalk plays a critical role in supporting this mission by delivering topical, practice-oriented and instructive content relevant to legal professionals working across British Columbia. BarTalk aims to broaden the minds of our readers and improve the law and administration of justice in BC.

BarTalk brings unique value to readers by publishing viewpoints and content from a diverse group of forward-thinking columnists and feature writers. The magazine strives to be an inclusive platform with dedicated space for equity-seeking groups.

2.0 PUBLICATION

2.1   FORMAT & FREQUENCY

BarTalk is published online six times per year at cbabc.org/bartalk as web content and in a PDF format. Online publication is generally on the first Friday of February, April, June, August, October and December.

BarTalk is printed in magazine format three times per year for the February, June and October issues.  

2.2  DISTRIBUTION

The online and PDF versions are available to all CBABC members and the public via the online platform (cbabc.org/bartalk). An email notification is sent on the publication date to all CASL-compliant CBABC members including law students.

The print magazine is distributed by mail to all CBABC members excluding law students on or near the online publication dates for those three issues.

3.0  ROLES & RESPONSIBLITIES

3.1  EDITORIAL COMMITTEE 

The purpose of the BarTalk Editorial Committee (the “Committee”) is to oversee and guide the content of BarTalk and enforce editorial policy and standards. The Committee is accountable to the CBABC Board of Directors and the Executive Director.

The Committee’s responsibilities are as follows:

1. Ensure that the BarTalk Editorial Policies are followed in content development and production.

2. Direct the Editor in selection of lead stories, featured lawyers and other matters of content.

3. Review every issue before publication for policy compliance, professionalism and alignment to BarTalk’s purpose.

4. Participate in periodic reviews of all aspects of BarTalk for improvement.

5. Direct the Editor to conduct a periodic survey of readers on satisfaction, expectations, interests and suggestions relevant to their experience with BarTalk.

The Committee is made up of CBABC member volunteers and CBABC staff. Volunteers are assigned for a one-year renewable term from September 1 to August 31 by the Board of Directors. The Board seeks to ensure diversity on the committee relative to year of call, practice type, gender, race and geography.

The Committee meets at least six times per year to propose content and identify themes for upcoming issues. Additionally, the Committee generally meets every two years to review reader feedback, policy and general direction.

3.2  PRODUCTION TEAM

CBABC staff from the Communications & Marketing department produce the magazine, with oversight of the Director responsible for BarTalk (“Production Team”). 

The Production Team edits the magazine following the Canadian Press guidelines. All submissions are edited for style and consistency, while maintaining the essence of the article. If there are numerous stylistic inconsistencies, the article will be returned to the author for further review and resubmission.

The Production Team also manages all aspects of producing the magazine in its various formats (print, PDF, online), as well as promotion of each BarTalk issue. A regular review of delivery methods and formatting of BarTalk publications is conducted, and changes are proposed or implemented with approval of the Director responsible for BarTalk and/or the Executive Director.

If the Editorial Committee has any concern related to the performance of the Production Team as it relates to the production of BarTalk, the Chair will bring such concerns to the attention of the Executive Director.

3.3  CONTRIBUTORS

To maintain high quality and authentic content, the Committee seeks to engage content contributors who offer a range of writing styles and life experiences, drawing from diverse cultures, demographics, geography, practice setting, and area of law. Priority is given to contributors who are subject matter experts or have significant experience in the topic on which they are writing, whether this be through the lens of a lawyer, judge, professor, or student. On a limited basis, BarTalk accepts content from non-legal professionals, provided the content is still relevant to the legal or justice system.

Typically, contributors are sourced through CBABC Sections and Committees, along with approaching individuals or organizations known to be subject matter experts in their fields. In addition, the Committee considers contributors who approach BarTalk with a submitted topic or article.

The opinions and views expressed by BarTalk's contributors are their own, and do not necessarily reflect CBABC’s viewpoint or position. CBABC does not accept responsibility for views expressed in articles or other contributions that appear in its pages.

Contributors can claim up to six hours of CPD credit for writing articles in BarTalk.

4.0 CONTENT

4.1  THEMES

Each issue has a “theme” around which the Feature Articles are developed. Themes are recommended by the Editorial Committee and approved by the Executive Director. They are generally identified twelve months in advance of publication and documented in the BarTalk Publication Schedule.

Themes should be of relatively broad appeal to the legal profession. Generally, no more than four themes per year relate to specific areas of law, and at least two issues are dedicated to practice management, business management or professionalism concepts. Occasionally, a special theme is identified (i.e., Law Foundation 50^th Anniversary).

4.2  STYLE GUIDELINES

All contributors are required to follow the BarTalk Style Guide available at the time of their contribution. The Production Team and Editorial Committee review content in accordance with the Style Guide.

4.3  CONTENT TYPES

BarTalk includes several content types, as outlined below. Guidelines specific to each content type are provided in the sections that follow.

Type	Content	Pages allotted
Articles	Feature articles written on theme	10
Permanent Columns	President, Executive Director, Indigenous Matters	3
Recurring Columns	Recurring columnists approved by the Committee	3
Branch News	Branch content typically covering Advocacy, Sections, Professional Development	4
Community News	Content provided by legal community partners	2
Advertising	Paid advertising and sponsored content	5
BarMoves	Free listings for members to announce job changes	2
Other	Cover, Table of Contents	1
	Guest Articles, Branch awards, CBA news, CBABC ads	2/as needed
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4.3 ARTICLES

Purpose: Topics related to the magazine theme are examined by a selection of subject matter experts.

Procedure: The Committee determines a theme and proposes specific topics for each issue during bi-monthly planning meetings. Writers are then approached by the Committee and Editor to develop feature articles based on suggested topics. Guest articles are accepted when a contributor makes a submission that has important and timely content but is off-theme for any upcoming issues. Article ideas and contributors are approved approximately four months in advance of publication date. Content is submitted four weeks prior to the publication date.

Content	Cadence & Placement	Requirements
Feature Article	Print issues typically have 10 feature articles, with occasional online extra articles. Digital issues can include more than 10 feature articles.   Articles appear throughout the magazine, with more than 50% appearing in the front half.	Topics on theme for the magazine issue. Typically, writers are approached for a one-time contribution.
Guest Article	Typically included in addition to the 10 feature articles. On average 0-2 guest articles per issue. Space dependant.	Very topical or broad appeal content, not on theme.

4.4 PERMANENT COLUMNS

Purpose:  Permanent columns are dedicated to the current Branch President and Executive Director as well as to Indigenous content and contributors.

Procedure: Columnists prepare their articles bi-monthly within the context of their point of view.

Columnists have the option, but are not required, to write related to the theme identified for each BarTalk issue.

Content is submitted four weeks prior to the publication date.

Content	Cadence & Placement	Requirements
From the President	Page 4 Every publication	Written by the current CBABC President. Generally addresses big themes related to CBABC’s mission, strategic plan or developments in the BC legal profession.
Executive Director	Page 5 Every publication	Written by the CBABC Executive Director. Generally addresses big themes related to CBABC’s mission, strategic plan or developments in the BC legal profession. Often coordinated with and complementary to President’s message.
Indigenous Matters	One article in every publication, with option to expand to two, if space available. Placement varies	An Indigenous perspective on current affairs, written on theme when possible. Generally written by Indigenous lawyers as identified by the Aboriginal Lawyers Forum representative on the Committee.

4.5  RECURRING COLUMNS

Purpose:  A recurring columnist shares an opinion on a consistent subject or defined point of view. Readers may be drawn to the magazine to read a specific columnist. Columnists have the option, but are not required, to write “on theme”.

Columnist Selection: Columnists are selected by the Committee and appointed for a period covering up to 12 issues. Generally, there are a maximum of three recurring columnists at any time. If there are more than three, a rotation schedule is established whereby not every columnist appears in every issue.

The Committee evaluates potential columnists on the following criteria:

• Previous experience and samples of writing for BarTalk or similar publications.

• A proposed column “point of view” that is differentiated from other columns and considered by the Committee to be of interest to the BC legal profession.

• Demonstrated expertise in the column’s general subject matter or point of view (for example, a lawyer within a firm or solo practice that focuses on family law would be suited to do a regular column on family law).

• Considerations are given to life experiences and a perspective that is diverse, articulate and beneficial to the overall CBABC membership (diversity, for this purpose, includes but is not limited to gender, culture, ethnicity, age and geography).

• Columnists must be able to commit a total of 12 issues and maintain reliable and timely delivery of articles.

• Throughout their term, columnists must be CBA members in good standing.

The Committee reserves the right to cancel a columnist’s term with 30 days notice if any of the above criteria are no longer met.

Prior to the completion of their term, a recurring columnist is reviewed by the Committee and may be invited to continue their column for an additional term of up to 12 issues. Columnists who are not renewed are informed 60 days prior to their term’s completion.

Procedure: During their assigned term, columnists prepare their articles bi-monthly within the context of their point of view. Content is submitted four weeks prior to the publication date.

The list of current columnists with their subject/point of view and any unique specifications are documented in BarTalk Current Contributors.

4.6  BRANCH NEWS

Purpose: Provides recent or current Branch updates on topics related to Advocacy, Sections, Professional Development, Awards, and more. Branch News contributors have the option, but are not required, to write “on theme”.

Procedure: Content is developed by CBABC staff and submitted four weeks prior to the publication date. The final space available for this content is usually allocated after reviewing the current issue’s layout.

The list of current Branch News contributors and any unique specifications are documented in BarTalk Current Contributors. 

4.7     COMMUNITY NEWS

Purpose: Recent industry or organizational updates produced by key legal community organizations. Community News contributors have the option, but are not required, to write “on theme”.

Contributor Selection: Content is provided by select legal community organizations. Additional legal community organizations may be considered at the discretion of the Committee for inclusion on a short- or long-term basis. Generally, there are a maximum of four legal community contributors at any time. If there are more than four, a rotation schedule is established whereby not every contributor appears in every issue.

Procedure: Content is provided by select community organizations and submitted four weeks prior to the publication date. The final space available for this content is usually allocated after reviewing the current issue’s layout. If space is not available in the print or PDF format of a particular issue, contributors are given the option to be included only online or defer their contributed content to a future issue.

The list of current Community News contributors and any unique specifications are documented in BarTalk Current Contributors.

4.8  BAR MOVES

Purpose: This popular section of BarTalk helps to build community by showcasing individuals who have changed organizations and roles.

Procedure: Space is free to members on a first-come first-served basis by contacting BarTalk@CBABC.org. Space permitting, non-members may also be published for a fee. Unlimited space is available in the online version of BarTalk.

Content	Cadence & Placement	Requirements
BarMoves	Last two inside pages. Sometimes less depending on number of submissions.	30-word description and high-resolution headshot

4.9  ADVERTISING

Purpose: Advertisers have an opportunity to communicate with BarTalk readership, which generates revenue to support the print production of BarTalk.

Editorial Independence: All editorial decisions are managed by the Committee and are not to be influenced by interests of the advertisers. Working with advertisers or accepting financial support does not mean CBABC endorses their product or service.

Procedure: Generally, up to five pages of the print and PDF formats are available for paid advertising, including any sponsored content. This amount may increase for special issues. Display advertising is available online at cbabc.org/bartalk.

Advertisers supply their advertisements or sponsored content four weeks prior to publication date for the print and PDF formats. Online ads are supplied at least seven days prior to publication.

CBABC staff maintain and publish a BarTalk Media Kit with current pricing, specifications, timelines and other details.

Sponsored Content: Sponsored content is long-form narrative advertising available in full or half-page formats. The Production Team is responsible for editing and laying out the content within magazine guidelines. Sponsored content must be clearly identified as paid advertising, and no more than one sponsored content article may appear in a single issue.

CBABC Advertising: CBABC promotes Branch programs and other initiatives with advertisements placed to fill pages as necessary.