Council is the governing body of the Society in governing and administering the affairs of the Society and must ensure that the Society carries out its purposes.
To fulfill its role and its governance responsibilities, Council shall:
- set the Society's strategic directions following periodic review;
- approve the Society's strategic plan and activity plans;
- approve the Society's annual budget, a policy on reserve funds, and receive regular financial reports from the Executive Director;
- promote and practice effective governance and evaluate its own effectiveness, as well as the individual effectiveness of Council members through self-evaluation;
- perform all functions assigned to it by the Law Society Act, 1996, the Law Society General Rules and these policies;
- oversee the development of standards that the Society is required to develop pursuant to Section 5 of the Act;
- appoint and receive reports from committees, task forces and representatives to outside bodies as required;
- ensure that the terms of reference for committees and task forces are current and relevant and that volunteers are appropriately engaged in order to assist Council in carrying out its role;
- hire and oversee the performance of the Executive Director;
- be fully informed, through briefings and ongoing dialogue with the stakeholders, of the trends affecting the administration of justice and the legal profession and the risks facing the Society;
- approve any external relations policy, communications policy, or other policies as necessary; and
- engage the membership with regard to the work of the Society.