2019

CLAS has received funding from the Department of Justice Canada to implement a new legal advice program for workplace sexual harassment in British Columbia; the Sexual Harassment Advice, Response, and Prevention for Work (SHARP Work) Program. CLAS is recruiting province-wide to develop a roster of lawyers (ad hoc lawyers) to assist us in providing this service.

Mr. Hughes’ contributions to the justice system, child protection reform, and conflict-of-interest rules leave a significant legacy and example of public service.

“The CBA would like to see eligibility for medical assistance in dying align more closely with the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision in Carter, and we support the government’s commitment to lead a collaboration with the provinces to achieve that end,” the CBA said in a statement. “We would be pleased to participate with the government in its work on end-of-life issues.”

Purpose The objective of this Notice to the Profession and Public is to outline the guidelines for using a support person (also referred to as a courtroom companion or “McKenzie friend”) in Provincial Court small claims or family proceedings. A support person may also be subject to any applicable provisions of the Legal Profession Act.

The Honourable J. Christopher Grauer, a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, is appointed a Justice of Appeal of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. The Honourable Peter H. Edelmann, Partner at Edelmann & Company Law Corporation in Vancouver, is appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia.

Lawyers are expressing disappointment that fixing mandatory minimum penalties (MMPs) is not on the federal government’s new list of justice priorities, but they are also welcoming Liberal commitments to stump up more cash to hire judges and Crowns and to create an independent body to review allegedly wrongful convictions.

CBABC congratulates the 2019 recipients of the Queen’s Counsel designation in recognition of their exceptional merit and contribution to the legal profession in British Columbia.

Provincial Court Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie announced today that British Columbia’s seventh Indigenous sentencing court will open in Williams Lake in April 2020.

"We have committed to an open, honest government that is accountable to Canadians, lives up to the highest ethical standards and applies the utmost care and prudence in the handling of public funds. I expect you to embody these values in your work and observe the highest ethical standards in everything you do. I want Canadians to look on their own government with pride and trust."

Society responds to gaps in legal education identified in Truth and Reconciliation Commission