CBABC seeks candidates to appoint to the Law Foundation of British Columbia Board of Governors for a 3-year term beginning January 1, 2024. The representative will succeed Zulie Sachedina, who has greatly contributed to the work of the Foundation.
The Law Foundation of British Columbia is an independent non-profit foundation established in 1969 under the Legal Profession Act. The Foundation receives the interest on funds held in lawyers’ pooled trust accounts maintained in the banks and credit unions of the province. The Foundation in turn distributes these funds by way of grants.
The Legal Profession Act directs the Law Foundation to distribute these funds in five areas:
- Legal Education
- Legal Research
- Legal Aid
- Law Reform
- Law Libraries
The Foundation’s strategic plan focuses on the following areas of work:
- Lifting up Indigenous Justice Revitalization and Justice System Transformation
- Strengthening Structural Inclusion and Systemic Access to Justice
- Enabling Networked, Effective, and Accessible Legal and Advocacy Services
- Advancing the Public Interest Through Justice Initiatives
- Building a thriving Foundation
The mission, vision, and values that guide the Foundation’s work can be found here. The Board of Governors is committed in carrying out its purpose to advance its commitments under its Truth and Reconciliation Implementation Plan, the Philanthropic Community’s Declaration of Action, to which the Foundation is a signatory, and its commitment to racial justice.
For individuals who may be interested in an appointment to the Foundation’s Board of Governors, please be aware that the demands of being a governor are considerable – historically 10 to 15 days per year for a regular governor who is not chair of a committee. The annual workload of governors generally includes:
- Four to five daylong meetings (three of which occur on Saturdays) and associated preparation time
- Up to two additional 2.5 hour evening meetings to conduct urgent/time sensitive business
- Three to six evening committee meetings and associated preparation time
- A number of site visits to grantees, some which may require travel, to groups for which members of the Board serve as liaison governors
The Foundation is fortunate to have a very engaged Board and has close to 100% attendance at Board meetings.
The Foundation believes that a Board that reflects the communities it serves strengthens its ability to achieve its mission. The Foundation strongly encourages candidates who identify as Indigenous, racialized, members of non-dominant ethnic, religious, linguistic, and/or cultural groups, women, (im)migrants/newcomers, people with disabilities, and 2SLGBTQIA+ people to apply. Candidates may wish to contact the Foundation to be briefed on the governor role before their name is put forward for candidacy to ensure that they are familiar with, and ready for, the demands of this important work. If you wish to do so, please contact Jessi McCallum at jmccallum@lawfoundationbc.org.
CBABC will select a representative who meets these qualifications:
- CBA member who will maintain membership throughout the term of service
- Minimum 7 years call to the Bar in British Columbia
CBABC members who wish to be considered for this volunteer opportunity, please submit your letter of interest, and resume to the attention of Kerry L. Simmons KC, Chief Executive Officer & Executive Director, CBABC. Email: ea@cbabc.org. Deadline 5pm, December 12, 2023.