The Legal Professions Act, which brings lawyers, notaries and paralegals under a single regulator, passed in May 2024 with an anticipated transition process of 18-24 months. Concerns about whether the Act infringes constitutional requirements for an independent bar, and whether it engages sections 2, 7 and 8 of the Charter, led to a full hearing before the BC Supreme Court.
The CBA intervened to emphasise the indispensable role of lawyers in the justice system and the importance of an independent bar. In a decision released in April 2026, the Court upheld the legislation.
