Pronouns in Court Toolkit

In December 2020, the Provincial Court of BC and the Supreme Court of BC introduced new directions on the use of pronouns and forms of address in court proceedings. The Court of Appeal revised its directions for appearing in court in 2019. To support these changes, the following resources have been prepared for members of the BC Bar.

Definitions and FAQs

Addresses common questions about sharing one’s pronouns, and provides a list of gender expression and identity definitions.


COUNSEL INTRODUCTION SCRIPTS

Includes a pronunciation guide along with examples of introductions and what can be included on the Supreme Court Appearance List.


The Lawyer's Daily

In defence of B.C.'s pronoun practice directives

Op-Ed by Brad Regehr, CBA President 2020/21 & Jennifer Brun, CBABC President 2020/21


National Magazine

No Need to Guess: Title and pronoun use in BC courts are changing with the times. It's only common sense.

Article by CBABC SOGIC Co-Chairs Dustin Klaudt (he/him) and Lisa Nevens (they/them)
Other SOGIC executive and members provided vital input to this article, including: Naomi Moses (they/them), Grace McDonell (she/her), and Florence Ashley (they/them).


Court Directions

BC Provincial Court      Notice to the Profession 24 (December 2020)

BC Supreme Court       Practice Direction 64 (January 2024)

BC Court of Appeal      Practice Directive “Appearing Before the Court” (March 2023)