Our latest news highlights:
LSS asks Aboriginal lawyers and students to join list [posted August 16, 2010]
In support of the Benchers’ strategic objective to retain more Aboriginal lawyers in the legal profession, the Law Society is assisting a Legal Services Society initiative. LSS is creating a list of Aboriginal lawyers and articled students who are interested in supporting each other and improving access to legal services for Aboriginal people in BC.
According to research commissioned by LSS, First Nations people prefer to speak with an Aboriginal person and, if they are unable to do so, may not seek the legal help they need. Pamela Shields, the Aboriginal Services Program Manager for LSS, says, “one of the tools we need to improve legal services for First Nations people is a list of Aboriginal lawyers. We’re looking for people with either practising or non-practising status who are willing to, now or in the future, work with Aboriginal communities or individuals and consider being part of a network to support each other and possibly mentor other Aboriginal lawyers, articled students and law students.” The list is voluntary and there is no obligation to take on legal aid clients or articled students if you choose to sign up.
To join or get more information, contact Pamela Shields at pamela.shields@lss.bc.ca or 604-601-6298.
[back to top]
HST on legal fees [posted July 15, 2010]
Effective July 1, 2010, PST is eliminated and lawyers are instead required to collect HST. However, collection of PST continues under rules established for transition to HST. When billing for legal services provided before and after July 1, lawyers must charge PST and GST (but not HST) if 90% or more of the services are performed before July 1. If less than 90% of the legal services are performed before July 1, lawyers must charge PST, GST and HST based on the proportion of services performed before and after July 1. PST collection requirements continue under the transition rules until December 31, 2010.
For more information, see HST Law Practice FAQ (PDF), a publication of the Continuing Legal Eduation Society.
[back to top]
2010 Practice Checklists Manual [posted July 15, 2010]
The 2010 checklists are now available in the Practice Support section of the website in two formats, Word and PDF.
The Practice Checklists Manual has been a leading resource for BC lawyers in several key practice areas since the first edition was published in 1984. The publication moved online nine years ago and has proved very popular, with lawyers downloading 60,000 individual checklists in 2009.
Go to the 2010 Practice Checklists Manual.
[back to top]
Pro Bono Going Public 2010 – September 2 in in Victoria, September 8 in Kelowna and September 10 in Vancouver [posted July 14, 2010]
Access Pro Bono (APB) seeks Vancouver, Kelowna and Victoria lawyers to volunteer for its free legal advice-a-thon in September. In each outdoor advice-a-thon location, volunteer lawyers will provide free legal advice within their particular areas of expertise to one or two pre-booked or drop-in clients. Clients will be low- and modest-income individuals who may otherwise have limited access to traditional free legal advice clinics.
APB urges you to register today and participate in this event designed to serve the public, spread awareness around lawyers' efforts to increase access to justice, and raise $30,000 or more for BC's pro bono programs.
More information on Pro Bono Going Public 2010 is available at www.advice-a-thon.ca.
[back to top]
New Supreme Court civil and family rules [posted April 19; updated July 5, 2010]
The new Supreme Court rules took effect on July 1, 2010; see New Supreme Court Civil and Family Rules on the Ministry of Attorney General website.
Effective July 1, the court has issued new Practice Directions and Administrative Notices, and all practice directions and notices to the profession issued prior to that date, with the exception of the Criminal Practice Directions and the Electronic Evidence Practice Direction, are rescinded. A new numbering system has been adopted, with the notices and directions each having a separate numerical sequence.
For the most part, the new notices and directions reflect changes made necessary to accurately reference the new Supreme Court Rules and Forms, but do not alter substantive content. As new Practice Directions and Administrative Notices are required, they will be issued in the same format and in a continuing numerical sequence.
See Practice Directions and Administrative Notices on the Supreme Court's website for the new directions and notices, as well as an Index and Table of Concordance.
[back to top]
Law Foundation Legal Research Fund [posted June 23, 2010]
The Law Foundation of BC has established a fund of $100,000 per year to support legal research projects. To be eligible for funding, a project must fall within the Foundation’s legal research fund objectives of advancing t the knowledge of law, social policy, and the administration of justice through the identification of areas and issues needing study, and the encouragement and support of projects to address those needs. The Fund is open to BC lawyers.
For more information on the Legal Research Fund and the application process, download the Law Foundation notice (PDF).
[back to top]
Inspiring Stories Connecting Future Leaders attracts a diverse group of lawyers, students and others [posted June 17; updated June 30, 2010]
One hundred lawyers, law students and other interested people attended the Law Society’s Inspiring stories connecting future leaders event on June 16. Aboriginal leaders in the legal profession, including Grand Chief Edward John and Elizabeth Hunt, whose practice focuses on Aboriginal law, shared their own inspirational stories with the audience. Tina Dion, a lawyer and President of the Scow Institute, told the audience about the groundbreaking career of retired Judge Alfred Scow, the first Aboriginal person in BC to graduate from law school, to become a member of the Bar and to be appointed to the Bench.
Dion told the audience about Scow’s advice to an Aboriginal lawyer considering the Bench. He advised, “don’t stop until you get it, and do the best job that you can when you get there.” Judge Scow’s own remarks were met with a spontaneous standing ovation from those who attended.
Hunt talked to the audience about how over the course of her practice she has redefined what success means to her, “I feel that I may not have been a downtown success,” said Hunt, “but the bigger success for me lies in the fact that I have become the person that the creator is intending me to be and a parent that is involved in a meaningful way.” She described balancing her part-time practice with two children and how her children think “anyone coming up the driveway is a client and they know to ‘meet, greet and retreat.’”
Chief John told the audience about how as a UBC law student he got into a debate with his professor about hearsay evidence and how in his opinion Aboriginal stories should be an exception to the rule. His evidence professor was Beverley McLachlin, now Chief Justice of Canada, who later discussed that very issue in one of the court’s rulings.
Law Society President Glen Ridgway, QC told the audience about his own interaction as a young lawyer in the court room with Judge Scow, who Ridgway said was respected by the Bar as an outstanding judge. Ridgway reiterated to Judge Scow and the rest of the attendees that the Benchers “have identified retaining Aboriginal lawyers in the legal profession as one of the key objectives in the current strategic plan. This event is part of that,” he said.
Patrick Kelly, who served as an Appointed Bencher until the end of May, told the audience in his closing remarks, “this isn’t the end of the Law Society’s interest in this area. We are working on a number of initiatives and strategies to help retain Aboriginal lawyers.”
The Law Society is undertaking a demographic project to better understand the participation of Aboriginal lawyers. And, as the Society did in 2009 with women in the legal profession, is going to develop a business case for diversity, including the retention and advancement of Aboriginal lawyers.
The event was moderated by the CBC’s Duncan McCue, who was called to the BC Bar in 1998.
[back to top]
Provincial government appoints three new governors to Law Society board [posted June 1, 2010]
The provincial government has named Satwinder Bains, Benjimen Meisner and Claude H. Richmond as appointed non-lawyer members of the Law Society governing board, known as the Benchers. Appointed Benchers are selected to represent the public and work with the elected lawyer Benchers to ensure the public is well served by a competent and honourable legal profession.
For more information, see the News Release.
[back to top]
2009 Annual Review and audited Financial Statements now available online [posted May 19, 2010]
In our 2009 Annual Review: Regulating Lawyers in the Public Interest for 125 Years, we report on our progress in the first full year of implementing the society’s three-year Strategic Plan. We also provide results from the second full year of Key Performance Measures for our core regulatory operations. These measures provide management and the Benchers with a means for assessing the effectiveness of our programs and opportunities for improvement. They are a critical part of our regulatory transparency and are intended to inform the public as well as lawyers, the media and government.
In consideration of cost-savings and our environmental footprint, the Law Society elected to distribute the 2009 Annual Review (PDF) in electronic form. The audited Financial Statements (PDF) for 2009 will be mailed to all BC lawyers in accordance with the rules.
[back to top]
CPD and mentoring [posted February 4, 2010]
The Law Society has now posted a Frequently Asked Questions page about the new CPD-accredited mentorship program, which came into effect January 1: see Licensing & Membership/CPD/Mentoring.
Members may also be interested to know the University of Victoria’s law school offers CPD-accredited programs free of charge to BC lawyers. For more information, visit UVIC’s website at www.law.uvic.ca/news/news_story.php?id=170.
[back to top] |
