Executives

Gigi Chen-Kuo was appointed Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of the Law Society in 2025 and is responsible for the overall strategy, key priorities and operation of the organization. Called to the Bar in 1991, Gigi worked in private practice before becoming in-house counsel for BC Transit and TransLink. At TransLink, she served in various leadership roles including General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, General Counsel & Executive Vice-President, Corporate Services, Interim Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer. Her experience in the complex and dynamic public transportation environment is proof of her strong track record in serving the public interest and managing change.

Gigi has extensive experience in governance and serves on the boards of Coast Capital Savings Credit Union, the British Columbia Automobile Association, Transportation Investment Corporation and Union Gospel Mission. She is also member of the Allard School of Law Dean’s Advisory Council at the University of British Columbia. In 2022, Gigi was nominated for a YWCA Women of Distinction Award in the Business & the Professions category and was a shortlisted nominee for the Women’s Infrastructure Network’s Outstanding Leader Award.

As Chief Operating Officer, Kerryn assists and advises the Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer on the overall operational management of the Law Society. She is responsible for the efficient and effective delivery of policy and strategic planning, information technology services, communications support, governance and information management, and the coordination of the work to be considered by the Executive Committee and the board. 

Kerryn joined the Law Society in 2014 and has progressively assumed more responsibilities, most recently occupying the role of Director, Governance, Privacy & Information Management. As part of the senior leadership team, she applies her broad knowledge of Law Society operations to take on new challenges and progress strategic priorities. Prior to joining the Law Society, Kerryn was a Senior Solicitor with the Office of Legal Counsel in the Ministry of Justice, in Wellington, New Zealand. She has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Wellington, New Zealand and was admitted to the High Court of New Zealand as a Barrister and Solicitor in May 2006.

Tara McPhail is our Chief Legal Officer. In this capacity, Tara is responsible for the Law Society’s professional regulation programs, including Intake & Early Resolution, Investigations, Discipline, Monitoring and Enforcement, Unauthorized Practice and Practice Standards. Tara also oversees the Society’s litigation management and the Alternative Processes and Administrative Penalties programs.

Tara has a combined 10 years of regulatory experience at the Law Society. She began her career as a management-side labour and employment lawyer with a national law firm before going in-house with a local police force. Tara is a frequent volunteer and has past international and legal volunteer experience. Tara is the past President and current board member of a federal not-for-profit organization, and a past board member of the BC College of Dental Hygienists and the Canadian Women Voters Congress.

Tara is a frequent speaker on the Law Society’s various activities and related legal topics. She obtained her Bachelors of Civil and Common Law from McGill University and her undergraduate degree from Queen’s University.

Jeanette McPhee has overall responsibility for Corporate Services (Finance, Human Resources, Properties, Facilities and Operations), Registration and Licensee Services, and Trust Regulation. She brings over 25 years of experience and has held various senior management positions, including CFO and secretary treasurer of Cascade Aerospace Inc., Vice-President of Finance at BCTV/CHEK-TV and a chartered accountant at a national CA firm. She has a Chartered Professional Accountant designation, a Bachelor of Business Administration from Simon Fraser University, and specialist certifications in risk management (CRMA) and anti-money laundering (CAMS). She is currently a board member of YMCA BC and the BC Unclaimed Property Society, and a past board member of Simon Fraser University, Surrey Food Bank Society, Seaton Woodward Foundation and the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia.

Su Forbes, KC has overall responsibility for the indemnity program that indemnifies lawyers for malpractice and dishonest appropriation. She has been a lawyer since 1982 and practised as civil litigation counsel in a broad range of areas before joining the Lawyers Indemnity Fund in 1987. She was appointed director of the Lawyers Indemnity Fund in 1998 and received her Queen’s Counsel designation in 2002. Su has made presentations about the program and managing the risks of practice to a variety of audiences, including the Canadian and American Bar Associations, BC Continuing Legal Education, UBC Faculty of Law, Canadian Captive Insurance Association, LawAsia, and the International Association of Defence Counsel.  She has twice been the president of the National Association of Bar-Related Insurance Companies, a group of lawyers’ professional liability mutuals, reciprocals and insurance companies and programs across North America.

Lesley Small is responsible for overseeing management of practice support for lawyers, including remedial education and intervention, admission to the bar and bar examinations through the Professional Legal Training Course, and the credentials department.

Lesley joined the Law Society 1994 and was the Manager and Deputy Director of Credentials and Licensing from 2003 to 2020. As part of the senior leadership team, she brings more than 25 years of experience at the Law Society to help guide its strategic and operational decisions.