The Law Society is seeking applicants from lawyers and members of the public from outside the practice of law to serve on its hearing panels.
The Law Society of British Columbia regulates lawyers in the public interest by ensuring that the people of BC are served by lawyers who meet high standards of learning, competence and professional conduct. Law Society hearing panels hear cases related to allegations of discipline violations and incompetence by lawyers. Panels also conduct hearings on the character and fitness of applicants for enrolment in the admission program and for call and admission as new lawyers. Review boards hear appeals from hearing panel decisions.
Hearing panel membership includes lawyers and members of the public in order to ensure broader input and maintain public confidence in the hearing process. Hearing panels consist of two lawyers and an individual who is not a lawyer. Review boards consist of five members, at least one whom is not a lawyer.
Individuals are invited to apply for appointment to the pool from which members of hearing panels and review boards are drawn. Public appointees are compensated at $350 per hearing day. Reasonable expenses for all pool members are reimbursed. Assignment to hearings will be on an as-needed basis. The term of appointment to the hearing panel pool is four years, renewable once.
The Law Society is particularly interested in including representation of Indigenous communities among its hearing panel pool membership.
Successful applicants must
- not be a current employee of or contractor to the Law Society,
- not be elected to political office or a declared candidate for office or nomination at the federal or provincial level of government, and
- not be the subject of or a complainant in an outstanding complaint about a lawyer in British Columbia.
All individuals appointed to the hearing panel pool are required to take a training course in administrative justice and the Law Society processes. Lawyer members are required to take training courses on hearing skills and decision-writing. Public appointees are encouraged, but not required, to attend those courses as well.
Criteria for public appointees include the following:
- Community service and recognition
- Board experience
- Career leadership / professional or management experience
- regulatory experience
- decision-making skills (judgment, independence and objectivity; patience; decisiveness)
- good oral and written communication skills
Please note that former lawyers and lawyers from other jurisdictions do not qualify for appointment to the public pool.
Criteria for lawyer applicants include the following:
- Outstanding legal career, including:
- Excellence in chosen area(s) of law
- Teaching experience – law school, CLE
- Contributions to the profession
- A variety of practice backgrounds, with value placed on specialization in:
- Administrative law
- Regulatory law
- Criminal law
- Civil Litigation
- Accounting
- Securities
- Real estate
- Immigration
- Adjudication skills
- Sound judgment, independence and objectivity
- Patience
- Decisiveness
- Communication skills
- Ability to communicate effectively in hearings and meetings
- Ability to write clearly and effectively in a timely fashion
The Law Society will also consider the following for appointments to the hearing panel pools:
- appropriate representation of geographical areas of British Columbia
- gender equity
- representation of all cultural groups
- experience with cultural and ethnic diversity
Qualified individuals are invited to send a résumé no later than June 28, 2019 to:
tribunals@lsbc.org
or
Jeffrey G. Hoskins, QC
Tribunal and Legislative Counsel
Law Society of British Columbia
845 Cambie Street,
Vancouver, BC V6B 4Z9
The Law Society of British Columbia encourages applicants that reflect the diversity of BC. We appreciate all interest and will directly contact candidates under consideration.
