Annual General Meeting

Bruce LeRose, QC was acclaimed as Second Vice-President for 2010. Rita Andreone, speaking to his nomination, noted that LeRose will be the first President from the County of Kootenay in the 125-year history of the Law Society.
     The 200 members attending the annual general meeting voted in favour of maintaining the 2010 practice fee at $1,633.50, the same amount as the 2009 practice. [more] September 29, 2009

Bencher election and referenda – In late October 2009 the Law Society mailed ballot packages to all lawyers who are eligible to vote in the November 16 election and referenda. The deadline for receipt of ballots at the Law Society office is Friday, November 13, 2009. For full details, consult your ballot package and the candidates information; see also the Notice to the Profession on the election and the Notice to the Profession on the referenda. September 21; updated November 2, 2009

Law Society welcomes new Chief Justice – The Law Society welcomes The Honourable Robert J. Bauman, who was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia on September 10, 2009. His Welcoming Ceremony will be held at 9:15 am on Friday, October 30, 2009 in Courtroom 55 at the Vancouver Law Courts. [more] October 22, 2009

President's speaking tour rolls on – President Gordon Turriff, QC took his message about the critical importance of the rule of law and the independence of lawyers to Australia. In his keynote address at the Conference of Regulatory Officers in Perth, Turriff asserted that “we can’t be partners in lawyer regulation with [a government] we are bound to challenge on behalf of clients to whom we owe a duty of undivided loyalty.”
      His speech in Perth is just the latest in more than 30 presentations that Turriff has made since the beginning of his year as President to help to educate the public about the Law Society’s public interest mandate, the rule of law, the vital importance of independent lawyers and the need for self-regulation. [more] October 14, 2009

Law Society presents business case for retention of women in private practice – An exodus of women from the legal profession and a looming shortage of lawyers has prompted the Law Society to develop a business case for keeping women lawyers in private practice. The business case explains the demographic issues facing the legal profession in BC and explains the business advantages of retaining and advancing women in private practice. [more] August 14; updated October 27, 2009