Benchers

Christopher McPherson, KC is a senior prosecutor responsible for challenging, high-profile homicide cases. He has prosecuted more than 40 homicide cases.

Christopher has been a Bencher since 2016 and is President for 2023. He is the first prosecutor to be President of the Law Society of BC. He is the Chair of the Executive Committee, Co-Chair of the Indigenous Engagement in Regulatory Matters Task Force and the Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee, and a member of the Finance and Audit Committee and the Mental Health Task Force. 

He is a member of the International Association of Prosecutors and the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law. He formerly served as a director of the BC Crown Counsel Association, and was President and on the Executive of the New Westminster Bar Association.

His teaching and lecturing experience includes coach of the Western Canadian Criminal Moot Competition and UBC Burns Moot Competition, instructor at CLEBC’s Winning Advocacy, lecturer with the National Judicial Institute, ongoing training with the Ministry of Justice and various law enforcement agencies, and presenter at the International Association of Prosecutors Conference. This year he will be presenting at the Commonwealth Law Conference.

Christopher is the first openly gay President of the Law Society. Outside of work, he enjoys spending as much time as he can with his spouse, Kaya, and their 12-year-old whoodle, Tosu. He can often be found riding one of his many bicycles around town and whenever possible in far flung corners of the world.

Called to the Bar in 1998, Jeevyn Dhaliwal, KC holds broad-based experience in employment law and practises in the area of workplace immigration law at Larlee Rosenberg in Vancouver.

First elected as a Bencher for the 2014-2015 term and again in 2017, Jeevyn is the First Vice-President for 2023. She is Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, and a member of the Executive Committee and Discipline Committee. She has served the Law Society in various capacities since 2013

Jeevyn’s service to the profession has included elected positions on the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) Provincial Council and the Vancouver Bar Association, and she has been a longstanding board member and Past President of the South Asian Bar Association of British Columbia. Her community involvement more broadly includes instructing in Capilano University’s Legal Studies Department, sitting as a board member of Creative BC and she is a past member of the UBC Alumni Advisory Council.

Brook Greenberg, KC has been a member of the Litigation Department of Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP since being called to the bar in 1998. His practice focuses on complex commercial, construction and forestry litigation. He has appeared before all levels of court including the Supreme Court of Canada. He has been the partner responsible for pro bono matters in Fasken’s Vancouver office since 2004. He has taught civil procedure as an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia from 2006 to the present.

First elected a Bencher for 2016, Brook is the Second-Vice-President for 2023. He is Chair of the Mental Health Task Force and Trust Review Task Force, Vice-Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee and Lawyer Development Task Force, and a member of the Executive Committee and Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee.

Brook has been involved with the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program since 1993, first as a student clinician, clinic head and executive member, and then as a supervising lawyer at various clinics. In 2012, Brook joined the founding board of directors of the Greater Vancouver Law Students’ Legal Advice Society. Brook also acted as Secretary/Treasurer of the GVLSLAS in 2012 and 2013. He then served as President in 2014 and 2015, and as Past-President in 2016. Brook has remained a member of the board to the present.

In the community, Brook served from 2005 to 2012 on the board of directors of MOSAIC, a not-for-profit provider of settlement and support services for immigrants and refugees. He was Vice-President of MOSAIC in 2008, and President from 2009 to 2011.

Kim Carter joined Legal Aid BC as their staff lawyer at the Parent’s Legal Centre and is now managing lawyer for Kamloops. She was previously a sole practitioner with a focus on family law and child protection, and was called to the bar in 2008.

Elected a Bencher in the June 2021 by-election, Kim is a member of a Complainants’ Review Committee and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.

In her professional capacity, Kim is a member of the Family Court Users Committee. She has frequently guest lectured at Thompson Rivers University, participated as a keynote speaker for the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC Chapter, and provided mentorship through CBA Women Lawyers Forum Kamloops section. She has strongly advocated for increasing awareness around mental health and wellness in the legal profession, and increasing awareness on equity, diversity and inclusion. Kim is an advocate for supporting and developing initiatives to increase access to justice in the Thompson/Okanagan region, including Truth and Reconciliation initiatives.

Kim has volunteered with Motion of Colour, a student organization that facilitates discussions on racial equality and social justice. She currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Adoptive Families Association of BC.

Outside of work, she enjoys CrossFit and spending time with her two boys.

Tanya Chamberlain was called to the Bar in 1995. She is accredited as a family law mediator, arbitrator, and parenting coordinator, and is qualified to prepare “Hear the Child” reports. Her practice is primarily focused on out of court settlements, but she has significant experience with family law litigation and high conflict files.

First elected a Bencher for 2022, Tanya is a member of the Practice Standards Committee and Access to Justice Advisory Committee .

She is a member of the BC Parenting Coordination Society, the BC Collaborative Roster Society, the International Association of Collaborative Lawyers and Collaborative Divorce Vancouver. She serves on the board of the BC Collaborative Roster Society and is the co-chair of the Pro-Bono Committee.

Tanya and her husband have raised two adult sons together, and she enjoys spending time with family, friends and dogs. She is the Past President of BC Sailing, and loves to cook, garden, read, ski and be on the water.

Jennifer Chow, KC is Senior Counsel at the federal Department of Justice, focusing on constitutional, administrative, Indigenous and commercial litigation. She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2016.

First elected a Bencher for 2018, Jennifer is Vice-Chair of the Practice Standards Committee and a member of the Access to Justice Advisory Committee. She also sat on hearing panels before becoming a Bencher.

Jennifer served on the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch’s Executive Committee for six years, and was the first visible minority president of the BC Branch. Her past service at the CBA includes two-term elected member of the Provincial Council, chair of the Equality and Diversity Committee, chair of the Annual Branch Conference Committee, Treasurer of the Women Lawyers Forum and chair of the Professional Development Courses. She won the Community Service Award in 2010.

She is currently a member of the Trauma Informed Practice Project Steering Committee (Access to Justice Initiative), and a former member of the Judicial Council and former secretary of Dress for Success Vancouver.

Jennifer regularly contributes to professional development, including CLEBC, DOJ-CBABC Professional Development Courses and PLTC Advocacy Courses. She co-taught an Indigenous law course at the University of Victoria law school. Her speaking engagements have included topics on diversity, administrative law, Aboriginal law and Federal Court practice. Jennifer is an active mentor and articled student principal. She has appeared at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

Tim Delaney practises general civil litigation with Lindsay Kenney LLP in Vancouver.

Tim was first elected a Bencher for 2023, and is a member of a Complainants’ Review Committee and the Access to Justice Advisory Committee.

He has served in numerous volunteer positions for the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch: as an elected member of the Provincial Council, a member of the Audit Committee, the Advisory Committee to the Judicial Council, as Chair and a member of the Legislation and Law Reform Committee, and as National and Provincial Chair of the Law Week Planning Committee.

Tim has been a member of the Trial Lawyers Association Executive Committee, President and Director of the Law Courts Inn Society, President and elected member of the Vancouver Bar Association and Director of Act II Child & Family Services Society (a society that operates counselling programs and a safe house for battered women and their children). He has been a volunteer lecturer to the Continuing Legal Education Society several times, a volunteer judge to UBC Moot Court program for several years and a volunteer to Access Pro Bono clinics for several years.

He is currently a Director of the I’m a HIPpy Society (a society dedicated to hip health in children), has coached minor hockey with the Vancouver Thunderbirds Minor Hockey Association and has coached flag football with the Westside Warriors Minor Football Association.

Cheryl S. D’Sa was called to the bar in 2008, is a mediator and currently the managing partner of Narwal Litigation LLP, a firm devoted to criminal defence, personal injury, professional regulation and securities litigation.

Elected a Bencher in the May 2020 by-election, Cheryl is Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and a member of the Credentials Committee and Mental Health Task Force. She is also a Bencher representative on the Board of the Continuing Legal Education Society.

She is a former president of the Vancouver Bar Association. She has held seats on several Canadian Bar Association committees, including the Business of Law and Automobile Committees, and was chair of the Solo & Small Firm Section. She has been an active volunteer in the legal profession and community: as a mentor for Allard Law first-year students, Women Lawyers Forum members and through Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC; and as a guest speaker for the CBA, BC Branch, the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia and the Advocates’ Society, among others.

Cheryl was named one of the Top Forty Under 40 by Business in Vancouver in 2019.

Lisa Dumbrell was called to the bar in 1998. She is currently counsel for the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC), where she serves as a federal Crown for the North Shore, Sechelt and Pemberton areas.

First elected a Bencher for 2021, Lisa is Chair of the Credentials Committee and a member of the Access to Justice Advisory Committee and Indigenous Engagement in Regulatory Matters Task Force.

She is a member of the PPSC Vancouver Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the Vancouver Criminal Section of the Canadian Bar Association, the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, the Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice and the CBABC’s Women Lawyer’s Forum.

Lisa has volunteered with the Canadian Cancer Society, the Harvest and Aunt Leah's Society.

Called to the bar in 2010, Brian Dybwad has worked in the areas of criminal defence, family law, child protection and Director’s Counsel for the Family Maintenance Enforcement Program. He has dedicated his career to the protection of vulnerable people, as the managing lawyer for the Parents Legal Centre in Campbell River focusing on Child Protection through Collaborative Practice from Port Alberni to Port Hardy; as a Fellow for CanAge, Canada’s National Seniors’ Advocacy Organization; and a Member at Large for the British Columbia Law Institute.  Most recently Brian has taken on a new role as the Manager, Indigenous Services (Term) for Legal Aid BC.

First elected a Bencher for 2022, Brian is a member of the Credentials Committee and the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.

Brian is a member and Hereditary Chief of the Tsetsaut Gitxsan Nation, and is passionate about issues of diversity, lawyers’ mental health, reconciliation and good governance. He has served as President of the Campbell River Bar Association for three terms. Brian has also presented on various topics to The Federation of Law Societies of Canada - National Family Law Conference; Continuing Legal Education and Elder Abuse Prevention Ontario, and volunteered on an Indigenous Courts’ committee and working group.

Brian is a Board Member and Coaches rugby for the Campbell River Athletic Association. He enjoys listening to and playing music (multiple instruments) and spending time with family.

Katrina Harry was called to the bar in 2006, and works in the areas of child protection and family law. She is the Manager of Indigenous Services at Legal Aid BC and oversees 10 Parents Legal Centres across the province, managing 19 lawyers and 22 staff. She created the first Parents Legal Centre in 2014 as a way for parents to resolve their child protection matters early and collaboratively.

First elected a Bencher for 2022, Katrina is Co-Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee, and a member of the Discipline Committee and Lawyer Development Task Force. Before her election as a Bencher, she served for three years as a member on the Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee.

Katrina has presented and chaired various programs, including guest lecturing at UBC Law and PLTC, and co-chairing both a working group for the BC Law Institute and for the Continuing Legal Education child protection conferences. She has sat on the Leadership Group for Access to Justice BC, served as board member for both Battered Women’s Support Services and Community Legal Assistance Society.

Katrina is a proud member of the Shuswap nation, and enjoys cooking and hosting, and time at the soccer pitch with her three children.

Lindsay R. LeBlanc was called to the Bar in 2006, and is a partner at Cox Taylor. Her practice is a mix of solicitor and litigation, primarily in property, administrative and commercial law.

First elected a Bencher for 2022, Lindsay is Vice-Chair of the Trust Review Task Force, and a member of the Executive Committee and Practice Standards Committee. Prior to her election as a Bencher, she served as a member of the non-Bencher lawyer hearing panel pool and lectured at PLTC sessions.

She is an active volunteer in the legal community, as Chair of the Law Foundation of BC, member of the Supreme Court of BC Rules Committee, Director of UVic Properties and the K. Irving Scholarship Society and member of a number of CBA committees.

She has extensive past volunteer work in the Victoria community, including six years as a Governor to the University of Victoria and director of the Vancouver Island Sexual Health Society.

Lindsay is a member of the Metis Nation. She was born and raised in Quesnel, before moving to Victoria.

Geoffrey McDonald practises with the Ministry of the Attorney General as a Crown Counsel and is based out of Prince George. His practice is a mix of criminal and regulatory prosecutions throughout northern British Columbia.

First elected a Bencher for 2018, Geoff is Chair of a Complainants’ Review Committee, Vice-Chair of the Access to Justice Advisory Committee, and a member of the Credentials Committee.

Geoff is very active in the Prince George Bar Association, as a former president and the longstanding Education Chair. He is the creator and chair of the Prince George Law Talks – a yearly conference held every May that is now in its 10th year. He has volunteered for the past five years as a scout leader.

Steven McKoen, KC is a partner at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, practising in the areas of securities, mergers and acquisitions, and corporate governance.

First elected a Bencher for 2016, Steven is Chair of the Lawyer Development Task Force and a member of the Discipline Committee.

Steve is active in the community. He is the chair of the Burnaby Hospital Foundation and, since 2006 has provided legal advice to artists and not-for-profits through a monthly pro bono clinic. Steve has been an adjunct professor in the faculties of law at both UBC and UVic, served on the UBC Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Centre for Business Law and is a past chair of the Securities Law Section of the CBABC. Steve grew up in Port Alberni and Nanaimo, attended law school at UVic and was called to the bar in BC in 1998 and in New York in 2002. He is married and is the proud father of two daughters. 

Steve is recognized as a leading lawyer by the following publications: The Lexpert/American Lawyer Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada 2021, The Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory 2021, and The Best Lawyers in Canada 2022. In 2014, Steven was a recipient of a national Lexpert Zenith Award, which recognized 41 lawyers and judges, called between 1986-2000, who each demonstrated excellence and thought leadership in their areas of practice.

Jacqueline McQueen, KC practises family law and is a partner at Aaron Gordon Daykin Nordlinger LLP, a boutique family law firm in Vancouver. A native of British Columbia, Jacqueline completed her B.A. at York University and her LL.B. at Osgoode Hall in 1993. She was called to the bar in Ontario in 1995, BC in 1996 and New Zealand in 2001.

Elected a Bencher for 2019, Jacqueline is Chair of the Ethics and Lawyer Independence Advisory Committee, and a member of the Executive Committee, Credentials Committee and Lawyer Development Task Force.

Jacqueline has been an active volunteer in the legal profession and community: in a variety of CBA Vancouver sections, including at the executive level; as a mentor through the CBA Women Lawyers Forum; at CLEBC as a contributing author to Annotated Family Practice and as a course presenter; as a moot court judge in PLTC; and in pro-bono legal advice programs.

She has also been a board member on community organizations, including 365give, a registered not-for-profit that encourages children to give back every day.

Paul Pearson grew up in Victoria and attended UVic Law. After being called in 1999, he joined Mulligan Tam Pearson as a partner, where he practised criminal defence work for over 18 years. In 2018 he moved to the BC Prosecution service and is now Crown Counsel in the Victoria office.

First elected a Bencher for 2022, Paul is a member of a Complainants’ Review Committee, the Practice Standards Committee and Ethics and Lawyer Independence Advisory Committee. He is also a Law Society appointee to the CLEBC Board of Directors.

Paul is a past president of the Victoria Bar Association (2003). He was the co-chair of the CBA Victoria Criminal Section (2009-2014) and was a member of, and then chaired, the CBABC Sections Standing Committee. He elected to two terms as CBABC Victoria County Representative starting in 2016, and sat on the Indigenous Justice Advocacy, Access to Justice and Nominating Committees.

He was a previously a member of and eventually co-chair of the Trial Lawyers’ Legal Aid Action committee. Paul also taught Criminal Procedure at UVic Law from 2016-2019.

Georges Rivard is originally from Québec City, and was called to the bar in 1992. He has been practising criminal law for 27 years, as Crown and defence, conducting trials in English and French throughout the province. He has lived in Fort St John for 14 years.

First elected a Bencher for 2022, Georges is a member of a Complainants’ Review Committee and the Ethics and Lawyer Independence Advisory Committee. He has represented members on Law Society issues.

Georges has done presentations to the RCMP and lawyers on legal issues, has been a past representative of the TLABC and was a regular guest on Radio Canada to discuss current legal issues and cases.

Georges is a member of the Nation Métisse Autochtone de la Gaspésie, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Îles-de-la-Madeleine. He is aware of issues affecting First Nations communities and has represented First Nations before the Federal Court in Ottawa.

Georges is involved in kitesurfing, skiing, snowmobiling in back country and motorcycle riding.

Kelly H. Russ was born in Old Massett, Haida Gwaii and raised in Prince Rupert. He has a JD from UVic and a LLM from UBC, Called to the bar in 1994, Kelly works in the areas of family law, child protection, immigration and human rights.

First elected a Bencher for 2022, Kelly is a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee.

In recent years, he has represented clients before the Immigration Refugee Board and Refugee Appeal Board. He was a member of the Canadian Human Rights Commission and worked on the repeal of s. 67 of the Canadian Human Rights Act (1998-2007). The repeal of s. 67 had far-reaching implications including enabling the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada and the Assembly of First Nations to successfully obtain a decision to help Indigenous children in care.

Kelly spent 13 years in foster care, and has fostered various Indigenous children. He is the proud father of two grown children.

Gurminder Sandhu attended UBC law school and was called to the bar in 2000. He currently practises general litigation at Hamilton Duncan.

First elected a Bencher for 2022, Gurminder is a member of the Credentials Committee and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.

In serving the legal community, Gurminder has acted in the following roles over the past 20 years: volunteer with Salvation Army Legal Clinic, LSLAP, PLTC and CBA Practice Panel; mentor with TRU Law and UBC Law; Secretary, South Asian Bar Association; executive, CBA Research Section; elected representative, CBA Provincial Council; and member of CBA BarTalk, Provincial Judicial Committee and Federal Judicial Committee.

Thomas L. Spraggs (Tom) is the owner and operator of Spraggs Law. He holds a Bachelor of Laws, Master of Laws and Masters of Business Administration. Tom is also a Qualified Arbitrator. His law firm has navigated significant growth over the last several years, and his lifelong passions for technology and learning have helped him develop unique approaches to collaborative work processes and practice management. The firm was acknowledged by the Canadian Bar Association with the 2016 Innovative Workplace Award.  
  
Elected a Bencher for Westminster County since 2020, Tom is currently Vice-Chair of the Ethics and Lawyer Independence Advisory Committee, and a member of a Complainants’ Review Committee, the Indigenous Engagement in Regulatory Matters Task Force and Lawyer Development Task Force. 

Tom's past volunteer work includes serving with the British Columbia Law Institute and Canadian Centre for Elder Law as a director from 2012 to 2020. He served on the Strategic Planning Committee, the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee (as Chair), and as Chair of the Board for two terms. He also chairs the CBABC Civil Litigation Tri-Cities/New Westminster section.  

As a member of the Law Societies of British Columbia, Yukon and Alberta, Tom's work has been primarily in civil litigation. He has been a frequent participant in the Continuing Legal Education of BC Solo and Small Firm Conference as well as co-chairing the 2018 Professional Wellness for Lawyers and Law Firms. Tom is a regular contributor to the Trial Lawyers Association of BC publication The Verdict, writing on legal technology. Tom is actively involved in the technology start-up community and is working with several legal innovation and digital technology projects.

Barbara Stanley, KC is a partner with Stanley Law in Trail. She practises in the area of family law, in addition to real estate conveyancing, wills and estates. She attended UBC, completing her law degree in 1992, and was called to the bar in 1993.

Elected a Bencher in March 2017, Barbara is Chair of the Discipline Committee and a member of the Access to Justice Advisory Committee.

Barbara serves as the supervising lawyer for the Trail Family & Individual Resource Society’s Poverty Law Advocacy Program funded by the Law Foundation (since October 2019). She has been an appeal board tribunal member with the Health Professions Review Board, a mentor for young female lawyers with the CBA Women Lawyer’s Mentoring, a governor of the Law Foundation and has served as Secretary-Treasurer, Vice-President and President of the Kootenay Bar Association.

Barbara has a broad range of volunteer experience in her community, including serving as a governor of Selkirk College, a director of Kootenay Friends of Children Foundation and director, secretary and chair of Trail Family & Individual Resource Centre Society.

Michael Welsh, KC, has a mixed ADR and litigation practice based in Penticton. He has extensive litigation experience at all levels of the court system, including the Supreme Court of Canada.

First elected a Bencher in 2018, Michael is Chair of the Innovation Sandbox Advisory Group, Vice-Chair of the Credentials Committee, and a member of the Executive Committee and Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee.

Appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2017, Michael is a former President of the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch and former President of the ADR Institute of BC. He has been a member of both the CBA and the Trial Lawyers Association of BC for several decades and is a Fellow of the International Institute of Arbitrators.

Michael is author of many legal, ADR and other publications in the Advocate, BarTalk and Canadian Arbitration & Mediation Journal, including the Advocate wine column. He is presenter at many professional development events by organizations such as the CBABC, CLEBC, TLABC and Law Seminars International. He is an experienced mediator and arbitrator, holding the designations C. Med., C.Arb.,  FCIArb, and C.Fam.Arb.

Michael was a commercial grape-grower for over a decade and was twice President of the BC Grape Growers’ Association. He has been a BC VQA wine judge since 2003 and is a former President of two Rotary Clubs.

Kevin B. Westell was called to the bar in 2009 and is currently a founding principal at Pender Litigation, where he practises criminal, regulatory and administrative law. In addition to his work as defence counsel, Kevin also acts as ad hoc Crown counsel, amicus curiae, and as counsel for vulnerable witnesses from time to time.

Elected a Bencher for 2021, Kevin is Vice-Chair of the Discipline Committee and a member of the Trust Review Task Force.

Kevin also teaches trial advocacy skills to law students and junior lawyers through programs that include UBC’s Allan McEachern Course in Trial Advocacy, the CLEBC Winning Advocacy Skills Workshop, and the Osgoode Hall Intensive Trial Advocacy Workshop.

He currently serves as the Secretary of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) National Criminal Justice Section, the Chair of the Criminal Law Section of the Uniform Law Conference of Canada (ULCC) and as one of the Regional Representatives for the Criminal Defence Advocacy Society (CDAS).  In the past he has chaired the TLABC Criminal Law Committee, the Advocate’s Club, and the CBA Vancouver Criminal Justice Subsection.

Kevin has been recognized as a leading practitioner by Best Lawyers in Canada© in 2022 and was featured on Business in Vancouver Magazine’s Forty under 40 List.

In addition, Kevin has served the community as a volunteer on the boards of the Strathcona Community Centre and the Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC.

Called to the bar in 2002, Sarah Westwood practised as a solicitor in Vancouver until moving to Smithers in 2004. She started her own firm in 2005, practising largely as a barrister, including ad hoc Crown, criminal defence, family, employment and child protection cases. As counsel for the Director under the Child, Family and Community Service Act since 2007, her practice ranges throughout Prince Rupert County, with regular court appearances in almost every court in the region. 

Elected a Bencher from 2014 to 2019 and again for 2022, Sarah is Chair of the Practice Standards Committee and a member of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee.

In 2013, Sarah was elected as one of two Prince Rupert County representatives to the CBABC Provincial Council. She has also presented, organized and instructed at numerous CLEs and conferences. 

From 2011 until 2019, she organized the annual Bench, Bar and Court Users’ summer barbecue and archery tournament. She played the oboe with various community ensembles.

Gaynor C. Yeung is a litigator and partner at Whitelaw Twining. Since being called to the bar in 1996, she has practised insurance law, litigating a broad array of matters but primarily focusing on personal injury and professional negligence claims. She has defended and advanced cases at all levels of court in British Columbia. Recently, Gaynor expanded her practice to include mediation. She is currently recognized by the Best Lawyers in Canada as a leading litigator in both Insurance Law and Personal Injury Litigation.  

Elected a Bencher in a 2021 by-election, Gaynor is Vice-Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Committee and a member of the Practice Standards Committee.

Throughout Gaynor’s career, she has been an active volunteer in the legal community. In 2018, the Vancouver Bar Association recognized Gaynor with the Peter S. Hyndman Mentorship award for her work with students and junior practitioners. She continues to mentor our next generation of lawyers through the CBA Women Lawyers’ Forum, the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers, and the Peter A. Allard School of Law (as well as guest lecturing at the university and at VBA programming). She has recently completed her second term as a member of the Advisory Committee to the Judicial Council. Gaynor is a volunteer for the Lawyers’ Assistance Program and Access Pro Bono.