Committees, Task Forces & Working Groups

The Act and Rules Committee recommends amendments to the Legal Profession Act and Law Society Rules.

Pinder K. Cheema, QC (Chair)
Michelle Stanford (Vice-Chair)
Jeevyn Dhaliwal
Geoffrey G.R. McDonald
Michael F. Welsh, QC
C. Anthony Wilson, QC

Staff contact

Jeff Hoskins, QC

The Complainants' Review Committees reviews the case files of complainants who are dissatisfied with dismissal of their complaints following a review by Law Society staff, see Law Society Rules 3-13 to 3-14.

Committee #1

W. Martin Finch, QC (Chair)
Anita Dalakoti
Veronica L. Jackson
Claude Richmond
Elizabeth Rowbotham
Heidi Zetzsche

Committee #2

Mark Rushton (Chair)
Nicole L. Cederberg
Pinder K. Cheema, QC
Geoffrey G.R. McDonald

Staff liaison

Karen Mok

The Credentials Committee is responsible for overseeing the enrolment, education, examination and call to the bar of articled students, the transfer of lawyers to BC and the reinstatement of former lawyers. When the character or fitness of an applicant for admission, readmission or transfer needs to be addressed, the committee considers the application directly or orders a formal credentials hearing. The committee is also responsible for reviewing applications relating to a student's failed standing in PLTC and for considering any matters arising from the articling system. The committee further assists the Benchers in setting credentials policy and ensuring that this policy is adhered to and assists in credentials program planning, evaluation and budget. For more on this committee, see Law Society Rules 2-50 to 2-104.

Lisa J. Hamilton, QC (Chair)
Jeffrey T.J. Campbell, QC (Vice-Chair)
Anita Dalakoti
Judith A. Macfarlane
Geoffrey G.R. McDonald
Michael McDonald, QC
Mark Rushton
Michelle Stanford
Karen L. Snowshoe

Staff contact

Lesley Small

Publications

May 2017: Program Review of the National Committee on Acreditation for the Federation of Law Societies

The Discipline Committee reviews complaints concerning lawyers or articled students that are referred by Law Society staff, the Complainants' Review Committee or any other committee. The Discipline Committee may dismiss a complaint, instruct staff to make further investigation, order a conduct review of a lawyer or recommend that a citation for a formal hearing be issued against a lawyer. The committee also considers conditional admissions of discipline violations. For more on this committee, see Part 4 of the Law Society Rules.

Christopher A. McPherson, QC (Chair)
Brook J. Greenberg (Vice-Chair)
Jasmin Z. Ahmad
Barbara Cromarty
Michael A. Feder
Roland Krueger, CD
Julianne K. Lamb
Dean P.J. Lawton, QC
Carolynn Ryan
Heidi Zetzsche

Staff contact

Deborah Armour, QC

The Ethics Committee identifies current professional responsibility issues and makes recommendations on changes to the Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia (formerly called the Professional Conduct Handbook) for consideration by the Benchers. The Committee also interprets existing Code rules, gives advice to individual lawyers and publishes opinions to the profession at large on matters of professional responsibility.

Craig Ferris, QC (Chair)
Philip A. Riddell (Vice-Chair)
Pinder K. Cheema, QC
Jennifer Chow, QC
Bruno De Vita, QC
Greg DelBigio, QC
Jeevyn Dhaliwal
Claire Marshall
Elizabeth Rowbotham
C. Anthony Wilson, QC

Staff contact

Lance Cooke

The Executive Committee consists of the President, the First and Second Vice-Presidents, the Second Vice-President-elect, three other Benchers elected from among the Benchers as a whole and one Appointed Bencher elected from among the Appointed Benchers.

The responsibilities of the Executive Committee include assisting the Benchers and the Executive Director in establishing relative priorities for the assignment of Society financial, staff and volunteer resources and planning Bencher meetings. For more on this committee, see Law Society Rules 1-48 to 1-49.

Miriam Kresivo, QC (Chair)
Nancy Merrill, QC (Vice-Chair)
Craig Ferris, QC
Lisa J. Hamilton, QC
Dean P.J. Lawton, QC
Steven R. McKoen
Carolynn Ryan

Staff contact

Kerryn Garvie

The Finance and Audit Committee provides oversight over the financial affairs of the Law Society. The committee provides recommendations on the annual fees, reviews the annual budgets, and periodically reviews the financial and investment results as needed. In addition, the committee oversees the external audit process, recommends the approval of the audited financial statements to the Benchers, and provides oversight over the internal controls and enterprise risk management of the Law Society.

Craig Ferris, QC (Chair)
Steven R. McKoen (Vice-Chair)
Lisa J. Hamilton, QC
Peter Kelly
Miriam Kresivo, QC
Roland Krueger, CD
Nancy Merrill, QC

Staff contact

Jeanette McPhee
Andrea Langille

The Governance Committee assesses the Law Society’s current governance structure and practices to identify any areas for improvement.

Steven R. McKoen (Chair)
Jamie Maclaren, QC (Vice-Chair)
Haydn Acheson
Lisa J. Hamilton, QC
Carolynn Ryan
C. Anthony Wilson, QC

Staff contacts

Kerryn Garvie

The Practice Standards Committee reviews information about lawyers who may have competency-related problems and, when appropriate, orders investigations. The committee recommends ways for lawyers with competency problems to become competent, such as through remedial programs, or restricts them from some areas of practice when necessary to protect the public. The committee also approves programs to assist lawyers to practise more competently and maintain their own competence, and assists the Benchers in setting competency-related policy. For more on the committee, see Law Society Rules 3-15 to 3-25.

Sarah M. Westwood (Chair)
Steven R. McKoen (Vice-Chair)
Patricia M. Barkaskas
W. Martin Finch, QC
Jamie Maclaren, QC
John D. Waddell, QC
Michael F. Welsh, QC
Guangbin Yan

Staff contact

Arielle Jimenez
Sheila Redel

The Unauthorized Practice Committee enforces the Legal Profession Act with respect to all aspects of the practice of law by people who are not lawyers and develops policy recommendations for the Benchers in unauthorized practice matters.

Carolynn Ryan (Chair)
W. Martin Finch, QC (Vice-Chair)
Barbara Cromarty
Jeevyn Dhaliwal
Heidi Zetzsche

Staff contact

Michael Kleisinger