Vancouver – In the interests of transparency and openness, the Benchers of the Law Society of BC are inviting input from lawyers and the general public as they consider a new law school at Trinity Western University (TWU).
The Law Society’s rules provide that the Benchers have the final say in whether any faculty of law is an approved faculty of law for the purpose of meeting the academic qualification requirement of the Law Society’s admission process. At their January 24, 2014 meeting, the Benchers agreed on the process for considering the application, stressing it requires procedural fairness.
“The Benchers take very seriously their obligation to ensure that any decision regarding a new law school at TWU is done with the utmost attention to openness and fairness,” said President Jan Lindsay, QC. “To safeguard the process, the Benchers are committed to a process that is thorough, thoughtful and fair, and they will take the time necessary to properly review and reflect before any decision is made.”
The Benchers are inviting written submissions from anyone wanting to provide input or information to assist the Benchers with their decision. Submissions may be sent by email to submissions@lsbc.org or by mail to The Law Society of BC – Attention: Executive Director, 845 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B 4Z9. Submissions must be received before March 3, 2014 and will be made available to TWU and may be made publicly available.
For information about the Federation’s preliminary approval, please refer to the materials provided by the Federation of Law Societies of Canada.
The Law Society of British Columbia regulates the more than 11,000 practising lawyers in the province, setting and enforcing standards of professional conduct that ensure the public is well-served by a competent, honourable legal profession.
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For further information or to arrange an interview contact:
Ryan-Sang Lee
Communications Officer
604.443.5708
rlee@lsbc.org
Robyn Crisanti
Manager, Communications and Public Affairs
604.697.5845
rcrisanti@lsbc.org