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March 23, 2020

Mark Andrews, QC passed away on Friday, March 20, 2020. Widely regarded as a leading litigator in the province, he made extraordinary contributions to the law and the legal profession. He will be deeply missed.

Mark had a number of remarkable achievements during his career, both as counsel and as a litigant – starting with the well-known decision in Andrews v. Law Society of British Columbia. Initially barred from practice of law in British Columbia on the basis of his nationality, he persuaded the Supreme Court of Canada that legislating citizenship as a basis for access to the practice of a profession undermines the values of a free and democratic society embodied in section 15 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

In March 2020, the Benchers of the Law Society approved the creation of the Mark Andrews Excellence in Litigation Award to recognize outstanding lifetime achievements in litigation. The award will be presented to a candidate of merit as selected by the president of the Law Society and the Chief Justices of the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court.