Notice to the Profession
September 28, 2021

Advance Online Voting

A reminder that online voting on the resolutions to be considered at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) is currently available through the Member Portal for practising, non-practising, or retired members in good standing and will remain open until 5:00 pm on October 4, 2021. You do not need to attend the 2021 AGM in real-time in order to vote on the resolutions.

Registration Required for Virtual Meeting

If you choose not to vote in advance and plan to attend the virtual AGM on Tuesday, October 5, 2021, or wish to attend virtually even though you have already voted, registration is necessary to permit verification of the identity and good standing of those attending, to permit distribution of credentials for the virtual meeting, and to validate voting status of those members attending. Please note that if you voted in advance you will not be able to vote during the virtual AGM.

Please register by 5:00 pm on Monday, October 4, 2021 using the registration function available in the Member Portal. Instructions on how to access the meeting will be sent to you by email on October 5, 2021.

For more information about the 2021 AGM, please visit the Law Society website.

Meeting Procedure

In accordance with Rule 1-13(13), President Dean Lawton, QC has decided the following procedure is to be followed during the 2021 AGM:

  • The mover and/or seconder of a resolution will have the opportunity to speak first to their resolution and will have an allotted speaking time of five minutes each.
  • Following comments made by the mover and/or seconder, discussion will be opened up to other members who wish to speak. Comments from members will be limited to two minutes to ensure that everyone who wishes to speak has an opportunity to be heard. Members who wish to speak for a second time must wait until after all those who wish to speak have had an opportunity to do so for the first time.
  • To manage the length of the meeting, discussion on each resolution will be limited to thirty minutes. As discussion begins to approach the thirty minute mark, the President will advise members of the number of speakers he will invite to speak before the vote on the resolution is called.
  • The Law Society expects members to conduct themselves in a manner consistent with the requirements and guidance in the Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia.
  • The President will moderate discussions as needed to avoid repetition and to manage the length of the meeting.

Discussion of the Resolutions

We have received some inquiries regarding the discussion in the Member Portal of the resolutions to be considered at the 2021 AGM.

Now that the agenda for the AGM has been set, all resolutions to be considered at the 2021 AGM are available for discussion in the Member Portal. Access to the discussion will continue during the advanced voting period and on the day of the AGM (October 5, 2021).

The ability for members to comment on resolutions in the Member Portal is intended to provide an opportunity for debate on any resolutions submitted. When commenting, the Law Society expects the profession to conduct itself in a manner consistent with the requirements and guidance in the Code of Professional Conduct for British Columbia. The Law Society expects that a member of the profession will not send correspondence or otherwise communicate in a manner that is abusive, offensive, or otherwise inconsistent with the proper tone of a professional communication from a lawyer.

If you have any questions please email AGM@lsbc.org.