The Law Society held its annual general meeting on Tuesday, October 5, 2021. Led by President Dean Lawton, QC, the proceedings were conducted virtually. President Lawton reported on progress made to advance the Law Society’s strategic plan over the past year. The agenda also included consideration of five resolutions. Lawyers eligible to vote on the resolutions were given the option to do so online in advance or through polling during the meeting.
Resolutions seeking changes to the Member Portal and Lawyer Directory regarding pronouns and forms of address and to appoint the Law Society auditors for 2021 were passed. A member resolution regarding Supreme Court of British Columbia Practice Direction 59 and the Provincial Court of British Columbia Notice to the Profession 24 was defeated, as were two Benchers resolutions that required two-thirds approval to amend rules regarding member resolutions.
“The results of the annual general meeting affirm the direction that the Law Society has been taking to ensure inclusion and respect of all members of the public and the legal profession,” said President Lawton. “The board of Benchers and Law Society staff will look more closely at Resolution 2 as we consider the next steps to take in the implementation of our Diversity Action Plan.”
The following resolutions were passed:
Resolution 2: Member Resolution regarding pronouns and forms of address
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|
Advanced Voting
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In-Meeting Voting
|
Total Votes
|
%
|
|
In Favour
|
2125
|
95
|
2220
|
69.07%
|
|
Opposed
|
977
|
17
|
994
|
30.93%
|
|
Total Votes
|
3102
|
112
|
3214
|
|
Resolution 3: Appointment of Law Society auditors for 2021
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Advanced Voting
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In-Meeting Voting
|
Total Votes
|
%
|
|
In Favour
|
2768
|
85
|
2853
|
98.04%
|
|
Opposed
|
54
|
3
|
57
|
1.96%
|
|
Total Votes
|
2822
|
88
|
2910
|
|
The following member resolutions were defeated:
Resolution 1: Member resolution regarding Practice Direction 59 and Notice to the Profession 24
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|
Advanced Voting
|
In-Meeting Voting
|
Total Votes
|
%
|
|
In Favour
|
1368
|
47
|
1415
|
42.08%
|
|
Opposed
|
1869
|
79
|
1948
|
57.92%
|
|
Total Votes
|
3237
|
126
|
3363
|
|
Resolution 4: Benchers’ resolution to require at least 50 signatures for a member resolution to be considered at an annual general meeting
|
|
Advanced Voting
|
In-Meeting Voting
|
Total Votes
|
%
|
|
In Favour
|
1889
|
11
|
1900
|
59%
|
|
Opposed
|
1214
|
90
|
1304
|
41%
|
|
Total Votes
|
3103
|
101
|
3204
|
|
Resolution 5: Benchers’ resolution to provide the president the authority to determine whether a member resolution is reasonably related to the mandate or responsibilities of the Law Society or the Benchers, or to the regulation of the legal profession
|
|
Advanced Voting
|
In-Meeting Voting
|
Total Votes
|
%
|
|
In Favour
|
1378
|
13
|
1391
|
46.11%
|
|
Opposed
|
1546
|
80
|
1626
|
53.89%
|
|
Total Votes
|
2924
|
93
|
3017
|
|
For full details of the AGM results, see the Annual General Meeting webpage.