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BENCHER CANDIDATE IN VANCOUVER COUNTY - 2015 ELECTION STATEMENT I am grateful to have served as a BC Bencher through the governance challenges and opportunities of the past two years. I am proud to have stood steadfast with a small group of my colleagues in resisting the accreditation of TWU Law and in keeping legal education and the administration of justice on the path of inclusion and equality. I am equally proud of the rigorous and mindful approach that all of my colleagues took in deciding a difficult contemporary issue. Likewise, I am proud of my fellow members of the Equity and Diversity Committee for creating the new Diversity and Inclusion Award in acknowledgement of people who were historically excluded from the practice of law in BC due to institutional discrimination. I regret that less progress was made on the issues of affordability of legal services, support for legal aid and access to justice in general. I enjoy the privilege of viewing the access to justice problem from the front line of legal service provision to BC's modest-income communities. From there, I perceive growing disenchantment with our justice system and distrust of our leadership. At the same time, I perceive unparalleled commitment among BC's lawyers to higher standards of competence, professionalism and public service. To safeguard our privilege of self-regulation, I believe that we must soon find innovative and inexpensive ways to deliver high-quality legal services to everyone who needs them. We must also do better to spread public awareness of the importance of a strong legal aid system to advancing the rule of law and community health. Finally, I wish to do more to support young lawyers and sole practitioners who contend with growing barriers to prosperous practice. I believe that much of the key to good innovation lies in reducing administrative burdens on our newest lawyers. |
