FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

News Release – 5 May 2026

TRIAL LAWYERS ASSOCIATION OF BC FILES NOTICE OF APPEAL ON LEGAL PROFESSIONS ACT LEGISLATION

VANCOUVER, BC – The Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia (TLABC) has today joined the Law Society of BC in filing a Notice of Appeal of last week's decision of Chief Justice Skolrood of the Supreme Court of British Columbia dismissing our constitutional challenge to the Legal Professions Act.

That legislation was passed with little consultation and after an abbreviated debate in the Legislative Assembly. If ultimately brought into force, the Legal Professions Act will radically reshape the regulation of the legal profession in this province in ways that threaten the independence of lawyers.

“We were very pleased that the Chief Justice found that the independence of the Bar is an unwritten constitutional principle,” said Rebecca McConchie, President of TLABC. “However, we believe the Court erred in finding that what the government has done here does not violate lawyer independence, and this is why we are now asking the Court of Appeal to consider the matter.”

According to McConchie, the governance model contemplated by this legislation has generated serious concerns about whether lawyers, in representing their clients, will continue to be free from unreasonable levels of control by government. “We have seen serious threats to the independence of the legal profession and to judicial independence in other parts of the world. We need to be vigilant about preventing that from happening here in British Columbia and in Canada.”

TLABC greatly appreciates the work that our counsel, Gavin Cameron, and his colleagues at Fasken have done on this matter, and we welcome their commitment to act on our behalf in the proceedings before the Court of Appeal.

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Media Contact:
Don Avison KC
CEO, Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia
604-696-6517
don@tlabc.org