TLABC Convention 2026
7 - 8 May 2026
Vancouver, BC
Date & Location
Thursday 7 May – Friday 8 May 2026
In-Person (Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront, Vancouver)
Registration
Click here to register for IN PERSON participation
Save 10% with Early Bird rates until 28 February 2026
Registration closes on Monday 4 May at 11:59 pm.
Become a Member and save! Join TLABC today and save up to $300 on your registration.
Use this template letter to help make the case for attending the Convention:
Letter for New Lawyers (5 years of call and under)
Letter for not-so new lawyers (over 5 years of call)
12 CPD Credits (2 credits Professional Responsibility & Ethics, Practice Management embedded)
0.75 ADR - Mediation/Arbitration credit for "Which ADR Tool Fits Your Case? Mediation / Arbitration / Med‑Arb"
0.75 ADR - Family Violence credit for "Three Courts, One Story: Family Violence Across Criminal, Family & Tort Law"
Cancellation Policy: Cancellations received at the TLABC office by 23 April 2026 will be subject to a $75 administration fee. After 23 April 2026, requests for refunds will not be honoured. Substitutes are always welcome. TLABC reserves the right to cancel or reschedule courses, refuse admission or change speakers, location or content.
Program
Chairs: Keri Grenier, Dan Parlow and Candace Cho KC
DAY 1 - Thursday 7 May
9:00 am
1. PLENARY - Navigating Conflict within the Practice of Law: Clients, Opposing Counsel, and Courts
JUDGE DAVID ST. PIERRE, BC Provincial Court, Vancouver
JESSIE LEGAREE, RDM Lawyers LLP, Abbotsford
ALISON MURRAY KC, Murray Jamieson, Vancouver
Conflict is part of the job. Managing it well can set good lawyers apart. Join Judge David St. Pierre, Alison Murray KC and Jessie Legaree for a candid discussion on navigating conflict with clients, opposing counsel, and the courts. From difficult lawyers and high-conflict clients to maintaining credibility in the courtroom, this session offers practical strategies, real-world insight, and some war stories from both sides of the bench. Expect practical tools, honest perspectives, and a reminder that professionalism matters most when it’s hardest.
11:00 am
2. CONCURRENT SESSIONS
MARYANNE PROHL, Lawyers Indemnity Fund, Vancouver
Civil litigation consistently generates the highest number of reports to LIF. It is also one of the practice areas with the highest dollar amounts paid by LIF. One in four claims arises from a missed limitation or deadline. In this session you will learn, from actual LIF claim files, how lawyers missed limitation dates and deadlines. You will also learn about other common mistakes made in civil litigation and we will share tips on how to avoid these mistakes.
NILS PRESHAW, Kornfeld LLP, Vancouver
CHILWIN CHENG, Ascendion Law, Vancouver
Legal AI is a hot topic at the moment with some law firms embracing the technology wholeheartedly while others sit on the sidelines. In the background, pundits (and certain AI founders) have claimed that AI will forever change white collar work (the practise of law included). Nils Preshaw has experience working with general AI tools such as Google Gemini, ChatGPT and Claude and a legal specific AI tool called “Legora”. Nils will briefly discuss limitations of Large Language Models, relevant BC Law Society Rules, and examples of how AI can be used in the practise of law.
Chilwin Cheng will present two practical ideas for using large language models in legal practice. First, Chilwin shares an approach you can use to decide which tasks are best suited to use large language models when producing the product. We answer the question, "Are there tasks for which LLMs will replace lawyers? What can never be taken over by an LLM?" Then, Chilwin will give attendees an easy-to-follow process to improve their prompting skills dramatically and help them maximize the value of an LLM chat engine.
CANDACE CHO KC, Onyx Law Group, Vancouver
TARANJOT GARCHA, Onyx Law Group, Vancouver
With the aging population, there are increasingly more relationships that have been classified as “predatory”, and which has led to serious legal ramifications, including issues of spousal status, spousal entitlement to support, and the unwinding of “gifts” before and after the vulnerable person’s death being litigated before the courts. This session will be an overview of recent decisions on these topics.
12:05 pm
3. CONCURRENT SESSIONS
JEFFREY LOCKE, McLellan Herbert Locke LLP, Vancouver
When a client loses the ability to instruct counsel and exercise judgment about claims in issue, Rule 20-2 requires that a litigation guardian be appointed for that client to safeguard their interests. Assessing whether a client is “mentally incompetent” within the meaning of this Rule is often a sensitive topic, particularly when litigation is already underway. This talk will cover the mechanics of appointing a litigation guardian and best practices for navigating this challenging procedural territory.
KYLA LEE, Acumen Law, Vancouver
In this practical, no-jargon session, Kyla Lee breaks down digital marketing strategies. Whether you're a solo practitioner looking to grow your client base or a partner at an established firm trying to modernize your marketing approach, this presentation will give you actionable tools you can put to work immediately.
Kyla will cover:
- AI for lawyers: how to use artificial intelligence tools to create content faster, respond to client inquiries more efficiently, and stay ahead of the curve without sacrificing the authenticity that builds trust
- Social media that actually works: the platforms worth your time, how to build a following that converts to clients, and how to avoid the common mistakes lawyers make when they try to market themselves online
- SEO fundamentals: how search engines decide who gets found first, what your firm's website might be doing wrong, and the straightforward changes that can dramatically improve your visibility when potential clients are searching for help
You don't need to be a tech expert to market your practice effectively in the digital age. You just need a strategy, and this session will give you one.
KEVIN GOURLAY, Murphy Battista LLP, Vancouver
Canadian tort law once treated claims for “nervous shock” as exceptional, imposing restrictive control mechanisms such as proximity to a shocking event and distinctions between primary and secondary victims. Over the past two decades, however, the Supreme Court of Canada has moved decisively away from that framework, holding that psychological injury claims should generally be analyzed using ordinary negligence principles. This presentation traces that doctrinal shift and explores the lingering influence of the old nervous shock framework. Using a recent medical negligence case involving a mother’s psychiatric injury following her daughter’s death, the talk examines how courts should approach duty of care and foreseeability in third-party psychological injury claims today.
12:55 pm
4. KEYNOTE PRESENTATION (lunch)
Built for the Fight: A Trial Lawyer's Survival Toolkit
DAVID ROCHE
David Roche is an inspirational humorist, keynote speaker and performer who has transformed the challenges and gifts of living with a facial difference into a compelling message that uplifts and delights audiences around the world. David has appeared at the Clinton White House and headlined at Olympics Arts Festivals in Sydney, Australia and Vancouver. He’s a teacher, author, actor, and recipient of the Order of Canada for “making Canada a better place”. David is going to share his experience and wisdom for making “our world” and the world of our clients, a better place. His unique perspective is sure to inspire and help you thrive. And don’t be surprised if he asks you to ask him: “What happened to your face?” CBC – David Roche
2:10 pm
5. PLENARY - Reconciliation: Fulfilling the Duty to Act
CHIEF JUSTICE LEONARD MARCHAND, BC Court of Appeal, Vancouver
This session begins with a 30-minute presentation on reconciliation and access to justice, followed by 30 minutes of moderated discussion exploring the rule of law and the independence of the judiciary and the Bar and audience Q&A.
3:20 pm
6. CONCURRENT SESSIONS
HOWARD MICKELSON KC, Gudmundseth Mickelson LLP, Vancouver
This presentation will provide practitioners with practical, real world tools in securing and developing expert evidence and preparing to cross examine the opposing party’s expert.. and practical advice on what NOT to do!!
KATE GOWER, Gower Modern Law Corp., Victoria
Judges are starting to ask counsel to consider using electronic platforms. Kate will share her hard-won top tips for running a successful electronic hearing or trial, including how to decide between different electronic platforms and what works and what doesn’t in court. She will take attendees to a live file in the e-trial program Case Center so that they can consider, based on real examples, how an electronic trial might work for their files.
ALISON COLPITTS, Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
AMY MORTIMORE KC, Clark Wilson LLP, Vancouver
A number of issues can arise when a deceased dies holding shares in a company. In this session, we’ll first explore what happens to deceased’s shares after death. We’ll review key legislation and sample shareholders’ agreements and discuss the what happens when buy-sell clauses in shareholders’ agreements conflict with testamentary disposition in a will or trust. We will also delve into the possible conflicts that arise when an executor or trustee also acts as director of a company. We’ll go over key fiduciary concepts and review practical takeaways from caselaw on these competing obligations.
SPRING SOIREE and AWARDS of DISTINCTION* (dinner/social event - extra ticket required)
DAY 2 - Friday 8 May
9:00 am
7. CONCURRENT SESSIONS
YUN LI-REILLY, Farris LLP, Vancouver
Conducting a trial is like surfing. Preparation is crucial; as is having the right gear in place. However, like with surfing, the landscape moves often and sometimes very unexpectedly. During this session, Yun Li-Reilly will offer some tips and tricks of the trade that she has picked up along the way, with a particular focus on cross-examination.
KERI GRENIER, Murphy Battista LLP, Kelowna
MATTHEW NATHANSON, MN Law, Vancouver
Dealing with the media is difficult. Knowing when to make public statements, ethical considerations around what you can/should say, and practical tips for getting your message across will be discussed.
JOHN RICE KC, Rice Parsons Leoni & Elliott LLP, Vancouver
TAM BOYAR, MacKay Boyar Law Corporation, Vancouver
Is the assiduous protection of informer privilege a “principle of fundamental justice” within the meaning of section 7 of the Charter? To most lawyers, judges and legal scholars, the answer is an “immediate yes”. Informer privilege is a hallowed protection admitting of no exceptions save for a proven claim of innocence at stake. Canadian courts have emphasized that informer privilege is an “indispensable tool” in the detection, prevention, and prosecution of crime. However, the position of informers is precarious, fraught with danger, and in the criminal underworld, being identified as a police informant can be a death sentence. The safety of informers is almost entirely dependent on the profound relationship of trust between the state and the informer, including the steps taken by the state to protect their identity.
So what happens when that trust is broken and what is the appropriate threshold for Charter damages on a case like this? The case of Named Persons looks to answer those questions (Leave to Appeal to the SCC in Named Persons v. Canada (Attorney General), 2025 BCCA 197 was recently granted on February 12, 2026 (see: Named Persons v. Canada (Attorney General), 2026 CanLII 9803 (SCC)). In this session you will hear from lead counsel for the Named Persons, though case specifics are restricted to what is public record in the BC Court of Appeal’s redacted reasons and the redacted publicly filed leave application at the Supreme Court of Canada. Rest assured though, this is a case right out of Law & Order.
10:20 am
8. PLENARY - Trauma-Informed Practice
TANYA CHAMBERLAIN KC, Tanya Chamberlain Family Law, Vancouver
DR. SHIRLEY SZE, Kamloops
CHRYSTIE STEWART, Alexander Stewart Lawyers, Kamloops
Trauma-Informed Practice (TIP) is becoming an essential lens for effective advocacy across all areas of law. This plenary session will explore what TIP is, why it matters for every lawyer, and how it can improve client relationships, communication, and outcomes. We’ll unpack what’s really happening when a client becomes dysregulated during litigation (or does a 180-degree turn in their evidence on the stand) and offer practical strategies for responding in the moment and providing better legal advice. The discussion will also address how your own history impacts you as a lawyer and why you need to be aware.
12:05 pm
9. CONCURRENT SESSIONS
ALEXEI PAISH, Thorsteinssons LLP Tax Lawyers, Vancouver
The taxation of settlements is often treated as an afterthought in the negotiation process. Routinely, this produces poor tax results that could have been mitigated through proper planning. This session will address the taxation of settlements in practical terms, such as the basics of how settlements are taxed, tricks and traps, and identifying when to engage tax counsel.
DR. DEAN HILDEBRAND, British Columbia Institute of Technology, Burnaby
This session will equip trial lawyers with a practical framework for understanding, questioning, and challenging forensic DNA evidence in the courtroom. It will provide a high-level overview of the science and use real cases and laboratory reports to demonstrate what DNA data actually mean—and what they do not. Attendees will be introduced to the latest techniques used in Canada for complex DNA mixture interpretation and investigative genetic genealogy. The session will conclude by exploring a future in which DNA expert evaluations move beyond the question of “whose DNA is this?” to the more probative question of “how did the DNA get there?”
SHANNON ALDINGER, Aldinger Family Law, Courtenay
KEVIN FILKOW, Filkow Law, Vancouver
JANELLE O’CONNOR, Murphy Battista LLP, Vancouver
In this panel discussion, criminal lawyer Kevin Filkow, family lawyer Shannon Aldinger and lawyer Janelle O’Connor will compare and contrast these three legal pathways for addressing allegations of family violence, sharing practice points about evidence, strategy and risk management, and trauma-informed and ethical practice. Read more about this session.
12:55 pm
10. KEYNOTE PRESENTATION (lunch)
Democracy and the Rule of Law
HON. MARSHALL ROTHSTEIN CC, KC, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, Vancouver
We may talk about democracy and the rule of law as though they are permanent fixtures-solid pillars that support our institutions, our rights and our way of life. But the truth is more sobering. Democracy is not a default setting and the rule of law is not self-executing. They are delicate, hard won and vulnerable. We take them for granted at our peril.
2:15 pm
11. CONCURRENT SESSIONS
MORAG MACLEOD KC, Morag Macleod KC Family Law, Vancouver
MARK TWEEDY KC, Mark Tweedy Mediation & Arbitration, Vancouver
Discussion of the resolution processes to resolve conflicts that differ in approach and outcomes:
- Mediation – neutral helps parties reach a voluntary and typically binding agreement (some exceptions); a collaborative process of exploring issues and finding solutions.
- Arbitration - neutral makes a binding decision; a bespoke, private & confidential process with binding results and limited rights of appeal.
- Mediation-Arbitration – neutral helps parties reach a voluntary binding agreement, failing which the mediator or a third-party arbitrator makes a binding decision; a process designed for timely and cost-effective resolution, combining the flexibility of mediation with the final of resolution of arbitration.
ALAIN FILOTTO, Alphafox Forensics, Richmond
This practical, non-technical session explores how digital evidence is located, preserved, and successfully presented in court. Using real case examples, you will see how digital evidence can strengthen — or completely change — the outcome of family, estate, civil, and criminal cases. Learn where digital evidence actually lives, how it can be legally preserved, and how it can be explained to judges and juries.
THOMAS ISAAC, Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, Vancouver
Tom will discuss the 2024 Haida Agreement, the Cowichan Decision, and the December 2025 BC Court of Appeal UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples case and the overall state of reconciliation in British Columbia. He will focus particularly on the challenges and potential opportunities with which British Columbia has faced.
3:20 pm
12. PLENARY - Fostering a Positive and Healthy Career
TRUDY HOPMAN, YLaw Group, Vancouver
DR. LAURA KLUBBEN, Chuck Jung Associates, Vancouver
DAN PARLOW, Kornfeld LLP, Vancouver
What does it take to not just survive, but truly thrive in a demanding legal career? Join veteran litigators Dan Parlow and Trudy Hopman, alongside Registered Psychologist Dr. Laura Klubben, for an honest and personal conversation about building a career you love without losing yourself along the way. These panellists will open up about the real choices they have made — prioritising family, nurturing passions beyond the courtroom, and surrounding themselves with people who lift them up. Their stories offer hard-won wisdom on resilience, knowing when to say no, and finding inspiration in the work and the people around you — so you can work to live, not live to work.
Click here to register for IN PERSON participation
Accommodations
TLABC has secured a block of rooms at the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront. The block closes on Monday 6 April 2026 or once exhausted, whichever comes first.
THE ROOM BLOCK IS FULL. Inquire directly with the Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront for availability and rates.
Attendees can save with preferred rates at TLABC's other local hotel partners: tlabc.org/hotelrates
Spring Soirée
TLABC's fourth annual Spring Soirée and presentation of the Awards of Distinction (formerly Bench & Bar Awards) is happening during the Convention on Thursday 7 May. Enjoy an evening among TLABC friends and colleagues with a cocktail reception, dinner with wine service, and lots of networking.
*separate ticket purchase required
Sponsorship
Interested in sponsoring the Convention? Click here for the Sponsor Package or email karen@tlabc.org
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