Evaluation Report: Criminal Pre-Trial Conference Pilot Project

The Supreme Court of BC has just released an evaluation report of its Criminal Pre-Trial Conference Pilot Project, which “began on March 1, 2010, in four Court locations (Vancouver, New Westminster, Chilliwack, and Kamloops) and has remained in effect in those locations since.”

The Pilot Project examined whether an increased focus on pre-trial conferences would improve scheduling and orderly conduct of criminal trials and their pre-trial applications.

This Evaluation Report provides a background on the pilot project, describes the evaluation process and feedback, and seven specific recommendations for moving forward.

Read the whole report here: Criminal Pre-Trial Conference Pilot Project Evaluation Report.

LSBC Welcomes New President & 2012-2014 Strategic Plan

As reported on CLBC’s New and Notable, this Friday, the Law Society of BC will swear in its newest president, Bruce LeRose, Q.C.

LeRose, who hails from Trail and is the LSBC’s first-ever president from the Kootenays, will launch a new strategic plan at the January 27 board meeting.

One of the three goals in the new strategic plan is to improve access to legal services, especially in rural areas. Increasing legal service providers is part of this goal; the Justicia Project and Indigenous Lawyer Mentoring Program fall into that strategy.

The other two goals are to increase the public’s “confidence in the administration of justice and the rule of law” and to “be a more innovative and effective professional regulatory body.”

CCEL Report: Elder and Guardianship Mediation

As reported by Legal Feeds, the Canadian Centre for Elder Law recently released a new report, Elder and Guardianship Mediation (CCEL Report No. 5, January 2012).

From the report’s introductory note:

“The Elder and Guardianship Mediation Report is the culmination of three years of research
and consultation on the complex and overlapping areas of elder mediation and guardianship
mediation. This comprehensive report brings together material that will support mediation
practitioners as well as leaders in elder and guardianship mediation working in policy and
education. The report provides expert guidance in support of changes that need to be made
in the province of BC when the existing adult guardianship mediation provisions are
proclaimed.”

An extensive annotated bibliography is included as an appendix.

New BCCLA Reports on Lawful Access and Genetic Technology

A new report from the BC Civil Liberties Association explores issues of lawful access in our increasingly surveillance-oriented culture.

Moving Toward a Surveillance Society – Proposals to Expand “Lawful Access” in Canada by Philippa Lawson asserts that proposed modernizations to law enforcement legislation are problematic to individuals’ privacy and actually lower evidentiary standards.

A second report, Eugene Oscapella’s Genetic Privacy and Discrimination: An Overview of Selected Major Issues delves into issues such as the role of DNA in criminal investigations, individual privacy vs. public health, and genetic testing in employment and insurance matters.

Both reports were supported through grants from the Law Foundation of BC.

New LEAF Report Connects Aboriginal Women with Legal Services

As reported on the Clicklaw blog, a new report from West Coast LEAF notes a serious gap in availability and accessibility of legal services for Aboriginal women.

Mapping the Gap: Linking Aboriginal Women with Legal Resources and Services was prepared by Shahnaz Rahman and aims to “capture a snapshot of the legal resources available to Aboriginal
women and their advocates across BC.”

” In 2011, West Coast LEAF surveyed legal resources available to women in BC in the context of diminishing legal aid services, specifically focusing on community-based legal resources accessed by Aboriginal women and their advocates. All consultations conducted during the project underscored two main issues: there is serious need for basic, face-to-face, legal support; and that Aboriginal communities face significant unmet legal needs. These and other findings, outlined in our report, identify available legal services and supports while describing gaps in service for Aboriginal women. The report also contains recommendations.”

Mapping the Gap follows up on a 2010 report. Both reports are available from the West Coast LEAF website.

Law Foundation Announces Grant Recipients

The Law Foundation of BC recently announced the recipients of over $10 million in grant funding for projects and programming in BC.

Funding was approved for 43 continuing programs. Included are operating grants, program funding, and scholarships for organizations such as universities, libraries, legal associations and societies, etc.

Funding was granted to seven specific projects by several universities, the BC Coalition of People with Disabilities, the Vernon Women’s Transition House Society, and the Foundation for Legal Research.

Lastly, the Legal Research Fund awarded seven grants: two grants to UBC, two grants to TRU, two grants to UBC, and a grant to Joan Rush.

To see all the details of recipients and programs receiving funding, see the Law Foundation website.

Courthouse Libraries BC Launches Online Reading Room

As announced on The Stream, Courthouse Libraries BC has launched the Reading Room – a free online library for BC lawyers.

Says Kat Siddle, “The Reading Room is a vital part of our effort to shape our website and collections to meet the needs of the legal communities we serve. We’re bringing legal information to BC’s legal community – any time, any place. We think the Reading Room will be especially helpful to lawyers in small firms, lawyers in smaller communities, and new calls.”

Resources include:

• 127 e-books
• Over 1500 journals
• SCC decisions
• English Reports
• US legislation
• Historical Canadian legislation

These materials are available through CLBC’s subscriptions to HeinOnline and the Irwin Law e-library and may be accessed 24 hours a day.

To access the Reading Room, log in here. (You must be a member of the Law Society of BC and have or create a CLBC website account.)

Congratulations to Courthouse Libraries BC for developing this convenient and helpful new service!

UVic Wins Top Prize at Law Games 2012

From January 2nd to 5th,  2012, UBC was host to the Canada Law Student Games  – the first time the Law Games have been held in BC, since its inception in the 1980s. The games featured a range of sports and games competitions, social events, and a moot, with 600 participants in teams from 16 law schools across Canada.

The University of Victoria team took home the event’s top prize, the Spirit Cup. Other winners were the University of Western Ontario (Sports Cup), University of Saskatchewan (Fun Games award), Université Laval (talent show), and McGill University (moot winner).

For more details, see Games Organizing Committee Co-Chair Laura Hawes’ article in 4Students.

CBABC’s Women Lawyers Forum News

The CBA BC’s Women Lawyers Forum has just released its Winter 2011 newsletter. This issue includes:

• A History of the BC Women Lawyers Forum and details on the recipient of the CBA Women Lawyers Forum Cecelia A. Johnstone Award, Kerry-Lynne D. Findlay, QC, MP.
• Recap of the 2011 BC WLF Education Day
• Recap of the WLF Fall Launch
• Recap of the discussion “Recognition & Achievements”, featuring Sue Paish, Bev Park, and Miranda Lam
• Interview with Anne Chopra, Equity Ombudsperson for the Law Society of BC
• Report from WLF groups in Kamloops & on Vancouver Island

The issue also includes a list of WLF upcoming events.

Podcast: UBC Law Profs Discuss Groundbreaking Research

UBC Law recently published a podcast of its  “Uniquely UBC: Pushing the Boundaries” event, featuring three law faculty profs discussing their research and “the changes necessary to address some of our society’s most important challenges”.

Associate Professor Natasha Affolder discusses her work in the area of transnational environmental law; Associate Professor Benjamin Goold talks about public safety, privacy, surveillance, and human rights; and Assistant Professor Benjamin Perrin shares developments in the area of human trafficking research and legislation in Canada.

Listen to or download the podcast at the Events page.

BC Bloggers Honoured in Clawbies

The 2011 Canadian Law Blog Awards were released on New Year’s Eve, and BC Law Watch congratulates all the winners and finalists, especially those from our home province. Here’s a look at which BC bloggers were honoured:

• Erik Magraken took home the Fodden Award for Best Canadian Law Blog for his B.C. Injury Law Blog.
• Stan Rule was a finalist in the Best Practitioner Blog category for his blog, Rule of Law.
• ClickLaw took home the Non-Legal Audience Blog award.
• Samantha Collier took home Best Practice Management Blog for Social Media for Law Firms, and David Bilinsky was a finalist in the same category for Thoughtful Legal Management.
• The BC Distance Family Mediation Blog (Mediate BC)  and Slater Vecchio Connected were both finalists in the Best New Blogs category.

Kudos to all and keep up the great blogging!

AG Announces 2011 Queen’s Counsel Recipients

You may have missed this year’s Queen’s counsel (QC) designation announcement; it was recently released by Attorney General Shirley Bond. 28 British Columbia lawyers received the honour:

• Peter Andrew Allard
• Brian Donald Ross
• Edward Douglas Bates
• Peter Allan Spencer
• Eric John (Jack) Woodward
• Sharon Elizabeth White
• Robert Blake James Kennedy
• Edward Daniel Fast
• Miriam Kresivo
• Maureen Lois Anne Lundell
• Lorne Neil MacLean
• Maureen Elizabeth Baird
• Glen Aaron Purdy
• Diane Ilona Turner
• Robert James Herperger
• Eugene Christopher Jamieson
• Elizabeth Beatrice Lyall
• Diane Heather Raven
• Mary Elizabeth Mouat
• Rita Carla Andreone
• Giuseppe (Joe) Fiorante
• Winston Lim Sayson
• Gregory Phillip DelBigio
• Delayne Marie Sartison
• John Christopher Zimmer
• Christine Lesley Maureen Boyle
• Craig Elton Jones
• Stephen Guy McPhee

Congratulations to all those who received the Queen’s counsel designation!

UBC & UVic Law Students to Take Part in Twitter Moot

This February, students from the law schools at UBC and UVic will participate in “the world’s first ever Twitter moot“, a virtual event organized by West Coast Environmental Law (WCEL).

WCEL Executive Director and #twtmoot organizer Jessica Clogg said that “Twitter is the perfect medium to raise public awareness about how the law can help protect the environment.”

Team UBC is Meghan Trepanier and Matthew Kalkman and Team UVic is Matthew Nefstead and Julie DeWolf. There will also be teams from Osgoode Hall, University of Ottawa, and Dalhousie Law participating.

The moot will take place Tuesday, February 21st, 2012, at 10am PST (1pm EST), and can be followed at WCEL’s twtmoot list. For more information on the moot case, participants, and judges, visit the WCEL’s #twtmoot homepage.

Upcoming CPD Opportunities

Those wanting to start planning their CPD activities for 2012 may be interested in some upcoming courses in January and February, offered through CLEBC, Insight, and the Canadian Institute.

• Minute Taking Standards and Related Issues – January 16, 2012
• Robert’s Rules of Order – Demystified – January 17, 2012
• 7th Annual Western Canada Labour Relations Conference – January 24 & 25, 2012
• Environmental Law in BC – January 25 & 26th, 2012
• Legal Strategies for Business Acquisitions 2012 – February 3, 2012
• 101 Boardroom Problems and How to Solve Them – February 6, 2012
• Death Is Not The End: Estate Administration Workshop – February 9 & 10, 2012
• Workplace Mediation – February 10, 2012
• Civil Law for Criminal Lawyers – February 11, 2012
• Business Basics 2012 – February 16, 2012
• Multi-party Mediation – February 16 & 17, 2012
• Closely Held Corporations: Tax Issues for Commercial Practitioners – February 21, 2012
• Public Procurement – February 21 & 22, 2012
• Defending Personal Injury – February 24, 2012

Law Foundation Funding for 2012 Projects

The Law Foundation is accepting applications for funding through its 2012 projects budget of $750,000.

Who: An eligible group must be a “non-profit organization in British Columbia whose proposed time-limited project falls within one or more of the five statutory mandated areas of the Law Foundation: legal aid; legal education; legal research; law reform; and law libraries.”

What: The Law Foundation is accepting applications for projects in a variety of areas, especially aboriginal legal issues; consumer and debt issues; elder law; family law; legal needs of remote geographical areas; public legal education; and technology. Projects are eligible for a maximum grant of $75,000.

How & When: Submit a letter of intent by 3pm, January 13, 2012 — contact the Law Foundation to discuss your project prior to submitting a Letter of Intent form.

For complete details, see the Large Projects page of the Law Foundation website.