B.C. lawyers have voted overwhelmingly that graduates of Trinity Western University’s (TWU) proposed law school should not be eligible to practice law in B.C.
The Law Society British Columbia (LSBC) announced late October 30 that 74% of the 8,039 lawyers who voted in a mail-in ballot did not want TWU’s proposed school to be an approved school of law for the purpose of the LSBC’s admission program.
That means that the resolution passes, given that more than 59% of eligible lawyers voted. The resolution required at least a 33% turnout and a 66% majority to be binding.
The LSBC’s benchers, or its board of directors, will discuss the results at an October 31 meeting.
TWU’s plan is to open a law school in 2016 that would be the first private, faith-based law school in Canada. Gay, lesbian and other groups have opposed TWU’s right to operate a law school because the university has a “community covenant” that it requires students to sign.
The Federation of Law Societies of Canada and the B.C. government have already given TWU approval to open the law school.
LSBC’s benchers then voted 20 to 7 to accredit and recognize the school’s future graduates – a contentious decision that was overturned in a non-binding June vote at a special general meeting.
Law societies in Ontario and Nova Scotia have already voted against recognizing TWU’s students while counterparts in New Brunswick, Alberta and Saskatchewan have voted to accredit the school.
