Clients seldom base their decision of which lawyer to hire on whether the lawyer has been appointed as a Queen’s counsel (QC). But, in legal circles, carrying the QC designation is a mark of prestige – a pat on the back for a job well done.
So, the 14 Lower Mainland lawyers who were appointed Queen’s counsel on November 26 had reason to smile. So did 10 other lawyers from across the province who were similarly honoured.
What makes the QC designation exclusive is that the Queen’s Counsel Act stipulates that no more than 7% of all of B.C.’s practising lawyers be a member of this club. As of June 30, there were 10,343 practising lawyers in B.C.
“The actual number of practising QCs probably works out to be considerably smaller than 7%,” said James Hatton, who is one of the province’s new QCs.
“Most people who are appointed are toward the end of their careers so they aren’t a QC for too long before they stop practising.”
Hatton, who is 50 years old and has two young children, said it feels good to be one of the younger QCs in B.C.
Then attorney general Mike de Jong called Hatton and other new QC recipients in November to inform them personally of the news.
Each September, B.C.’s attorney general sends a call for nominations letter to the judiciary, the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC), the Canadian Bar Association – B.C. branch (CBABC) and the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia.
Anyone outside of an immediate family member, or the candidates themselves, can make a nomination by filing an online form.
All nominations are kept confidential.
Candidates must be eligible to practise in B.C. and have been members of the bar in B.C. for at least five years.
They must also demonstrate professional integrity, good character and excellence in the practice of the law.
Some of the ways to determine excellent legal practice include:
- they have been acknowledged by peers for providing excellent counsel;
- they have demonstrated leadership in the profession, including in the conduct of the affairs of the CBABC, the LSBC or other legal organizations; or
- they have done outstanding work related to legal education or legal scholarship.
An advisory committee reviews the nominations.
That committee includes the chief justice of B.C., the chief justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the chief judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia, the president of the LSBC, a member of the LSBC appointed by its benchers and the deputy attorney general.
The 14 new Lower Mainland-based members of the Queen’s counsel are:
- James Schuman, from Vancouver, who is a partner with Schuman Daltrop Basran and Robin and has 42 years of experience practising family law;
- Robert Wallace, from West Vancouver, who is widely known as an energy lawyer and is a senior partner with Bull, Housser & Tupper LLP;
- John McLean, from North Vancouver, who has extensive cross-border insolvency experience and who is a partner at Gowlings, Lafleur, Henderson LLP;
- John Dives, from Vancouver, who helped found Dives, Harper & Stanger, has practised law for 32 years and mentors young lawyers;
- Paul Albi, from Vancouver, who heads Davis LLP’s family law group;
- Raymond Young, from Vancouver, who has lots of government law experience and is a partner with Young Anderson;
- Theodore Strocel, who practises with Cascade Law Corp. and provides counsel to small-business owners in both Abbotsford and Vancouver;
- Sandra Banister, from Vancouver, who is a founder of Banister and Co. and provides mentoring to junior women lawyers;
- Robert Holmes, from Vancouver, who practises with Holmes & King and is active in professional and charitable organizations including clinics by the Western Canada Society for Access to Justice;
- Geoffrey Gomery, from Vancouver, who has practised civil litigation and administrative law for more than 20 years and is a contributing author for several Canadian legal reference books;
- David Butcher, from Vancouver, who is a partner at Wilson Buck Butcher and Sears and has acted for police officers in civil, criminal and discipline matters;
- Hatton, from Vancouver, who has practised law at Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP for 25 years and is well known as a biotechnology lawyer;
- David Calabrigo, from Vancouver, who serves as general counsel, corporate secretary and vice-president of corporate development at Canfor Corp.;
- Carol Hickman, from New Westminster, who is a partner at CWH Law Corp. and has been an LSBC bencher since 2004; and
- James Bond, from Vancouver, who is a partner at Lang Michener LLP and recently served as president of the CBABC.