The Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch (CBABC) is a provincial branch of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) based in Vancouver, British Columbia. CBABC publishes BarTalk.[1]
History
In response to the declared COVID-19 pandemic, CBABC closed its offices in mid-March and began working remotely.[2] CBABC President Ken Armstrong and Executive Director Kerry Simmons "regularly met with lawyers to listen to their concerns about practicing in the pandemic, necessary law reforms, and access to the courts." CBABC brought those concerns to the chiefs of the Provincial Court of British Columbia, Supreme Court of British Columbia and British Columbia Court of Appeal, as well as the British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General "to help inform their response to the public health emergency."[3] Subject matter experts "developed briefing notes submitted to the provincial government", which "responded by enacting various Ministerial Orders and legislative amendments to accommodate the needs of the profession in delivering legal services." Issues that CBABC influenced included suspension of limitation periods; remote execution of documents and witnessing of wills; suspension of jury trials for civil actions; recognizing pet stores and veterinarians as essential services; and "consultation for transition rules when state of emergency ends".[2:1]
On April 24, 2020, the British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General announced CBABC as a member of the Justice COVID-19 Response Group (JCRG), created "to support government response to the impact of restrictive public health measures on the justice system."[4] Kerry Simmons represented CBABC at JCRG meetings.[5]
CBABC launched a COVID-19 Resource Hub to collect court updates as well as "advocacy news, links to practice management and business resources, and relevant CBA professional development programs from across Canada."[2:2][6]
In June 2020, the Women Lawyers Forum hosted three "highly-attended online meetings" with Allison Wolf,[7] Linda Parsons and Paula Price on "how lawyers can adapt their practice to the new COVID-19 environment."[8]
On November 19, 2020, CBABC posted an update to their COVID-19 Resource Hub stating that "Employers are expected to enforce the mandatory mask policy with both employees and customers."[9]
On April 22, 2021, CBABC targeted several officials in the British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General for lobbying efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic on behalf of CBABC. Specifically, Jennifer Brun and Kerry Simmons engaged the officials in a "Discussion of challenges in accessing justice due to Covid-19 social distancing restrictions which hamper use of courthouses and government agencies." Additional topics included establishing a "Unified Family Court," providing "rural communities with access to internet, computer equipment and training," and "Modernizing [the] court system through [an] updated scheduling and booking system, digitization of records, enhancing court staffing," and "funding [the] existing Court Digital Transformation Strategy." The targeted officials were Attorney General David Eby, Paul Craven, Richard Fyfe, Anita Nadziejko, and Brendan Wright.[10]
In CBABC's 2021/2022 Annual Report, President Clare Jennings wrote that "CBABC became an indispensable asset and source of essential, up-to-date information for the legal community" during the declared COVID-19 pandemic, and that many of the organization's recommendations to Harry Cayton were reflected in his Report of a Governance Review of the Law Society of BC.[11]
Organization
| Name | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Patricia Blair | President[12] | River Valley Law, Johns Southward, Cowichan Therapeutic Riding Association, Cowichan Women Against Violence Society |
| Connor Bildfell | First Vice President;[12:1] Provincial Council Vancouver County Representative[13] | McCarthy Tétrault, Lawyers' Rights Watch Canada, Kids Up Front Vancouver, Vancouver Inter-Cultural Orchestra, Justice Education Society of British Columbia, Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia |
| Sarah Klinger | Second Vice President[12:2] | Law Office of Sarah K. Klinger, Carfra Lawton, Cardinal Law, University of Victoria Faculty of Law, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Victoria |
| Kerry Simmons | Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director[12:3] | Justice COVID-19 Response Group, Access to Justice BC, CBA Task Force on Justice Issues Arising from COVID-19, Canadian Bar Association, Cook Roberts |
| Martin Bühler | Aboriginal Lawyers Representative[12:4] | Bühler Law, RLR Lawyers, Fraser Litigation Group, Canadian Forces Naval Reserve, Canadian Forces Supplementary Reserve, Cranberry Fire Protection District |
| Cherolyn Knapp | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Representative;[12:5] Provincial Council Victoria County Representative[13:1] | Knapp Resolutions, ADR Education, High Conflict Institute, AVI Health and Community Services, Victoria Bar Association, ADR Institute of British Columbia |
| Anwar Mujtabah | Young Lawyers Representative;[12:6] Provincial Council Victoria County Representative[13:2] | Crease Harman, Canadian Armed Forces, Victoria Bar Association |
| Rebecca Darnell | Director at Large;[12:7] Provincial Council Westminster County Representative[13:3] | Darnell Law Group, Motor Vehicle Sales Authority of British Columbia, College of Massage Therapists of British Columbia, Langley Community Services Society, Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation |
| Laurel Hogg | Director at Large;[12:8] Provincial Council Yale County Representative[13:4] | Heinrichs Richards, Rush Ihas Hardwick, BC Coroners Service, Blake, Cassels & Graydon, Lenczner Slaght |
| Dimple Kainth | Director at Large[12:9] | Satya Law, Law Society of British Columbia, Boutique Counsel Network, Rise Women's Legal Centre |
| Carolyn Lefebvre | Senior Director of Membership, Engagement and Strategy[14] | Aviso Wealth, Central 1 |
| Miryam Burns | Policy and Engagement Specialist[14:1] | Plant & Co., British Columbia Superior Courts Judiciary, Jamal Law Group |
| Coral Atchison | Provincial Council Cariboo County Representative[13:5] | Church Atchison, Morelli Chertkow, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Williams Lake, South Cariboo Bar Association |
| Nathan Bauder | Provincial Council Cariboo County Representative[13:6] | Nathan R. Bauder Law Corporation |
| Jon Duncan | Provincial Council Cariboo County Representative[13:7] | Duncan & Associates, Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia |
| Jamie Lalonde | Provincial Council Kootenay County Representative[13:8] | Lalonde Law |
| Chris Trudeau | Provincial Council Kootenay County Representative[13:9] | Chris Trudeau Law Corporation |
| Phil Dwyer | Provincial Council Nanaimo County Representative[13:10] | Phil Dwyer Law |
| Menaka Giri | Provincial Council Nanaimo County Representative[13:11] | British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General, Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria |
| Benjamin Kingstone | Provincial Council Nanaimo County Representative[13:12] | Swift Datoo |
| Emily Beggs | Provincial Council Prince Rupert County Representative[13:13] | British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General |
| Joseph G. Cuenca | Provincial Council Vancouver County Representative[13:14] | Law Society of British Columbia, Cohen Buchan Edwards, National Pilipino Canadian Cultural Centre, City of Surrey, S.U.C.C.E.S.S. |
| Rupinder Gosal | Provincial Council Vancouver County Representative[13:15] | Department of Justice Canada, Somers Poulin Hall, South Asian Bar Association of British Columbia |
| Jennifer Khor | Provincial Council Vancouver County Representative[13:16] | Community Legal Assistance Society, Global Affairs Canada, Legal Aid BC |
| Tina Parbhakar | Provincial Council Vancouver County Representative[13:17] | Access to Justice BC, Action Committee on Access to Justice in Civil and Family Matters, North Shore Restorative Justice Society, North Shore Law |
| Sonali Sharma | Provincial Council Vancouver County Representative[13:18] | Athena Law, Everyone Legal Clinic, Collaborative Divorce Vancouver, Seniors First BC, Financial Literacy Counsel |
| Leena Yousefi | Provincial Council Vancouver County Representative[13:19] | YLaw, Oxygen Yoga & Fitness, The Split, MacLean Law |
| Brian A. Yuen | Provincial Council Vancouver County Representative;[13:20] Immigration Law Section Representative[15] | Lotusland Law, Coal Harbour Law, MacIsaac & Company, Jiwa Law Corporation, WorkSafeBC |
| J. Berry Hykin | Provincial Council Victoria County Representative[13:21] | Woodward & Company |
| Grace Cleveland | Provincial Council Westminster County Representative[13:22] | Cleveland Doan, Peace Arch Hospital Foundation, Will Power |
| Manpreet Mand | Provincial Council Westminster County Representative[13:23] | Mand Law & Mediation, Hepburn Mand & Glass Lawyers, Henderson Law Group, Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia |
| Natasha Nair | Provincial Council Westminster County Representative[13:24] | RBC Wealth Management, Linley Welwood |
| Nika Pidskalny | Provincial Council Yale County Representative[13:25] | MLT Aikins, Splendr, Lawson Lundell, Kelowna Women in Business, Chic Geek |
| Aachal Soll | Provincial Council Yale County Representative[13:26] | Cates Ford Soll & Epp, Kamloops United Church, InnovativeCommunities.org Foundation |
| Hasan Alam | Equity and Diversity Committee Chair[16] | British Columbia General Employees' Union, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Archway Community Services, Canadian Union of Public Employees |
| Erin Brook | Family Law Committee Chair[16:1] | Brook Law, Park Place Law, CBA Task Force on Justice Issues Arising from COVID-19, Vancouver Island University |
| Stewart Carstairs | Real Estate Committee Chair[16:2] | CR Lawyers, Campbell River Salmon Foundation, Campbell River Community Foundation, Young Professionals of Campbell River |
| Lindsay Frame | Access to Justice Committee Chair[16:3] | McCarthy Tétrault, Cristie Ford, Law Students' Legal Advice Program, PLEA Community Services Society of BC, Employ to Empower, Amici Curiae Friendship Society |
| Michael Kleisinger | Advisory Committee to Judicial Council Chair[16:4] | British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General, British Columbia Supreme Court Civil and Family Rules Committee |
| Eric Ledding | Professional Issues Committee Chair[16:5] | Pushor Mitchell, Kelowna General Hospital Foundation, Kelowna Bar Association, Hemmerling Law, Kelowna & District Safety Council |
| Talia Magder | Restorative Justice Committee Chair[16:6] | Legal Aid BC, TM Law, Temple Sholom, Turko and Company, Law Students' Legal Advice Program |
| Dan Moseley | Finance & Audit Committee Chair[12:10] | McQuarrie, Surrey Bar Association, Surrey Hospital & Outpatient Centre Foundation, South Surrey & White Rock Chamber of Commerce |
| Adam Munnings | Truth and Reconciliation Committee Chair[16:7] | Munnings Law, Community Legal Assistance Society, Vancouver Aboriginal Health Society, PHS Community Services Society, North Shore Restorative Justice Society |
| Lisa Picotte-Li | BarTalk Editorial Committee Chair[16:8] | IWA-Forest Industry Pension & LTD Plans, Technical Safety BC, Correctional Service Canada, Brightside Community Homes Foundation, Chimo Community Services |
| Mark Seebaran | Truth and Reconciliation Committee Chair[16:9] | British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General, Public Prosecution Service of Canada, Department of Justice Canada, Nelligan O'Brien Payne |
| Stephen Yung | Court Services Committee Chair[16:10] | Simpson, Thomas & Associates |
| Ken Armstrong | President (2019-2020)[17] | Icon Law Group, Armstrong Naish Trial Lawyers, Canadian Bar Association |
| Aleem Bharmal | President (2022-2023)[18] | Law Society of British Columbia, Community Legal Assistance Society, Miller Thomson |
| Jennifer Brun | President (2020-2021)[19] | Harris & Brun, British Columbia Supreme Court Civil and Family Rules Committee, CBA Task Force on Justice Issues Arising from COVID-19 |
| Ying C. | Lawyer Referral Service Intake Operator and Dial-A-Law Coordinator (former)[20] | Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia |
| Michelle Casavant | Aboriginal Lawyers Representative (former)[21] | Forte Workplace Law, Casavant Law, Modern Collaboration, Capilano University School of Legal Studies, College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia, Department of Justice Canada |
| Lauren Chu | Officer (former)[17:1] | British Columbia Prosecution Service, Canadian Bar Association |
| Mylene de Guzman | First Vice President (former)[22] | Provincial Court of British Columbia, New Westminster Bar Association, Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers British Columbia |
| Baljinder Girn | Officer (former)[17:2] | Public Prosecution Service of Canada, Supreme Court of British Columbia, Heller, Rubel |
| Diane Gradley | Director at Large (former)[23] | North Shore Family Court and Youth Justice Committee, New Westminster Bar Association |
| Arthur Grant | Access to Justice Committee Chair (former)[17:3] | Harris & Company, Grant Kovacs & Norell, Dying With Dignity Canada, Rowing British Columbia, Institute of Parliamentary and Political Law |
| Brandon Hastings | Young Lawyers Representative (2019-2022)[24] | Northpoint Legal, The Justice Hack, Vancouver Legal Hackers, Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia, Canadian Bar Association |
| Isabel Jackson | Officer (former)[17:4] | Department of Justice Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Aboriginal Lawyers Forum |
| Judith Janzen | Finance and Audit Committee Chair (former)[23:1] | Onyx Law Group, Hope for Freedom Society |
| Clare Jennings | President (2021-2022)[25] | British Columbia Prosecution Service, University of Victoria Faculty of Law, Provincial Court of British Columbia |
| Julianne Lamb | Advisory Committee to Judicial Council of BC Chair (former)[17:5] | Supreme Court of British Columbia, Guild Yule, Peter A. Allard School of Law, Law Society of British Columbia |
| Dan W. Melnick | Young Lawyers Representative (former)[26] | Clark Wilson, Cook Roberts, The Law Centre, Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia, Victoria Bar Association |
| Margaret Mereigh | President (2018-2019)[17:6] | British Columbia Prosecution Service, Community Legal Assistance Society, Law Students' Legal Advice Program, Canadian Mental Health Association Vancouver-Fraser, Canadian Mental Health Association Vancouver-Burnaby |
| Lisa Nevens | Director at Large (former)[23:2] | Department of Justice Canada, International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Access Pro Bono Society of British Columbia, Canadian Centre for International Justice |
| Craig Yamashiro | Equality and Diversity Representative (former)[17:7] | British Columbia Prosecution Service |
Subsidiaries and sister organizations
- Aboriginal Lawyers Forum
- CBABC Benevolent Society
- Rural Education and Access to Lawyers Initiative (REAL)
Funding
CBABC has received funding through event sponsorships from:[27]
- Harris & Company
- Norton Rose Fulbright
- Osgoode Professional Development
- Sarhan Data Law
- Thomson Reuters
Publications
- July 19, 2021: "Who’s Getting Left Behind? The Impact of the Ongoing Digital Transformation of the Court System on Access to Justice in British Columbia"
External links
Home. BarTalk. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://bartalk.org/ ↩︎
CBABC Annual Report 2019/2020 (p. 6). Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch. Retrieved August 27, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/BC/media/docs/annual-reports/2019-2020-Annual-Report.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
CBABC Annual Report 2019/2020 (p. 1). Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/BC/media/docs/annual-reports/2019-2020-Annual-Report.pdf ↩︎
Ministry of Attorney General. (2020, April 24). Provincial justice system advisory groups established. BC Gov News. https://web.archive.org/web/20230929215201/https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020ag0032-000747 ↩︎
British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General. (2025, December 2). Justice COVID-19 Response Group Meeting Agendas. White Rose Intelligence. https://www.whiteroseintelligence.com/british-columbia-ministry-of-attorney-general-mag-2025-51944/ ↩︎
COVID-19 Resource Hub. (2020, May 12). CBA British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20200513131103/https://www.cbabc.org/Publications-and-Resources/COVID-19-Resource-Hub ↩︎
Women Lawyers Forum Section Meeting | WEBINAR LINK. (2020, June 5). Canadian Bar Association. https://www.cbapd.org/details_en.aspx?id=bc_bc20wfa06r ↩︎
CBABC Annual Report 2019/2020 (p. 7). Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch. Retrieved August 27, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/BC/media/docs/annual-reports/2019-2020-Annual-Report.pdf ↩︎
COVID-19 Resource Hub. (2020, November 19). CBA British Columbia. https://web.archive.org/web/20210128073733/https://www.cbabc.org/Publications-and-Resources/COVID-19-Resource-Hub ↩︎
Simmons, K. (2021, May 12). 3362-8959 - Lobbying Activity Report. Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists for BC. https://www.lobbyistsregistrar.bc.ca/app/secure/orl/lrs/do/cmmLgPblcVw?comlogId=8959 ↩︎
2021-2022 Annual Report (p. 1). CBA British Columbia. Retrieved August 27, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/BC/media/docs/annual-reports/2021-2022-Annual-Report.pdf ↩︎
Board of Directors. CBA British Columbia. Retrieved August 6, 2026, from https://archive.today/2026.08.05-232714/https://cbabc.org/about/board-of-directors/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
County Representatives. CBA British Columbia. Retrieved August 8, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/about/provincial-council/county-representatives/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Meet our team. CBA British Columbia. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/about/staff-directory/ ↩︎ ↩︎
Section Representatives. CBA British Columbia. Retrieved August 9, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/about/provincial-council/section-reps/ ↩︎
Committee Chairs. CBA British Columbia. Retrieved August 10, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/about/provincial-council/committee-chairs/ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
CBABC Annual Report 2019/2020 (p. 12). Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/BC/media/docs/annual-reports/2019-2020-Annual-Report.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Aleem Bharmal, KC. LinkedIn. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/aleem-bharmal-kc-546a2655/ ↩︎
Jennifer J.L. Brun, K.C. | Lawyer. Harris & Brun Law Corporation. Retrieved September 2, 2025, from https://web.archive.org/web/20250902212231/https://harrisbrun.com/team/jennifer-j-l-brun-k-c/ ↩︎
Our People. Access Pro Bono. Retrieved August 12, 2021, from https://web.archive.org/web/20210812153256/https://accessprobono.ca/about-us/our-people ↩︎
2023-2024 Annual Report (p. 12). Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch. Retrieved August 13, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/BC/media/docs/annual-reports/2023-2024-Annual-Report.pdf ↩︎
FACL BC Statement on the Appointment of Judge Mylene de Guzman. (2025, March 7). Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers British Columbia. https://faclbc.ca/news/13472031 ↩︎
2020-2021 Annual Report (p. 12). Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch. Retrieved August 13, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/BC/media/docs/annual-reports/2020-2021-Annual-Report.pdf ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Brandon Hastings. LinkedIn. Retrieved August 11, 2026, from https://www.linkedin.com/in/bhastingslaw/details/volunteering-experiences/ ↩︎
Victoria Crown taking on B.C. provincial court judge duties in Nanaimo in July. (2026, June 30). Nanaimo News Bulletin. https://nanaimobulletin.com/2026/06/30/victoria-crown-taking-on-b-c-provincial-court-judge-duties-in-nanaimo-in-july/ ↩︎
2022-2023 Annual Report (p. 12). Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch. Retrieved August 13, 2026, from https://cbabc.org/BC/media/docs/annual-reports/2022-2023-Annual-Report.pdf ↩︎
Sponsors. CBA British Columbia. Retrieved August 27, 2026, from https://archive.today/2026.08.27-214218/https://cbabc.org/bclc-privacy/sponsors/ ↩︎
