The NDP’s Move to Abolish the Law Society is a Dangerous Precedent

The NDP’s proposal to abolish the Law Society of BC and confiscate its $40 million in property is troubling, both for the independence of the legal profession and the protection of individual rights in our province. The Law Society has a critical role in maintaining the integrity of the legal system, and any attempt to dismantle or replace it threatens to undermine the rule of law and public confidence in our justice system.

The Law Society has existed in BC for over 140 years and acts as both the licensing body for lawyers but also as our union in setting rules on how lawyers treat each other inside and outside of court, how articled students are trained, and offers practice support for lawyers in small firms. It is currently a democratic body elected by 14,000 lawyers from across BC with 25 elected lawyers serving as benchers.

The NDP passed legislation in the spring to reduce the elected lawyers to under 30% and remove regional representation despite broad opposition from the legal community.

Having an independent and strong Law Society may be a thorn in the government when they try to put forward unconstitutional or dangerous legislation, but it is necessary to ensure lawyers can continue to stand up for their clients' interests and speak out against the government without fear of arbitrarily losing their license.

As an independent, I will use every tool at my disposal to make the repeal of the BC Legal Professions Act a priority.

To learn more about why Bill 21, which passed is so problematic, please view my articles on this topic:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/legal-regulation-reform-british-columbia-...

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/constitutional-concerns-bill-21-dan-grice...

While the legal profession is not perfect, independent law societies operate across Canada and around the world. They create a collegiate atmosphere which is why Canadian lawyers get a far better reputation than some of our colleagues elsewhere.

If the government can come after lawyers self governance, whose profession is next?