We are excited to announce that our very own SBA member and long time local lawyer, James Henry, was appointed and sworn in as a judge of the Provincial Court of BC on March 21, 2025!  Judge Henry had most recently been working as Crown Counsel in Surrey since 2017 and prior to that as defence counsel in Surrey and the Fraser Valley. Congratulations Judge Henry!

Surrey Bar Association – 2024 President’s Report

It has been an incredible year to be your president. The Surrey Bar Association has continued it long tradition of hosting regular “minglers” throughout the year. We have continued the Inns of Court Program into its third year. We hosted numerous Lunch and Learn Continuing Professional Development talks.

We were hoping to re-introduce the Bench and Bar Dinner but due to some scheduling conflicts, we were unable to make it happen this year.

This year also marked an unusual development with the government’s decision to move forward with Bill 21, a now passed piece of legislation that completely overhauls the Law Society of British Columbia. The SBA hosted a very well attended information session with the President of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia.

The Surrey Bar Association also continued a presence and voice on many relevant decision-making committees such as the Surrey Court Users Committee and the Mental Health Committee.

As your president it has been an honor to serve the members of the Surrey Bar Association. I would like to thank our members, hard-working executive, and partners in the local bar and judiciary for another successful year. I am looking forward to an even better year in 2025.

Joshua Krueger SBA President 2024

All lawyers in the Fraser Region practicing 6 years or less: 

THE SURREY INNS OF COURT IS BACK! 

Register NOW!

   

The Surrey Inns of Court is set to launch a third season!

Come and join us for a meal and the opportunity to sit down and discuss a variety of topics with judges and senior legal counsel. Topics will be related to legal ethics, practice management, expert witnesses, trial advocacy and professional responsibility. There will be opportunity to practice direct and cross-examination skills with the benefit of feedback from a judge and senior legal counsel.

The program runs from September to February and offers 20 hours of CPD credit including 2 hours of Ethics/Practice Management.

Register NOW!  Don't delay: 2023 sold out!

LAST SITTING OF

THE HONOURABLE JUDGE GARY COHEN

 

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2024

COURTROOM 101 at 4:30 PM

SURREY, BRITISH COLUMBIA

 

ORDER OF CEREMONY

 

1.    Call to Order

 2.    Remarks from:

 ·         The Honourable Chief Judge Melissa Gillespie (presiding)

·         The Honourable Regional Administrative Judge Rita Bowry

·         Douglas Robinson, KC, on behalf of the Canadian Bar Association

·         Sandy Thompson, Family Bar

·         Mike Fortino, BC Prosecution Services

·         Chris Johnson, KC, Defence Bar

·         Steven Point, UBC Chancellor, prior Lieutenant Governor of BC and judge of this court

 3.    Closing remarks by the Honourable Judge Gary Cohen

 

Reception to follow at Occasions at the Pond Restaurant

 

The Surrey Bar Association would like to extend our congratulations to two SBA members who recently received the King's Counsel designation, Rubinder (Rob) Dhanu and Gurminder Sandhu!

Rubinder Dhanu (2004) has vast expertise in criminal law, having worked both as a Crown prosecutor and defence attorney. His focus areas include drug, firearm and organized crime prosecutions, as well as representing victims of domestic and sexual violence. Dhanu has navigated all court levels, including the B.C. and Alberta Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. From initiating his own law group as a sole practitioner in Vancouver, he has expanded his practice with more than 20 legal professionals across Abbotsford and Surrey. He has also mentored numerous associates and students.

Gurminder Sandhu (2000) is an experienced civil litigator practising throughout B.C. courts, focusing on general civil litigation, family law and insurance law. As a partner at his firm, Sandhu’s work covers various areas, including cases involving human rights issues, traumatic brain injuries and real estate disputes. He's a bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia since 2022 and served on the Federal Judicial Advisory Committee (B.C.) from 2021 to 2023.

Read about all the KC appointees here.

Please welcome the new and returning SBA Executive for the 2024 year!

• President: Joshua Krueger
• Vice President: Chelsea Dubeau
• Treasurer: Jatinder Singh Gill
• Secretary: Gurleen Randhawa
• Past President: Peter Buxton, KC
• Directors at Large:
• • Gordon Kabanuk
  • Cheryl Stanley
  • Junki Hong
  • Zain Ali
  • Christie Gilmour
  • Spencer Hamade
  • Soleman Hashmi
  • Navdip Chhabra
  • Gurinder Cheema
  • Paul Kent
  • Joey Doyle

Read the full profiles of our executive team here.

This has been a year of growth and engagement for the Surrey Bar Association.

• We hosted “get togethers” in the spring, summer, and fall, including a very special event at one of the local wineries. These in-person events are particularly useful in increasing networking opportunities and providing informal interaction between members of the bench and practitioners.

  We entered year two of the Inns of Court Program with full enrolment and a wide variety of topics of discussion. We had dinners at the Morgan Creek Golf Course and wonderful presentations by experts in a wide variety of topics.  We thank the senior practitioners who volunteered their time and the judges that attended to provide a “view from the bench” on the subject matter. Many thanks to our committee members who made this a memorable experience.

  We decided to move our Bench and Bar Dinner back to its traditional time of year and we look forward to presenting it in the Spring of 2024.

  Our membership has remained constant, but we are working hard to expand it by providing innovative and relevant opportunities, including:

• -       Lunch and learn opportunities,
• -       Quarterly “get togethers”,
• -       Expanded website interactions,
• -       Providing a voice on the Surrey court Mental Health Committee, and
• -       Managing the barristers’ lounge at the Surrey Provincial Court.

I have enjoyed my time as your President, and I look forward to continued participation and work with the Surrey Bar Association.  I thank everyone who helped me in this task.

Sincerely,

Peter Buxton K.C.

SBA President 2023.

EMAIL AND DATES:

This year’s direct deposit email is: 2023toyfund@gmail.com. The fundraiser runs from November 1, 2023 – December 4, 2023.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION:

A $30 deposit by e transfer to 2023toyfund@gmail.com gets an Indigenous child in care an age-appropriate Christmas gift. All funds go directly to purchasing, wrapping and delivering the toys for kids and gift cards for teens. Helps Law matches up to 100 gifts!

INFORMATION:

Thank you all for your participation in the past in the CBABC Aboriginal Lawyer’s Forum/Helps Law Corporation Christmas Toy Drive! I am immensely proud of, and grateful for, my astonishing community.

I am so excited to announce that once again this year, I am asking for a $30 donation from individuals and organizations to buy a toy for an Indigenous child in care through the Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society. This is the fourth year we’ve done this drive and every year, it is the highlight of my Christmas season.

This year, I’m reaching out directly to you because much of our campaigning used to be done on social media, most notably twitter (now ‘X’). Unfortunately, despite more need than ever, social media engagement is at its lowest point since I started using the medium. I would be appreciative if you would pass on this information to your friends, family, colleagues and anyone who might be so moved to contribute.

The world right now is very dark. People feel insignificant in the face of conflicts, slaughter, and war. I remember being very much in that same place in 2017 when Isabel Jackson, KC, then the head of ALF, spoke at a Canadian Bar Association BC Branch. When she said there were children in our community going without for Christmas, I felt better because I knew there was something I could do – you can’t do something about everything, but, as my best friend always says, you can do what is within your reach. Children not getting Christmas gifts in our community? We can do something about that!

Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services (VACFSS) is an Indigenous led organization that ensures the well-being of Indigenous children and youth who have come into a continuing care order. They are the sole provider of MCFD services to the Indigenous community in Vancouver. Their work is crucial to reducing the numbers of Indigenous youth in care through a commitment of developing child specific lifelong plans with an emphasis on returning to family, extended family and community and secondly to ensuring that those children that are leaving the system are doing so with a strong Indigenous identity and a leadership vision of their future.

The toys supplied go straight to VACFSS on December 10 this year, and each of the children or teens under their ambit will receive a gift, as will the families for food luxury. I am so proud to support VACFSS, and we work hand in hand with them to ensure we are meeting their needs.

Our toy sponsor, Granville Island Toy Company, has joined us again! Joanna, Tanyth and their team select the toys based on age group and popularity (they never give us their dead stock; last year, Barbies and Lego and Playmobil were all included!), give us a 10% discount and wrap and deliver the toys for us in time for the VACFSS banquet and distribution. They are our secret weapon and we’d be hard pressed to do it all without them. Granville Island Toy Company is a small, woman-owned local business so every penny we give them also comes back into our community. I encourage you to patronize them (I bought all my nephews toys from them last year!) as they are, truly, a beacon in our community.

Last year, we raised $11,200, which paid for more than 200 toys, 50 HappyTeen gift cards of $50 each, 50 President’s Choice gift cards at $50 each for food luxury for the families and 30 Walmart gift cards of $50 each for special needs families who had household need. A small leftover amount was donated to the Native Education Centre.

Helps Law collects the funds, deposits them into a separate account and then distributes the funds based on the direct feedback from VACFSS about their need. We keep accountable by posting tallies and receipts on twitter, facebook and sending those accountings to VACFSS and ALF. We do not give charitable receipts, but I can certainly send you an email acknowledging your donation should you need it, and Helps Law derives no benefit or taxation status from doing this fundraiser – we just cover the costs and match up to 100 gifts.

Please do not hesitate to contact me for any information. You guys! It’s the most wonderful time of the year – let’s make sure everyone in need can say the same to their kids. Please pass this email on!!!

With love and gratitude,

Lisa

HELPS LAW CORPORATION

The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts (AFCC), an interdisciplinary and international association of professionals dedicated to the resolution of family conflict, is establishing a BC Chapter.  An inaugural event will be held 12:30 pm on November 14, 2023 via Zoom, with Professor Nicholas Bala presenting the BC Parenting Plan Template with a following discussion with Prof. Bala and Judges Ferriss and Guild.  For information on this event and membership please click here.

Surrey Bench and Bar come together to form Inns of Court

In late 2019/early 2020, a group of lawyers and judges in British Columbia’s fastest growing municipality, Surrey, recognized the need to connect the judiciary and senior counsel with the junior bar to provide mentorship and professional development opportunities.  From there the development of the Surrey Inns of Court program quickly took off through a partnership with the Surrey Bar Association and the local judiciary. However, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck and in person training events ceased, the formal Inns program went on hiatus. Not being deterred, the group quickly pivoted and successfully managed to deliver online advocacy training sessions to local lawyers with the help of some experienced presenters. These events were well attended and solidified the need for the Inns program in Surrey.

When pandemic restrictions eased, the Inns program was revived with the inaugural meeting in September 2022.  From September 2022 to March 2023, a cohort comprised of lawyers under 6 years call from all practice areas met monthly with volunteer mentor Provincial Court judges and senior practitioners for evenings filled with conversation on topics related to legal ethics, practice management, expert witnesses, trial advocacy and professional responsibility.  With the support of the Office of the Chief Judge, participants were also given an opportunity to practice their direct and cross-examination skills in a courtroom setting, afterhours, with the benefit of feedback from a judge and senior lawyer.  Each monthly meeting was designed to stimulate conversation between the mentor judges, senior lawyers, and the participants over a meal in a relaxed and friendly environment. When the program’s 2022 session ended, it was clear that it was a resounding success and filled a need within the local bar. Feedback was provided by the participants:

“I appreciated the opportunity to practice conducting a cross-examination and direct examination in front of several judges and senior members of the bar.  These mentors took the time to provide meaningful feedback tailored to each participant.  Although the cross-examination and direct examination were based on a criminal law fact pattern, the practical tips that I learned during this session are equally applicable to the civil context.”

“What I enjoyed most of all was the informal table conversations, where we had opportunities to ask questions and hear from senior counsel and judges, and just get to know them on a more personal level.  A lot of the learning for me happened during those table conversations.”

“I believe that the collegiality of the Inns of Court Program is a very useful thing for younger lawyers.  A relaxed and friendly environment, and the sharing of a meal with mentors and judges creates an atmosphere that fosters learning on a variety of topics relevant to the practice of law. The fact that a quest speaker/expert presents on a different topic at each dinner also gives insight into how that topic applies in practice.”

“The Surrey Inns of Court program was a phenomenal opportunity to connect with other members of our profession, and to pick the brains of some of Surrey’s senior counsel and members of the Bench. While each session was full of practical information, having an opportunity to practice direct/cross examination (and receive feedback) in front of a Judge was an invaluable experience - we so rarely get a “test run” in our profession!”

“Coming out of COVID, it was such a pleasure to be able to connect in person with colleagues around my year of call. It was also great to have guest judges and speakers attending both to share their knowledge and perspective, but also to make the courtroom a little less intimidating. It was a good and low-stakes environment to ask questions without being worried about being judged or messing something up mid-trial.”

Because of its success, the decision was made to carry on with the Inns program and a call for expressions of interest to the local bar has been made for the 2023-2024 season. Thank you to all who volunteered their time to enrich the learning of the participants and build the collegiality of the bench and bar in Surrey!