At the Surrey Bar Association AGM held on June 22, 2017, President Corry Clark submitted a year-end report, which is reproduced here for those who were not able to attend:
SBA PRESIDENT’S REPORT 2016-2017
It has been my pleasure to serve as president of the Surrey Bar Association over the past year, which has been a busy and productive one.
Fostering Collegiality and Networking: We hosted three socials, or “minglers” for Surrey lawyers, in October, January and May. These events were brought out many lawyers who do not normally attend Surrey Bar Association events. The annual Bench & Bar Dinner in March was its usual fine success. It was well-attended and as usual created a fine opportunity for interaction between our members and the incoming and outgoing judges in our community. We are hosting a golf tournament in conjunction with other bar associations in Westminster County on July 12, 2017 at Hazelmere Golf Course.
Communication: We have built on the direct e-mail system we developed last year to communicate more regularly with members about the events hosted by the SBA.
Membership: As of the end of June 2017, the Surrey Bar Association has 127 members, an increase of approximately 10% over last year. We have kept the price of membership steady and have offered discounts on SBA events to members, to make membership attractive to more local lawyers.
Surrey Court Barristers’ Room: Although we have not achieved everything that we wanted, a subcommittee of the SBA has worked hard together with representatives of the Provincial Government on improved facilities for the Barristers’ Room in connection with the expansion project for that Surrey courthouse. This continues to be a work in progress, and it is anticipated that the SBA will play a fundamental role in raising funds for furnishing and further improving that space.
Giving Back to the Community: Each year, the SBA tries to make at least one sizeable contribution to causes in our community that has some connection with law or justice. The past year saw a donation to Access Pro Bono as well as a contribution to a scholarship fund in honour of Djavin Bowen, the son of SBA member Gord Bowen.
Educational Opportunities: We ran multiple CPD events last year: two seminars jointly held with the CBABC, a presentation by local lawyer, Sarah Forte, on the topic of “lawyers as employers”, and trust accounting seminars in conjunction with the Law Courts Centre. The feedback from these events was very positive and the turnout was good.
Promoting the Association and Profession: In addition to the aforementioned Bench & Bar Dinner, various members of the executive of the Surrey Bar Association were present for and brought greetings at the welcoming ceremonies for two newly appointed Judges of the Provincial Court sitting in Surrey: Judges Wolf and LaPrairie. These opportunities promoted awareness of the association and further solidified relations with the Bench.
The Executive: The volume of work undertaken by the Surrey Bar Association in the past year is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the board of directors. I am truly honoured to have served with such a fine collection of individuals.
