The SBA held its Annual  Spring Mingler on Thursday May 10, 2018.  As always, the event provided a great opportunity for us to get together and connect as friends and colleagues.  Thank you to McQuarrie for doing an excellent job of hosting! 

We are pleased to announce that the Barristers' Lounge at Surrey Provincial Court has been outfitted by the SBA with new furniture, art, water cooler, fridge and coffee/tea service!  We also have a photocopier  for small jobs.  Stop by and check it out!

The SBA and CBA jointly presented 2 hours of continuing professional development with H. William Veenstra, 2017-2018 CBABC President and Miriam Kresivo, QC 2018 Law Society of BC President, moderating.  The CPD was engaging and involved a lively discussion from the participants and presenters.  Thank you Bill and Miriam! 

The Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia invited the SBA Young Lawyers to a networking and social event (buffet dinner followed by a Vancouver Giants game) on Feb 2nd.  The event was well attended and by all accounts a fantastic time.  A big thank you to the CPABC!!

The SBA held its annual Winter Mingler at Sammy J's  in Grandview Heights, South Surrey on January 18th.  We had a great turn out!  Thanks to the Grandview Law Group for sponsoring this event!

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.