Executive Committee 2006/2007

Equality Committee Representative, Linda Locke
Linda D. Locke, barrister, solicitor and advocate was called to the Bar in November 17, 1989. After Linda obtained her law degree at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, she taught Native Studies at the University of Saskatchewan for two years and then commenced Articles with Mandel Pinder Law Firm, sponsored by the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs in Vancouver. Linda experienced two highlights in her Articles: participating as an intern at the Human Rights Centre with “Indigenous Populations” in Geneva Switzerland and making a contribution to the Gitxsan Wet’suwet’en Delgamuux Case.

Linda worked as a family lawyer/co-manager at the Lax Ghel’s Native Law Centre in Terrace for two years then moved to the Upper Skeena and Legal Assistance Society (USCLAS) in 1994 and became the managing lawyer for family, criminal and poverty law. Despite losing all its funding in 2002, Linda’s dedication to providing access to justice to the northern population enabled the USCLAS to carry on as a Law Centre providing family, criminal and poverty law services. The USCLAS provides advocacy services with the help of the Law Foundation of B.C.

Linda became a member of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA) as a law student in the 1980s. For the last 14 years, Linda has been an active member and served as chair for the National Aboriginal Law Section, County of Prince Rupert General Practitioner’s Section and the Vancouver Poverty Law Section. She was a Board of Director for Continuing Legal Education Society for six years and served on many committees. She was honored to serve as a CBA Observer for the first South African Democratic Election in 1994. In 2003, Linda received the CBABC Community Service Award for the County of Prince Rupert. In 2005, Linda became the elected member of the Provincial Council for the County of Prince Rupert.

Equality Committee, CBABC
The Equality Committee of the Canadian Bar Association, B.C. Branch plays a vital role in advising and assisting the Executive in the implementation of strategies and programs to assist in the recognition, reflection and promotion of equality and diversity within the CBABC, the profession as a whole and the justice system.

Over the summer months, the Committee worked tirelessly to promote its resolution to reinstate an Equality Representative on the Executive which, we are happy to say, passed unanimously at the CBABC Annual General Meeting on September 30, 2006. Accordingly, Linda Locke (see accompanying profile) was designated the current Equality Representative on the Executive.

Subsequently, during the fall months, the Committee was busy putting together nomination packages and preparing supporting letters for selected candidates to receive the title of Queen’s Counsel in an effort to promote diversity in the awarding of this distinction.

Some of the Committee’s longer term projects include assisting in the establishment of a CBABC scholarship for at least two aboriginal pre-law or first-year law students as well as working together with the Law Society of B.C. Women in the Legal Profession Task Force, and potentially the LSBC Equity and Diversity Committee, to promote a Diversity Commitments Program here, similar to what has been established and embraced by the San Francisco and Chicago Bars.

This is just some of the exciting work in which the Equality Committee is currently involved. Please feel free to contact the Equality Committee to find out more.

This article was published in the December 2006 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2006, all rights reserved.