Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia
At the heart of every community lies its volunteers, and among those are numbered thousands of BC lawyers. Some of them are well known, pillars of the community, the first person to be called by the media, the first to be counted upon when the next big project is in the wings. More often, the lawyer volunteer is an unsung hero, known only to a small circle of people who rely on her or him to always roll up their sleeves and pitch in. The CBA Community Service Awards were developed to recognize those individuals.

This inaugural year, 15 lawyers were nominated by their peers and community leaders for providing exceptional community service, with little public recognition. The Selection Committee was comprised of: The Honourable H A D Oliver, Conflict of Interest Commissioner; Drew Hasselback, National Post law reporter; Catherine McEachern, Volunteer Vancouver Chair; Doug F Robinson, QC, BC Branch Past President; and Russell Lew, BC Branch Communications Committee member. The Branch’s sincere congratulations and appreciation are extended to this year’s Community Service Award Winners: Murray Sadler, QC of Prince George, Michael Coleman of Duncan, Tommy Tao of Vancouver, Ronald Lou-Poy of Victoria, Trevin Rogers of Chilliwack, and Paul Mitchell of Kelowna. The CBA Awards will be presented at local Bar events in the coming year.