Third Annual Victoria Battle of the Bar Bands
In response to demands that have swamped the operators, the Third Annual Victoria Battle of the Bar Bands will take place on March 5, 2008 beginning at 8:00 p.m. at the Element Nightclub (formerly Legends). This is a call for applications from bands on Vancouver Island to participate in this year’s event. The total number of spots will be determined when all applications are received and vetted by the rock-savvy organizing committee. To date, four applications have been received, all from bands that have participated in the past.

The deadline for applications is February 15, 2008, and should be submitted to Eugene Raponi at Waddell Raponi, 1002 Wharf Street, Victoria, B.C., V8W 1T4, eraponi@waddellraponi.com. The application should include a maximum half-page bio of the band, identify which members are lawyers and attach a photo of the band if available. All bands must have at least two lawyers. Successful applicants will be required to submit a set list, agree to a fixed time limit for their set, and must make best efforts to sell tickets. These issues will be dealt with closer to March 5, 2008.

The Victoria Battle of the Bar Bands exists to raise funds for the Canadian Bar Association (BC) Benevolent Society, and is co-sponsored by the CBABC and the Victoria Bar Association.


CBABC’s Santa’s Breakfast
On a brisk Sunday morning in early December, the Canadian Bar Association B.C. Branch, in partnership with the Law Courts Inn, hosted the 1st annual “Brunch With Santa.” Diverse members of B.C.’s legal community, along with their young families came to the Vancouver Law Courts to meet with Santa and to raise money for The Province’s Empty Stocking Fund. Since 1918, the fund has given hundreds of thousands of disadvantaged children a cause to celebrate, distributing money to organizations such as designated Christmas Bureaus, Salvation Army units, and other worthwhile charitable organizations throughout B.C. The “Brunch With Santa” was a great success and is sure to become a CBABC seasonal tradition.


Yale County Bench and Bar Dinner Held on November 1, 2007
A good time was had by all, perhaps more by some than others! Thanks to the CBABC for helping us promote the event and for our B.C. President, Ken Walton for attending all the way from Nanaimo. Provincial Court Chief Judge Stansfield also travelled from Vancouver for the event.


UBC’s Law Students’ Legal Advice Program (LSLAP) Celebrated its 40th Anniversary
LSLAP was founded in 1967 by law students at UBC. Currently, LSLAP sees more than 4,000 low-income clients a year, and offers legal advice and representation. LSLAP has also reintroduced Family Law services to its clients. LSLAP continues to offer students an opportunity to practise law while still in school.

From left to right: Joni Worton (LSLAP Family Law Supervising Lawyer), Dean Mary Anne Bobinski (Dean of UBC Law), Nicholas Tsoi (Law Student & Executive Director of LSLAP), Mike Harcourt (former B.C. Premier and LSLAP Founding Member), Warren Wilson QC (Chair of the Law Foundation of British Columbia), Brian Higgins (LSLAP Supervising Lawyer), and Matthew DeBock (LSLAP Director of Public Relations).


CBABC Goyer Award Winner
Lawyer Jack Giles, QC, received one of the Canadian Bar Association B.C. Branch’s highest honours, the Georges A. Goyer, QC, Memorial Award at the 2007 Bench and Bar Dinner at the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver on November 14, 2007.

Mr. Giles, of the Vancouver firm Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP, was nominated for this honour by numerous distinguished judges and lawyers who applauded “the excellence of his briefs and his absolute honesty and integrity in all respects.” They acknowledged his contributions to legal education in British Columbia and beyond, and his unflagging support for the highest professional and ethical standards. In addition to recognizing the extent of his contributions, Mr. Giles’s nominators specifically noted his extensive efforts to maintain the independence of the Bar.

CBABC President F. Kenneth Walton, who chaired the Selection Committee said, “One of Mr. Giles’ most satisfying achievements was his work in obtaining an injunction against the operation of federal money laundering legislation which, as a by-product, required lawyers to breach solicitor/client confidentiality including reporting on a client’s activities. Such legislation, had it been allowed to remain, would have had serious negative consequences to the independence of the Bar. This work alone should be greatly applauded by members of our profession and by the public.”

These articles were published in the February 2008 issue of BarTalk and are subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2008, all rights reserved.