BarTalk June 2003
Volume 15, Number 3

Profile of the Chair - Donald Silversides, QC

Donald Silversides, QC, of Prince Rupert, B.C. is Chair of the Law Foundation. Mr. Silversides joined the Board of Governors of the Law Foundation in 1996 and has served on a number of committees since, including: Small Grants, Civil Justice Reform, Finance and Administration, Aboriginal Justice Issues, Policy and Planning, and Strategic Planning. In 2001, Mr. Silversides became Chair of the Board succeeding Madam Justice Victoria Gray and Master David Brine, who were both appointed to the Bench in that year.

Mr. Silversides was born in Prince Rupert and has a practice there with the firm of Silversides, Seidemann and Kucher. He is a solicitor practising principally corporate and commercial law. He is a Life Bencher of the Law Society of B.C. and has a rich history of volunteer service to the profession including:

• Canadian Bar Association Provincial Council (1982 – 1986)

• Bencher of the Law Society (1984 – 1995) and member of the Executive Committee

• Chair of several Law Society of B.C. committees including Competency, Education, Finance, and Liability Insurance.

• Member of the Advisory Committee for Federal Judicial Appointments for B.C. (1994 – 1999)

• Former President of the Prince Rupert County Bar Association

• Director (1976 – 1986) and Chair (1984 – 1986) of the Continuing Legal Education Society of B.C.

• Director (1974 – 1984) and Chair (1983 – 1984) of the Legal Services Society

Mr. Silversides was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1987.

In addition to his legal volunteer activities, Mr. Silversides is involved in community and business organizations in Prince Rupert.

The Law Foundation of B.C. and the profession are fortunate to have Mr. Silversides volunteer considerable amounts of his time and expertise to Law Foundation activities.

Profile of a Continuing Program – British Columbia Law Institute
Since 1997, the Law Foundation has provided core funding to the British Columbia Law Institute. The Institute was formed in 1997 after the Law Reform Commission was abolished. From 1987 until 1997, the Foundation funded the Law Reform Commission. The annual grant from the Law Foundation is $140,300, which is supplemented periodically by project grants from the Foundation. The Institute also receives project funding from other sources for specific research initiatives.

The purposes of the Institute are to work towards the improvement and modernization of the law and the administration of and access to justice. It does this through researching the law and developing recommendations about the ways in which the laws of the province should be changed.

Recent areas of interest of the Institute have included revisions to the Trustee Act, several initiatives in the area of seniors and the law, and work on the Limitation Act, the civil enforcement of judgements, and the Builders Liens Act.

Staff includes Executive Director Arthur Close, QC, and two staff lawyers. The Board of Directors is chaired by Greg Steele, QC. The Institute works closely with the Uniform Law Conference of Canada, the Law Commission of Canada and the academic community, and is an important institution in the province.

This article was published in the June 2003 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2005, all rights reserved.