Thirty-two lawyers have been appointed the honorary title of Queen’s counsel (also known as Q.C.), Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton announced today.

Among the appointees are lawyers who have prosecuted high-profile criminal cases as well as family, civil and commercial law cases. Many of the appointees have also advocated for seniors and the disabled, and have given back to their communities through a wide variety of charitable causes.

The Q.C. designation is an honour conferred annually on members of the legal profession to recognize exceptional merit and contribution. The successful candidates have been members of the B.C. bar for at least five years.

A call for Q.C. nominations from the public was made in August. The appointments were made by cabinet through order-in-council.

The Q.C. appointees are listed in a backgrounder which follows.

Quote:

Attorney General and Minister of Justice Attorney General —

“The Q.C. designation is given to lawyers who demonstrate professional integrity, good character and excellence in the practice of law. I want to thank this year’s Q.C. recipients for their contributions to our communities, our justice system and our province.”

Quick Facts:

• The advisory committee for Queen’s counsel appointments includes:
  • The Chief Justice of B.C.
  • The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of B.C.
  • The Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of B.C.
  • The president of the Law Society of B.C.
  • Current president, Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch
  • A Law Society of B.C. member appointed by the benchers (directors).
  • B.C.’s deputy attorney general.
• Of practising B.C. lawyers, only up to 7% overall can be awarded this designation.

Media Contacts:

Ministry of Justice
Attorney General
250 208-0618

BACKGROUNDER 2014 Queen’s counsel appointees

Honourable Lance Sidney George Finch served as Chief Justice for the Court of Appeal of B. C. for 20 years and as a trial judge of the Supreme Court of B.C. for nine years. Prior to his time on the bench, Mr. Finch practiced with Guild, Yule and Company in Vancouver for 15 years. He is the recipient of an Honorary Law Degree from UBC and the Legacy Award for Alumni from UVic in 2011.

Sandra Lynn Enticknap is a leading practitioner with Miller Thompson LLP in the area of estate planning and trust law. She has made significant contributions to the modernization of B.C.’s succession laws and practices, recently resulting in the new Wills, Estates and Succession Act. Ms. Enticknap is a frequent speaker for continuing legal education, the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners, the Estate Planning Council, and the Canadian Association of Gift Planners. Outside of her work, she serves on the board of the Lions Gate Hospital Foundation where she currently chairs the planned giving committee.

Gordon Douglas Taylor is a partner with Taylor Tait Ruley and Company, with extensive civil trial experience in personal injury, insurance, estates and general litigation. He taught customs and immigration law at the criminology faculty at the University of the Fraser Valley for over 20 years. With deep family roots in Abbotsford, Mr. Taylor has been a director of the official board of the Mount Lehman Community Association for over 30 years.

Herb Shurman Silber has made significant contributions as counsel in various employment law matters. He arbitrates in commercial cases as a partner with Kornfeld LLP and adjudicates in his role as tribunal member on the Health Professions Review Board. Mr. Silber is an active participant in the Canadian Bar Association of B.C. Lawyer Referral Services program in the area of employment law and has been involved in a number of organizations in the Jewish community.

Mary Elizabeth MacGregor has been practicing law in the Kamloops area for over 37 years and is a corporate commercial solicitor with Mary MacGregor Law Corporation. She is a previous member of the Thompson Rivers University law school advisory committee, Canadian Bar Association BC Provincial Judicial Advisory committee and chair of the British Columbia Institute of Agrologists Conduct and Disciplinary committee. She was formerly appointed to the Fraser Basin Management Board, B.C. Farm Debt Review Board, B.C. Fiscal Review Panel and the B.C. Lottery Corporation Board of directors. Ms. MacGregor created and annually funds a $10,000 scholarship to the TRU law school first year student with the highest grades.

Patricia Jean Armstrong practices with Lindsay LLP and has been a leader of the insurance defence bar for over 30 years, specializing in personal injury matters. She is active in developing the role of women in the legal profession, with over 40 years of involvement with women’s groups. Ms. Armstrong currently mentors approximately 20 young female lawyers on career and ethical issues in their practice, as well as assisting them in their job search and career development. She is the president of Canadian Defence Lawyers, an executive member of the Medical Legal Society of B.C. and Canadian chair of the ethics and professional committee of the Defence Research Institute.

Bernard Isaac Pinsky is a partner with Clark Wilson, where he practices commercial law with specific expertise in corporate finance, securities and United States law. He created B.C.’s first U.S. practice group with several U.S. qualified lawyers, granting Canadian companies and organizations with easier access to U.S. capital markets and vice versa. Mr. Pinsky currently serves as a board member with the Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation, which funds an aged-in-care seniors facility for more than 200 residents. Mr. Pinsky was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012, in recognition of his long community service.

Alan Arvid Frydenlund is a partner with Owen Bird and practices commercial law, with a specialty in structuring and closing financing transactions, realization and recovery. He is a director of Interlaw, an international network of corporate and commercial independent law firms in 125 cities worldwide. Mr. Frydenlund speaks regularly to industry groups on all aspects of financing, structuring transactions, due diligence, forbearance and recovery.

Dennis Katsumi Hori is a partner with Fulton and Company LLP, where he practices civil litigation, specializing in personal injury claims, insurance claims and employment disputes. He is a member of the American Association for Justice and a member of the Civil Resolution Tribunal Personal Injury Working Group and past president of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia. Mr. Hori is the son of Japanese-Canadian parents who were interned during the Second World War.

George Clement Gordon Proulx is a Crown prosecutor who has conducted over 20 murder and manslaughter prosecutions. Last year, the Vancouver Police Department Homicide Unit honoured him with their Award of Excellence in recognition of years of devoted service, leadership and dedication, which led to many successful prosecutions. Mr. Proulx is a regular lecturer on criminal law for a number of legal conferences and organizations.

Elizabeth Mary Vogt is a nationally recognized lawyer who has been practicing real estate law for over 30 years and is currently practicing with McCarthy Tetrault, LLP. Ms. Vogt is a strong advocate for women in the legal profession and currently co-chairs the Law Society of B.C.’s Justicia Project, which encourages law firms to identify and implement best practices to retain and advance women lawyers in private practice. She is a long term board member of the Vancouver Children’s Festival and the Vancouver YWCA. In 2014, she received the YWCA Women of Distinction Award for the business and professions category.

David Michael Rush is the founding partner of Rush Ihas Hardwick, LLP and is recognized as one of the top civil litigators in the interior of B.C. He has been practicing civil litigation for more than 20 years and has extensive experience in commercial, construction/real estate, and estate disputes. A recognized community leader, Mr. Rush has led and contributed to a number of organizations over the course of his career, including the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce. He chaired the Okanagan Mountain Fire Recovery Society and was instrumental in raising funds totalling $1,400,000 for those impacted by the 2003 fire.

Roxanne Patricia Helme has been practicing administrative law, criminal law and civil litigation for 27 years and is the longest serving member of the Victoria Bar Association executive. She was a founding member of the International Criminal Bar and has attended meetings around the world with the organization. She currently chairs the policy committee for the Victoria Inter Cultural Association and serves on the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board, as well as the B.C. Association of Police Boards.

Nelson Ming-Yiu Tsui has been self-employed since 1991, practicing in the areas of real estate and banking law, corporate and commercial law, and wills and estates. Mr. Tsui began his career as a correctional officer, and then became a Registered Social Worker while also completing his Master of Business Administration degree in the evenings. He later took leave from his work to pursue a legal degree. In service to his community, he offers pro bono services to a variety of organizations, including: SUCCESS, Kensington Seniors Club, Independent Entrepreneurs Advancement Association, and the Association of Chinese Canadian Professionals.

Randall James Kaardal is a partner with Hunter Litigation Chambers and is a recognized leader in the areas of employment and labour law. Mr. Kardaal is a respected member of the legal community and as such, has served as commissioner on both the provincial court judges compensation committee and the judicial justices compensation committee. He is a frequent speaker for the UBC faculty of law, as well as a number of legal institutions across North America. Mr. Kardaal currently serves on the board of the Delta Hospital Foundation and is chair of the Vancouver International Wine Festival which raises funds for live theatre in Vancouver.

Paul Rodney Ives is a senior partner with Ives Burger Law and practices corporate, commercial real estate, wills and estates and conveyance law. He has lived in Courtenay for over 25 years and has been the Mayor of the Town of Comox since 2008. Mr. Ives was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012. He has volunteered with youth and adult sports organizations for many years.

Helen Heiman Low is a partner with Russell & Dumoulin and for over 25 years, she has practised as a litigator in the area of wills, estates and trusts. She is an adjunct professor at UBC law school, co-teaching the succession law course. Ms. Low has been a member of the board of directors for the People’s Law School since 2005 and has served several years on the board of the Children and Women’s Hospital Foundation and on the board of the B.C. Research Institute for Children’s Hospital. She is in her seventh year as a director with the Canuck Place Children’s Hospice.

Margaret Ruth Sasges is a partner with Clay and Company, where she practices wills and estates law, with special expertise in environmental covenants. She has served as chair of the Continuing Legal Education Society, as well as in many capacities with the Canadian Bar Association, the UVic law school, and with the B.C. Law Institute. Ms. Sasges has been a mentor at the UVic law school business law clinic for over nine years. She is active in the Girl Guides of Canada and was awarded the Canada Cord in 1997.

Gurpreet Kaur Gill is a self-employed barrister and solicitor with Gurpreet Gill Law Corporation. She is a founding president of the Fraser Valley Criminal Law Association and a member of the South Asian Bar Association of B.C. She recently sat on the campaign executive committee for Canuck Place, supporting the construction of Dave Lede House in Abbotsford. Ms. Gill has served on the boards of the Abbotsford International Airport Authority and the Fraser Health Authority.

Craig Andrew Boyd Ferris is a partner with Lawson, Lundell LLP and has been practicing commercial litigation for over 23 years, with expertise in shareholder remedies, trust, pensions and fiduciary disputes, securities and transactional litigation, product liability mining disputes and real estate litigation. Mr. Ferris is a long-time volunteer for Access Pro Bono and frequently presents for the Continuing Legal Education Society on economic torts and corporate/securities litigation issues. He has also held a number of positions with the Law Society of British Columbia and was elected as a bencher in 2013. Mr. Ferris has served in a variety of capacities for the Bard on the Beach Society and the West First Theatre Centre capital committee.

Craig Patrick Dennis has been practicing public and administrative law for more than 20 years and is currently a partner at Dentons Canada LLP. He was one of twelve members of the Civil Justice Reform Working Group, which developed recommendations on new Supreme Court civil rules. Mr. Dennis serves as a group leader for the Inns of Court program for junior barristers as well as the McEachern Advanced Trial Advocacy Course at the UBC faculty of law. He gives back to his profession by providing, without fee, representation to lawyers who are faced with defending themselves before the law society.

Grace Gi Yung Choi is a leading family law practitioner with the firm of Jenkins Marzban. Ms. Young is a prolific presenter, having presented to the B.C. Court of Appeal on issues arising from the property division provisions of the new Family Law Act, as well as presenting extensively on family law to a number of legal organizations. She began her legal career in Seoul, Korea and was the first Korean-born litigator to practice in B.C. She is the founding supervisor of the UBC Law Students Legal Advice program for the Korean community and the president of the Konnect Community Foundation – an organization committed to foster integration into Canadian society through philanthropy.

Karen Anne Horsman is a senior litigator with the Ministry of Justice and is accomplished in constitutional and administrative law. Ms. Horsman has been an adjunct professor of law at UBC since 2010, teaching a course on issues in public law. She is the recipient of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General ERA Edwards Memorial Award for outstanding contribution to the Legal Services Branch and the legal profession.

Ajeet Kaur Kang has over 20 years of experience in a multi-disciplinary practice with emphasis on criminal law, immigration law and human rights law. A former provincial and federal Crown prosecutor, she now practices with Kang and Company and works with a diverse clientele, including marginalized new immigrants. Ms. Kang is currently a governor with the Law Foundation of British Columbia and has served as a board member of the B.C. Review Board. She has also served as a board member of CORSA, a non-profit organization assisting South Asian youth.

Raymond Derrick Phillips is duty counsel with the First Nations court in Kamloops, and travels to Pemberton Valley, Nicola Valley and in between to provide legal services and assistance. Mr. Phillips is a member of the Nlaka’pamux Nation and the Lytton Indian Band. He was the founding board member for Nzen’man Child and Family Development Centre. He also lectures as a guest for Thompson Rivers University, fundraises and champions local activities and causes, and is a dedicated volunteer and coach for local youth basketball.

George Frank Kondor has been a leading intellectual property practitioner for over 20 years and is currently a partner with Oyen Wiggs Green & Mutala LLP. Active with committees of the Canadian Bar Association – both nationally and provincially – he is a career long participant in the Canadian Bar Association of B.C.’s lawyer referral service. He is a fellow of the Intellectual Property Institute of Canada and a participant in the Intellectual Property Bank of Speakers. Mr. Kondor is a member of the board of directors of the Vancouver Youth Symphony Orchestra.

Dean Allan Crawford practices labour and employment law as a partner with Coutts Pulver LLP. His practice represents First Nations band councils as well as First Nations employers throughout B.C. Mr. Crawford is the past president of the Canadian Bar Association of B.C. and is a director with the Canadian Bar Association national board of directors. He is a former instructor of employment law with the University of Victoria faculty of law. He serves his community as an assistant coach with North Shore Girls Soccer Club and the North Shore Football Club.

Richard Stuart Fowler is a criminal defence lawyer with Fowler and Smith Barristers and over the past 18 years, has served as defence counsel in many difficult and controversial criminal cases. In recognition of his work, he was awarded the 2011 Milvain Chair in Advocacy by the University of Calgary, faculty of law. He is active with the Court of Appeal rules committee, ineffective assistance of counsel subcommittee, the Canadian Council of Criminal Defence Lawyers and the Trial Lawyers Association of B.C., among others.

William Paul Riley is general counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada and is nationally recognized for his work in criminal law and constitutional jurisprudence. He is a team leader of the appeals group in the B.C. regional office and supervises and conducts criminal appeals in all levels of court. Mr. Riley is regularly called upon to provide lectures at conferences and training programs for the RCMP, CBSA and Health Canada. He also serves as a presenter for the Department of Justice Legal Excellence Training program.

Kenneth Matthews Kramer is the founder and principal of KMK Law Corporation, which provides estates, trusts, elder law, litigation and mediation services. As a respected leader and advocate for the disability and seniors communities, he is a regular contributor to numerous legal, community, seniors and disability groups. He is an elected member of the Canadian Bar Association of B.C., co-chair of the Canadian Bar Association’s elder law section and a long-standing member of the Canadian Bar Association’s wills and trusts and mediation sections. He also provides pro bono work to a variety of groups on estate planning. He served as chair of the national board of Muscular Dystrophy Canada (MDC) in 2003 and he was recently awarded a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for his service to MDC.

Karen Lisa Whonnock is a sole practitioner and family mediator with Whonnock Law Firm, where her specific interests include gender and racial issues, as well as promoting Aboriginal courts in B.C. She is a member of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation. Ms. Whonnock has served on the executive of the Canadian Bar Association of B.C. Aboriginal lawyers forum, as well as on the executive of the Canadian Bar Association national Aboriginal law committee. She is an instructor at Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, Washington and is a former instructor at the Justice Institute of B.C.

Sara Ann Levine is associate counsel with Alliance Lex Law Corporation, where she advises on all aspects of federal and provincial privacy and freedom of information law and health law. She was named honourary permanent member of the board of advisors for the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association and is the co-author of leading reference work on privacy law and policy: Privacy Law in the Private Sector: an Annotation of the Legislation in Canada. Ms. Levine has also created two public education websites about privacy rights in B.C. and is a sought-after speaker on privacy issues. She is a strong supporter of women in the law profession and, as such, mentors three young women lawyers through the mentoring program run by the Women Lawyers’ Forum.

Media Contacts:

Ministry of Justice
Attorney General
250 208-0618