The Government of British Columbia has appointed two new Provincial Court judges and two judicial justices to support timely and efficient access to justice.

The new judges, effective Aug. 8, 2023, will be:

• Hollis Lucky; and
• Paul Sandhu.

Hollis Lucky is the owner and a managing partner at his firm. He has a diverse practice, including working extensively in the areas of criminal, personal injury, family and child protection law. He has significant experience working in the Provincial Court’s circuit courts. His child protection work has focused almost exclusively in representing Indigenous clients. He sits on the North Shore Restorative Justice Society’s board of directors as secretary and a member of its governance committee.

Paul Sandhu is the director of legal operations for the B.C. Prosecution Service and the Crown lead on the Provincial Court’s virtual bail project. He has practised criminal, immigration and civil law. In 2020, on behalf of the B.C. Prosecution Service, he was awarded the Canadian Bar Association BC’s Innovative Workplace award in recognition of his work and leadership in moving the B.C. Prosecution Service to an electronic filing system and remote work during the pandemic.

The new judicial justices, effective on pronouncement, will be:

• Fiona Begg; and
• Robert Lesperance.

Fiona Begg, KC, has practised in the area of criminal defense, immigration, refugee and human rights law. She often works as duty counsel on evenings and weekends at the BC Provincial Court’s Justice Centre. The focus of her practice has been assisting newcomers to Canada, Indigenous families and others who are facing significant barriers. She is currently a member of the Bella Bella circuit court team. She was appointed to the Queen’s Counsel (now known as King’s Counsel) in 2018.

Robert Lesperance has worked in both civil law and with the Canadian Military in the Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) office. His civil law work includes work in the areas of environmental, intellectual property and employment law. His work with the JAG involved administrative law, military law and operational law. He was a reservist for 27 years, retiring as a colonel, in the position of deputy judge advocate general, Reserves, the highest rank and position available to a reservist. At his firm, he leads the annual ethics seminar, and he has taught ethics to military lawyers.

The Province is committed to promoting equitable access to justice for all residents of B.C. These appointment decisions consider multiple factors, including the needs of the court, the diversity of the bench and the candidate’s areas of expertise.

Quick Facts:

• The process to appoint judges involves the following steps:
  • Interested lawyers apply, and the Judicial Council of B.C. reviews the candidates.
  • The council is a statutory body made up of the chief judge, an associate chief judge, other judges, lawyers and members from outside the legal profession.
  • The council recommends potential judges to the attorney general, with the final appointment made through a cabinet order-in-council.
• Although judges and judicial justices are located in a judicial region, many leverage technology, such as video-conferencing, for court proceedings, and travel regularly throughout the province to meet changing demands.

Learn More:

For information about the judicial appointment process, visit: www.provincialcourt.bc.ca