Summary

• The Ministry of Attorney General is accepting nominations for the 2026 King’s Counsel designation
• Nominations open on Monday, May 25, 2026, and close at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 24, 2026
• The designation recognizes exceptional contributions and professional integrity in the legal profession

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Nominations for the honorary designation of King’s Counsel (KC) for 2026 are open and will be accepted until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, July 24, 2026.

The KC designation recognizes lawyers throughout British Columbia for exceptional merit and contributions to the legal profession. It is the province’s highest professional recognition for lawyers.

Who can be nominated

Members of the B.C. legal profession are invited to put forward peers whose work strengthens public confidence in justice. Candidates must be members of the B.C. bar for at least five years. They must have demonstrated professional integrity, good character and excellence in the practice of law, including any of these conditions:

• outstanding work in the fields of legal education or legal scholarship
• exceptional leadership within the profession, including involvement with the Canadian Bar Association, the Law Society of British Columbia and other legal organizations
• acknowledged by their peers as leading counsel or exceptionally gifted practitioners

About the nominations process

All applications are reviewed by an advisory committee in consultation with the attorney general. The committee 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.
• two members of the Law Society of B.C. appointed by the benchers
• the president of the Canadian Bar Association, British Columbia branch
• B.C.’s deputy attorney general

Quick Facts:

• No more than 7% of practising B.C. lawyers can be appointed as King’s Counsel.
• There are 15,048 practising lawyers in B.C., out of whom 491 have received the KC designation.
• The designation is governed by the King’s Counsel Act and bestowed annually by the lieutenant governor upon the endorsement of the attorney general.

Learn More:

• For more information about the nomination process and the nomination form, visit: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/for-legal-professionals/kings-counsel