The Law Society of British Columbia

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The Law Society of British Columbia is a self-regulatory organization responsible for the regulation of lawyers in British Columbia, Canada. Its primary mandate under the Legal Profession Act is to uphold the public interest in the administration of justice by preserving and protecting the rights and freedoms of all persons, ensuring the independence, integrity and honour of British Columbia lawyers and establishing standards for the education, professional responsibility and competence of British Columbia lawyers. Subject to its primary mandate, the Law Society also has a mandate to regulate the practice of law in British Columbia and to uphold and protect the interest of British Columbia lawyers.^{[1]: s. 3}

The Law Society is governed by a board of directors known as "Benchers", composed of 25 lawyers elected by the members of the Law Society, up to six non-lawyer Lay Benchers appointed by the government, and the Attorney General of British Columbia. The Attorney General is typically represented in this role by the Deputy Attorney General. ^{[2]: s. 4}

The Benchers are responsible for governing and administering the affairs of the Law Society including setting standards for admission, conduct and competence. These are established through the Rules ^[3] and the Professional Conduct Handbook^[4].

The Law Society is a member of the Federation of Law Societies, the national coordinating body of Canada’s 14 law societies.

Anyone who believes that a lawyer has been incompetent or has misconducted him or herself may make a complaint to the Law Society. ^{[5]: s. 26}

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Law Society of British Columbia
• The Federation of Law Societies
• Province of British Columbia