BCLI Starting New Project on Litigation Financing

The number of self-represented litigants in British Columbia’s courts has been steadily increasing. In her 2013 report, University of Windsor Faculty of Law professor Dr. Julie Macfarlane wrote that the inability to afford legal counsel is the most consistently-cited reason for self-representation and a lack of access to justice. In response, the British Columbia Law Institute is starting a new project on litigation financing to explore the public, private, and third-party funding opportunities used in Read more…

In Memoriam: Remembering the Hon. Flora MacDonald, O.C.

The British Columbia Law Institute and the Canadian Centre for Elder Law would like to express sympathy to the family, friends, and colleagues of the Honourable Flora MacDonald, O.C.. Flora MacDonald, who passed on July 26th, was a Distinguished Fellow at the Canadian Centre for Elder Law and a keynote speaker at the 2005 Canadian Conference on Elder Law. “Flora MacDonald’s legacy is one of selfless service,” said Executive Director Kathleen Cunningham. “Her commitment to Read more…

BCLI announces selection of new Executive Director

The British Columbia Law Institute / Canadian Centre for Elder Law is pleased to announce the selection of a new Executive Director, Kathleen Cunningham, B. Comm, LL.B, MPS, TEP to lead BCLI effective June 1, 2015. Jim Emmerton, current Executive Director, is scheduled to retire June 30, 2015. Called to the bar of the Law Society of British Columbia in 1986, Ms. Cunningham is a distinguished lawyer with particular expertise in trust law and law Read more…

BCLI welcomes Bill 24, the new Societies Act

The British Columbia Law Institute applauds the introduction of Bill 24, which will create a modern Societies Act for British Columbia. The bill implements the bulk of the recommendations made in BCLI’s Society Act Reform Project. “This bill is a landmark for British Columbia’s not-for-profit sector,” said Margaret Mason, chair of BCLI’s Society Act Reform Project Committee, “which will benefit from modern and up-to-date legislation for years to come.” BCLI carried out the Society Act Read more…

Executive Director Jim Emmerton appointed to the National Seniors Council

BCLI Executive Director Jim Emmerton has been appointed to the National Seniors Council. The NCS was established to advise the Government of Canada on matters relating to the well-being and quality of life of seniors, including the opportunities and challenges arising from Canada’s rapidly growing and increasingly diverse population of seniors. The appointments of Mr. Emmerton and Mr. Tim Kwan were announced on March 3rd, 2015, each for a term of three years. “I am Read more…