In Memoriam: BCLI and CCEL Remember Marlene Scott, QC and Heather Ferris
November 19, 2019
BY Greg Blue
BCLI and CCEL regret the recent passing of two distinguished lawyers, Marlene Scott, QC (1937-2019) and Heather Ferris (1959-2019), who made extremely valuable contributions as participants in BCLI / CCEL initiatives.
Marlene Scott, QC was a past president of the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, a past Chair of the Law Foundation of BC, and a recipient of the CBA’s Georges A. Goyer QC Memorial Award for her lifetime contribution to the legal profession. Ms. Scott was a partner of the McQuarrie law firm for over 40 years. She was the first female head of a provincial Bar association and the second female lawyer in BC to be appointed as Queen’s Counsel. Ms. Scott was a strong supporter of BCLI in its foundational years and an active participant in its early initiatives in elder law that led to the later creation of CCEL as a division of BCLI to maintain a continuous presence in the forefront of that field of law.
Heather Ferris was a past Chair of the National and BC Insolvency Law Sections of the Canadian Bar Association. A partner of Lawson Lundell LLP, she was the leader of that firm’s Insolvency & Restructuring Group and the author of numerous publications dealing with insolvency. Ms. Ferris made a very valuable contribution as a participant in the BCLI Builders Lien Act Reform Project and was an active member of the Project Committee at the time of her death.
Ms. Ferris and Ms. Scott will be greatly missed.