Newsletter of the Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) October 1996 Vol. 8 • No. 5
I NS I DE President's Message ...... 2 Section Talk .................... 3 Systems of Civil Justice need reform ............... ..... 6 Pilot Project for legal services in Kelowna .... I 0 Governments around the world tackle prison overcrowding ............... 12 Practice Talk ................. 13 Fight continues against No-Fault insurance ..... IS Help to build a better Branch ............................ 16 Legislative Update ........ 17 Retiring CBA Executive Director honoured ...... 20
Former CBA president appointed new Chief Justice of BC Supreme Court Mr. Justice Bryan Williams, a former National and Branch President of the Cana dian Bar Association, is the new Chief Justice of the BC Supreme Court. On September 30, he took over the position from former Chief Justice William Esson, who will become a justice of the Mr. Justice Bryan Williams BC Court of Appeal. Mr. Justice Williams, 64, was called to the Bar in 1959 and practiced for nearly 40 years with the Vancouver firm of Swinton & Co. He was made a partner in 1961 and led the firm's litigation department. In September last year, he was appointed to the BC Court of Appeal. As a lawyer, Mr. Justice Williams argued a number of major cases including those involving lawyers' advertising, physicians' billing and aboriginal land claims. He also served as a special commissioner of the Cypress Park master plan process shortly before he was appointed to the bench last year. Mr. Justice Williams was very active with the Canadian Bar Association and other legal organizations . He served as National CBA President from 1986-1987 and as Branch President from 1977-78. He was Chair of the National Legislation and Law Reform Committee of the CBA from 1983-84 and, from 1984 to 1985, he served as Founding Chair of the Law for the Future Fund, established for the purpose of expanding the work of the CBA. He was Chair of the Legal Aid Society of BC from 1977-79, Governor of the BC Law Foundation in 1979, and
a part-time commissioner on the Law Reform Commission of BC from 1982-84. In addition to his legal interests, Mr. Justice Williams enjoys the outdoors and has been a passionate defender of the environment. He was a member and director of World Wildlife Fund Canada and, in 1985-86, he chaired the provincial government's commission on BC Wilderness Land Allocation which recommended the creation of a number of new parks and the readjustment of several existing park boundaries, including South Moresby Island and the Stein River Valley. He was appointed Chair of the Port Hardy Ferrochromium Review Panel in 1990 and, in 1995, he served as Canada's special advisor on environmental matters for the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation. He has also served as director of Air BC Ltd., Chair of the YVR (Vancouver airport), Art Foundation and as a director of the Laurier Institute on multiculturalism. In 1990, the University of Victoria named him an Honourary Doctor of Laws. Mr. Justice Williams and his wife, Audrey, have • four children and live in West Vancouver.
Outstanding teacher honoured A memorial service was held September 28 at the University of Victoria's Begbie Building for Terry Wuester, who passed away earlier this year. Terry, who taught UVic law students for 21 years, received the Law Faculty's Master Teacher Award an unprecedented five times. On his retirement, in March 1996, the Law Students' Society retired the Master Teacher Award and established the Terry J. Weuster Master Teacher Award in its place. +