VICTORIA – Attorney General David Eby has announced the 2017 recipients of the honorary title of Queen’s counsel (QC).

“I’m honoured to congratulate this year’s QC designation recipients,” Eby said. “Each appointee has earned this very special honour by demonstrating a superb record of achievement and commitment to our province’s legal system. As professionals, volunteers and advocates, they have shown integrity and leadership in upholding the rule of law, serving their communities and striving to make British Columbia a safer and more equitable place to live.”

This year’s 27 appointees are British Columbian lawyers, with a diverse set of professional specializations, including First Nations law, criminal law, commercial litigation, family law and mediation. The appointees have been chosen for their distinguished accomplishments in areas such as continuing legal education, community volunteerism and mentorship of new legal professionals.

The QC designation is conferred each year on members of the legal profession who have been nominated by their peers and have been members of the B.C. bar for at least five years. After the call for nominations in September, an advisory committee reviewed applications and recommended candidates to the Attorney General.

The QC appointees are located here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/files/Backgrounder_2017_Queens_counsel_appointees.pdf

Quick Facts:

• The first Queen’s counsel was conferred in 1594 when Queen Elizabeth I reserved Francis Bacon as her legal advisor.
• There were 182 nominations submitted for the honour in B.C. for 2017.
• Only 7% of practising B.C. lawyers can be awarded the designation of QC.
• Currently, there are 492 QCs out of 11,533 practising members of the bar.
• The advisory committee for Queen’s counsel appointments 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.;
  • The president of the Law Society of B.C. (LSBC);
  • The president of the Canadian Bar Association British Columbia Branch (CBABC);
  • A Law Society of B.C. member appointed by the benchers (directors); and
  • B.C.’s Deputy Attorney General.