LawCast BC

Ahead of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we were honoured to speak with Hank Adam, an intergenerational residential school survivor speaker with the Orange Shirt Society. The Orange Shirt Society was formed in 2015 to create awareness of the individual, family and community intergenerational impacts of residential schools, to support reconciliation and to promote the

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools such as Chat GPT continue to make headlines. Numerous industries, including the legal one, are already feeling the impacts and implications of AI, as well as exploring its potential.We have invited guest speakers Jon Festinger, KC and Robert Diab to chat about the ways that AI has been used to help practice law, the risks in using AI to

Discrimination and harassment, including sexual harassment, in the workplace are serious problems in society, and the legal profession is not immune to it. As the regulatory body for lawyers, the Law Society has an important role in ensuring lawyers do not engage in harassing or discriminatory behaviors. In the latest episode of LawCast BC, Sarah Sharp, Equity Advisor at the Law So

In this episode, we are going to talk about one of the most critical areas the Law Society is addressing – meaningful Indigenous reconciliation and cultural safety.In July 2023, the Law Society's board of Benchers approved recommendations from the Indigenous Engagement in Regulatory Matters Task Force report, to remove systemic barriers experienced by Indigenous complainants and

A national survey was published last year on the state of legal professionals’ mental health. More than half of respondents in BC reported experiencing psychological distress and many of them said they did not seek help despite needing it. In this episode, we share information about one of the most pressing issues facing the legal profession – mental health. The Law Society is

Conservative Member of Parliament Michael Chong joins host Jon Festinger to talk about the government's use of "orders in council," legal secrecy and the unwritten rule of law on Parliament Hill. Michael Chong was first elected to Parliament in 2004 and represents the riding of Wellington-Halton Hills. He currently serves as Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs for the Official Oppo

Renowned criminal defence lawyer Marie Henein joins host Jon Festinger to talk about the role of lawyers, what influenced her to be a lawyer, and current threats to democracy and the rule of law that are taking place around the world.Marie Henein is a senior partner at Henein Hutchison LLP, recognized in Canadian Lawyer as one of the country’s Top Ten Litigation Boutiques. She ha

Is everyone equal before the law? In light of the recent surge in anti-Asian racist events in BC, we take this episode to examine how racism was built into our legal system, discrimination in the legal profession and how that impacts everyone. Dr. Carol Liao joins Andrea Hilland, policy lawyer at the Law Society of BC, and host Jon Festinger for a roundtable chat on racism, equity,

In this new episode, our host Jon Festinger and Michael Lucas, director of policy and planning at the Law Society, take a look back at the first season of Rule of Law Matters and the events that have transpired since the podcast launched in September. They chatted about how this podcast began, whether the rule of law is a western concept that is applicable world wide, and recent th

What exactly does a prosecutor do? And whose interests do they represent? Senior prosecutor Christopher McPherson, QC walks us through the role and duties of a prosecutor and the standards that must be met before prosecutors decide to lay a charge. We discuss the importance of prosecutorial independence, their separation from the investigation and the police, and why prosecutors do