Register Here
From the Law Society of British Columbia ("LSBC") website: The Benchers are the Law Society’s volunteer board of governors. They govern and administer the affairs of the Law Society in accordance with the Legal Profession Act, set and enforce standards of professional responsibility for lawyers, and preside at discipline and credentials hearings.
An election will be held on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 for Benchers of the LSBC in all districts for a two-year term beginning January 1, 2024 and ending December 31, 2025. FACL BC strongly encourages qualified candidates amongst its membership to stand for election. Nominations of candidates for election must be received by the Law Society of British Columbia before 5:00 pm on Monday, October 16, 2023.
To that end, we are pleased to invite FACL BC supporters and all current Benchers of Asian descent, Cheryl D'Sa, Gaynor Yeung, Gurminder Sandhu, Jeevyn Dhaliwal, KC, and Jennifer Chow, KC, for an intimate discussion regarding life as a Bencher. For the first time, this event will focus exclusively on how prospective Bencher candidates can prepare for and succeed in the position, and provide attendees with an opportunity to ask the Benchers questions about their day-to-day duties.
All individuals who are interested in standing for future Bencher elections should attend. Please visit the LSBC website for more information regarding the election here.
Meet the Speakers
Cheryl D'Sa is the managing partner of Narwal Litigation LLP. Cheryl has been an elected Bencher of the LSBC since 2020 and was the first visible minority female President of the VBA. In recent years, Cheryl has received several awards, including the CBABC Women Lawyers Forum Debra Van Ginkel, QC Mentoring Award, an Excellence Award in the Category of Female Trailblazer of the Year by Canadian Lawyer Magazine’s Canadian Law Awards and Business in Vancouver’s Top Forty Under 40.
Gaynor Yeung is a mediator and litigator from Whitelaw Twining. She was first elected as a Bencher in 2021 and currently serves on the EDI and Practice Standards committees.
Gurminder Sandhu is a litigation partner at Hamilton Duncan. Gurminder has dedicated his time to various volunteer commitments, including the CBA Provincial Council, the Provincial Court Judicial Advisory Committee, and the Amici Curiae Friendship Society. Gurminder was elected as a Bencher in 2021 and served on the BC Federal Judicial Advisory Committee from 2021-2023.
Jeevyn Dhaliwal, KC is the incoming President of the LSBC for 2024 and will have served the Law Society for more than a decade when she concludes her term as President. She credits her longstanding involvement with FACL and her roles as past Board member and President of SABABC for the support she received in becoming the first South Asian lawyer to have been elected in Vancouver County for the term beginning 2014.
Jennifer Chow, KC has been an elected bencher for Vancouver for the past 6 years. She is an outspoken leader on equality and diversity issues and continues to promote access to justice and the independence of the bar at the bencher table.
___________________________________________________
By attending this event, you agree to abide by the FACL BC Event Code of Conduct.
If you have any questions about the Code of Conduct, please email info@faclbc.ca.
