Carman J Overholt, President
Carman was born in London, Ontario in 1958. He received an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in History in 1981 from the University of Western Ontario. In 1984, Carman received a Bachelor of Laws degree from Queen’s University and was awarded the Tricolor Award for outstanding contribution to the University community. Carman was called to the BC Bar in 1986.

Carman is a Past President of the Advocates Club, a past Director of the Law Courts Inn and a past member of the Executive of the Vancouver Bar Association. Carman has been involved in the activities of the CBA throughout his time at the bar, including service as a member of the organizing committee for the annual meeting in Vancouver in 1989 and the joint meeting of the CBA and Commonwealth Law Conference in Vancouver in 1996. More recently, Carman was the Chair of the President’s Forum held in Vancouver in April 1999 on ‘The Business of Law’ and the Co-chair of the President’s Forum on ‘Specialization and Success in the Practice of Law’ held in Kelowna in April 2000.

Carman was elected to the Provincial Council of the CBA in 1997 and to the Executive of the CBA (BC Branch) in 1998. In 2000, Carman was elected to the position of Secretary- Treasurer on the Executive. Carman is the Chair of the Limited Liability Partnership Committee and the Chair of the joint Canadian Bar Association (BC Branch) and Law Society of BC, Pro Bono Initiative. In June 2001, Carman was elected President of the CBA (BC Branch). As President of the BC Branch, Carman is a member of the National Board of Directors of the CBA.

Carman has organized and chaired the annual Employment Law Conference for the Continuing Legal Education Society for many years. He lectures frequently on labour, employment and human rights issues.

Carman is a partner of the national firm, Fraser Milner Casgrain LLP where he practises labour and employment law.

David A Paul, Vice-President
David graduated from the University of Victoria’s Law School in 1986. Since his call to the Bar in 1987, David has spent his professional career in Kamloops, where he was born and raised. His practice areas include Criminal Law, Family law, Personal Injury Law, Mediation, and Real Estate Sales. In 1997 he established the law firm of Paul & Company where he now practises with his sister, Lorianna Bennett. David is a member of the BC Trial Lawyers’ Association, the BC Arbitration & Mediation Institute, and the BC Mediator Roster Society.

Prior to his election to Provincial Council, David was actively involved in the profession at the local level. He served the Kamloops bar Association from 1990-1994 where he held various executive roles until his presidency in 1993-94. As well, David participated on the Law Day committee and he sat on the Advisory Committee for the University College of the Cariboo.

David was first elected to Provincial Council in 1995. Between 1998 and 2001 he served as an Executive Committee member. David previously served as a member of the Branch’s Supreme Court ADR Committee and the Communications Committee. He belongs to the Kamloops Criminal and Family Bar Sections and has served as the Branch Section Coordinator between 1998 and 2000. During this period David also chaired the Sections Task Force.

Currently, David is the executive liaison to the Membership Services Committee, and the Chair of the BarTalk Editorial Board, the Awards & Recognition Committee, and the Judicial Compensation and Pension Committee. As chair of this committee, he represented the Branch before the Judicial Compensation Committee in March of this year. Additionally, David sits as the executive liaison to the Real Estate Practice Issues Committee. David made a CLE presentation on this topic at the National AGM in Saskatoon this past August. During the next year, David will also be serving on the National Judicial Compensation and Pensions Committee. In the next year, David will be chairing the Nomination Committee, the Planning & Priorities Committee and he will also sit as the Executive Liaison to the Branch’s Equality Committee.

Robert Brun, Secretary-Treasurer
Robert was born in Whitehorse, Yukon Territories, in 1952 and attended elementary and secondary school in Vancouver. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from UBC in 1974 and a Bachelor of Laws degree from UBC in 1977. He was called to the Bar of BC in 1978. Robert entered private practice in Vancouver in July of 1978, going to the Legal Services Department of the WCB in May of 1979. He remained there until July of 1984 when he entered into a partnership with Lyle Harris in Vancouver. The firm of Harris & Brun now consists of 15 staff and lawyers.

Since 1984, he has practised continuously in Vancouver, appearing frequently in the Supreme Court of BC and the BC Court of Appeal. On several occasions he has ventured before the Supreme Court of Canada.

Robert is a frequent guest speaker at seminars put on by CLE and the Trial Lawyers Association of BC. He has been an active member of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC since 1991. He has been a member of the Canadian Bar Association since 1977 and was an Executive Member of the Insurance Law Subsection from 1991 to 1995. In 1997, he became an Elected Member of the Provincial Council and is now in his second term. He was first elected to the Executive of the Provincial Council in 2000.

Margaret Ostrowski QC, Past President
Margaret has just completed her term as President of the BC Branch. This year she has spent a good deal of time charting the Branch on a more accountable and business-like path. In addition, she chaired the Search Committee to select a new Executive Director, initiated two very successful President’s Forums, led the Branch in the lobby for increased Legal Aid funding, assisted in obtaining funding for our Pro Bono initiatives, managed many other issues including universality, National Tort Reform issue, MDP’s, LLP’s, lawyers selling real estate, participated in the organization of the Act of Settlement Anniversary Conference, actively encouraged the formation of a Member Dispute Resolution and Communications Process, a Director’s Code for the executive and revisions to Provincial Council Meetings. This year she has also been a member of the Judicial Council, the CBA National Board of Governors and executive liaison for our International Resource Network Committee. This year she will be chairing the QC Committee, will be a member of the National International Development Committee, and remains as Vice-President/Treasurer of the Law Courts Education Society.

Prior to her year as President, she was a member of and chaired numerous committees including the Planning and Priorities Committee, Unclaimed Intangible Property Committee, Nominating Committee, BarTalk Editorial Board, Solicitor’s Issues, Awards and Recognition Committee, and was executive liaison for the Real Estate Practice Committee, Equality and Diversity Committee, Title Insurance Committee, Auto Insurance Committee, the Trial Lawyers Association and the Law Society.

She has been a guest lecturer at People’s Law School, PLTC, CLE and the Wills and Trusts Section, and has authored several articles. She has also been active in community and public service activities. She was the lay appointee on the Board of the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists and the Chair of the Dental Technicians and Denturists Board. She is a past member of the legal committee of LEAF, the Point Grey Mini School Consultative Committee and the Point Grey Safe Grad Committee. She has two teenaged sons who are accomplished athletes, and who are now attending first and third year university.

She is a sole practitioner in the wills and estates area of law and has acted on many occasions as a Custodian appointed under the Legal Professions Act.

Kenneth Armstrong, Officer
Kenneth Armstrong attended law school at the University of Alberta. He articled with Roberts and Griffin in downtown Vancouver, and was called to the bar in 1996. He then joined Stone and Alexander in Burnaby, practising family law and wrongful dismissal litigation. In October, 1997 he joined Michael R. Hoogbruin, practicing plaintiff’s personal injury litigation and wrongful dismissal litigation. In August, 1999, he joined Kane, Shannon and Weiler where he practised ICBC defense litigation and wrongful dismissal litigation. He recently joined Cassady & Company in New Westminster, where he continues to practise general litigation, including ICBC defence and wrongful dismissal litigation.

Ken has been active in the community since his undergraduate days at UBC, where he was active in the Arts Undergraduate Society and Alma Mater Society. At law school, Ken was an editor and Treasurer of the Alberta Law Review, and served on the Law Faculty Council. In December, 1997 Ken was a founding co-chair of the Young Lawyers (Westminster County) Section, a post he held until June, 1999. He then served as co-chair of the Young Lawyers (Vancouver) Section for the 1999-2000 year. Over the past few years, Ken has served on the Legal Aid Committee, the Membership Committee, the Council Reform Task Force, and chaired the Entrance Exam Task Force and Sections Standing Committee (formerly the Sections Task Force). He is now an elected member of Provincial Council, representing Westminster County. This is his first term as an at-large member of the executive, following two terms as the Young Lawyers’ Representative to the Executive. He remains involved in Legal Aid and Sections, and additionally assumes the chair of the BarTalk Editorial Board, and is now the executive liaison for the Governmental Relations Committee.

Bill Clarke, Young Lawyers’ Representative
With a name like William Thomas Clarke III, it would seem that he was destined to be a lawyer, or at least aristocracy – we guess he will settle for being a lawyer.

William (Bill) Clarke attended the University of Alberta for his formal legal education, taking special interest in Criminal and Family Law. During this time he was employed at Berge & Company as a summer student, and then the Kelowna Courthouse Registry as a clerk in both the Supreme and Provincial Courts. He articled with the firm of Martin Johnson in Kelowna, and was called to the BC Bar in 1996. He practises Family Law, CFCSA litigation, and Criminal Defence at Martin Johnson, under the banner of the “Heritage Law Group.”

Since graduation, Bill continues to be highly active in his community. He has acted as the Interim Chair of the U2K (University 2000) committee, in which he was instrumental in initiating a community-based movement that desired the conversion of the the local University-College, to a full-status university. As an avid Rescue SCUBA Diver and Medic First Aid, he has served as a board member of Project COOL (Clean Our Okanagan Lake), in which he is an active fundraiser, and guiding hand.

Since 1995, Bill Clarke has also been an active member in Sections, and has pursued the positions of Secretary, Vice-Chair, Co-Chair, and Chair of the Okanagan Criminal Justice Section. In this capacity he has been responsible for all aspects of organization and activism. In 2000, Bill was instrumental in creating a Young Lawyers-Okanagan Section.

As a member of the Provincial Council Executive for the first time, he is eager to learn and contribute to the interests of the young lawyers of BC. As anyone who knows him will attest, if you have a concern he will listen and act.

Diana L Dorey, Officer
Diana was born in North Vancouver, BC in 1962 and grew up on the North Shore. Diana received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in criminology with First Class Honours from Simon Fraser University in 1986. Diana received the British Commonwealth Scholarship for post-graduate studies at the University of Cambridge. She obtained a Masters of Philosophy Degree from the University of Cambridge in criminology (specializing in young offender research) in 1987. She studied law at the University of BC and obtained her law degree in 1990. Diana articled with Davis & Company and during her articles, she was a Law Clerk at the Supreme Court of BC. Diana joined Davis & Company following her call to the Bar on November 15, 1991.

Diana practises commercial, insurance, and employment litigation at Davis & Company and acts for corporate and individual clients in a variety of commercial disputes, including shareholder disputes.

Diana was elected to Provincial Council representing Vancouver County in May 2000.

Sandy Jakab-Hancock, Equality Representative
Sandy received her LL.B. from the University of Calgary in 1985. She practised for three years with Parlee McLaws in their civil litigation department before moving to Vancouver. She was called to the bar in BC in 1989 and practised with Owen Bird – again, in their civil litigation department. Since then, Sandy’s had a variety of professional experiences, including a six-year contract and employment relationship with the Law Society. Sandy owned and operated a policy development/equity and diversity consulting service, serving government and private enterprise and leading to a position as Legal Counsel, Policy, with CDNX. At present, Sandy is with the BC Securities Commission as Senior Legal Counsel, Policy.

Sandy has served the CBABC as Co-Chair and then Chair of the Women’s Practice & Equality Issues Section, Co-Chair of the Member Dispute Resolution Task Force, a member of the Equality Committee, a member of the Sections Task Force (as it then was) and a member of the Financial Policy Working Group. She is currently an elected member for Vancouver County. In 2001/2002, she will serve as Co-Chair of the Equality Committee and as a member of the Executive Committee.

Sandy has written and lectured on equity and diversity change for organizations.

Meg (Marguerite) E Shaw, Officer
Meg was born in Lethbridge, Alberta but has lived in BC since 1969. Meg graduated from the University of Victoria in 1983 with her Bachelor’s degree in the Science of Nursing and from the University of BC in 1988 with her Bachelor’s degree in Law.

Meg articled in Kelowna with the then firm of McAfee Harder and has been practising law in Kelowna since. She is with the firm McAfee Hattori & Shaw. Meg practices in the area of family law, mediation, wills and estates, and also practises as a CFCS mediator, child advocate, and ad hoc counsel for the Coroner’s Service of BC. Meg has been an invited participant in discussion groups hosted by the Law Society on the topic of regulation of mediation, and by the Federal Government and Provincial Government on the topic of proposed changes to the Divorce Act in the area of custody and access.

Meg first served as Chair of the Okanagan Family Law Section for three years, and attended two National Family Law Conferences as the delegate from BC. Meg was a Co-Chair for the Okanagan ADR Section, a member of the Communications Committee for CBABC for two years, and was the Co-Chair of the President’s Forum that was held in Kelowna in April 2000.

Meg has been an elected member from the County of Yale for CBABC since 1997 and was recently re-elected for her second term.

Meg has been involved with committee work with the Registered Nurses Association of BC, Kiwanis, and the Kelowna-Westbank YM-YWCA as well as a guest lecturer for the Department of Nursing at the Okanagan University College, and the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC. She also provides pro bono services for the Central Okanagan Hospice Association and the Elizabeth Fry Society.

Michael C Woodward, Officer
Michael Woodward is a graduate in mathematics, and in law at UBC, called to the Bar in 1986. He is a Partner in the law firm of Thompson & McConnell, which acts for local government throughout the Province. An elected member of Provincial Council since 1997, this is Michael’s first term on the Executive. He is past-Chair of the Municipal Law Section and a member of the Labour and Environmental Sections as well. He has presented papers at several CLE courses, and authored the Municipal Law Chapter for CLE’s Annual Review of Law and Practice for the past five years. He was course coordinator for the most recent Municipal Law CLE program. He frequently lectures for the Municipal Officers’ Association, the Union of BC Municipalities, the Municipal Administration Training Institute, and the Capilano P. Administration Program.

Following articles and three years as a labour/school law associate at Campney & Murphy, Michael spent two years with the municipal law firm Lidstone, Young, Anderson, and in 1991 joined the Municipal law firm Thompson & McConnell, where he became a Partner the following year.

Michael is 45 years old, and resides in White Rock with his spouse and three children. Summer Saturdays he rows boats and is Vice President and a founding Director of the Nicomekl Rowing Club. In the winter, he skis, after a fashion.

BarTalk thanks the members of the 2001/2002 Executive Committee for providing the following biographies.

This article was published in the August 2001 issue of BarTalk. © 2001 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.