Course Instructors
Kushhal Bains — Bell Alliance LLP, Vancouver
Brian Evans — Law Society of BC, Vancouver
Ron Usher — The Society of Notaries Public of BC, Vancouver
About the Course Instructors
Khushhal Bains is a Partner at Bell Alliance LLP, one of the largest real estate conveyancing firms in Vancouver, where he manages Bell Alliance's residential real estate division.
Khushhal offers 10 years of experience in residential and commercial real estate. Khushhal works in a high volume and fast-paced conveyancing office where he and his team are able to successfully close roughly 200-300 residential conveyancing transactions per month. He regularly helps his clients navigate transactions ranging from small condos to large commercial properties and everything in between. Khushhal is frequently asked to present to other professional companies on real estate matters and issues.
Khushhal earned his law degree at Osgoode Hall Law School, having previously completed a BA in Economics and Philosophy from the University of Toronto. Khushhal articled with the Ministry of the Attorney General and worked at one of Ontario's largest law firms before moving to BC.
Brian Evans attended UBC Law School and practiced law for over 35 years, roughly divided between work as a private general practitioner with a focus on real estate matters and as an in-house lawyer for professional regulators, including the Law Society of BC where he is presently a Practice Advisor. He has had substantial involvement with real estate conveyances as a solicitor and as counsel. Brian was legal counsel for many years at the Real Estate Council of BC, which oversees the professional standards and conduct of licensees ("realtors," strata managers, and property managers) under the Real Estate Services Act. He prosecuted many regulatory and credentials hearings including a number involving deceptive dealing and he dealt with a number of real estate government, industry and professional stakeholders. Brian has acted as a provincial court civil mediator, as a hearing officer for the Registrar of Mortgage Brokers, and as a PLTC instructor. He has edited various legal publications including many focused on real estate practice and professional responsibility issues. Brian has many interests that, unfortunately, are currently on hold.
Ron Usher was called to the bar in 1980 after articling in Vernon and obtaining degrees from UVic and UBC Law School. He has practiced law in private practice in Vernon and Vancouver, in addition to working as in-house counsel to a Victoria computer software company.
He is the past president of the Nidus Personal Planning Resource Centre Association, a registered charity. Nidus is the leading provider of accurate and free legal information regarding personal planning documents in BC. Other community organization involvements include the presidency of the Vernon & District Association for the Mentally Handicapped (as it was previously known), the Kerrisdale Community Centre Association (past director), and "Dhamma – A Theravada Buddhist Society" (current director). Ron is known for his musical involvements with the Vancouver Ukulele Circle (since 2003) and the Parksville Ukulele Club.
Ron is currently General Counsel and Practice Advisor at the Society of Notaries Public of BC. He teaches property law as a Visiting Professor in the Notary MA-ALS degree program at SFU School of Criminology.
On June 8, 2016, Ron was sworn in by the Supreme Court of BC as a Commissioned Notary Public, becoming the first lawyer in BC to have this appointment in addition to being a member of the Law Society.
Throughout the spring of 2016, Ron served as a member of the Independent Advisory Group appointed by the Real Estate Council of BC to inquire into and report on the regulation of real estate services in BC.
For eight years Ron worked for the Law Society of BC as a lawyer responsible for real estate and related technology issues. As the staff lawyer to the Conveyancing Practices Task Force, he was very involved in issues arising out of fraud in the area of Real Estate practice. Ron was also the CEO of Juricert Services Inc., the corporation created by the Law Society to provide security for e-commerce initiatives such as land title e-filing.
He has served as the national chairperson of the CBA’s Law Practice Management Section and has sat on the Provincial and National Councils of the CBA.
Over the past 30 years, Ron has been a guest speaker at numerous CLE, CBA, Trial Lawyers Association, the Society of Notaries Public of BC, real estate and technology seminars and meetings. He has spoken throughout Canada and the US on topics ranging from personal planning, e-filing, real estate practice, fraud, and computer technology to the role of the legal profession in society.
Ron is a member of the Society of Notaries Public of BC, the Law Society of BC, the CBA, the Real Estate Institute of BC, and the BC Real Estate Section of the CBA. He is also a member of the Business Transformation Advisory Committee of the Land Title and Survey Authority of BC.