Host
Jeffrey A. Rose, KC — Vancouver
About the Host
Jeff Rose, KC was called to the bar in 1984 and shortly thereafter joined M. Edward Mortimer, KC in the practice of family law, which was always Jeff's specialized area of practice.
In 2005, he was appointed Kings's Counsel by the Honourable Wally Oppal, KC, Attorney General of BC. Jeff was later awarded the BC Leaders in Learning Award by CLEBC for exceptional contributions to the profession.
Jeff has co-chaired and contributed to over 70 family law courses and conferences. He has been on the Editorial Board of the BC Family Practice Manual, Financial Issues in Family Law, and the Family Law Sourcebook.
Jeff currently holds a position as a Practice Advisor at the Law Society of BC.
Special Guests
The Honourable Chief Justice Robert J. Bauman — BC Court of Appeal, Vancouver
Kari D. Boyle — BC Family Justice Innovation Law, North Vancouver
Christopher M. Considine, KC — Considine & Company, Victoria
Wally T. Oppal, KC — Boughton Law Corporation, Vancouver
Gordon B. Sloan — ADR Education, Victoria
Stuart Teicher, Esq. — Attorney & Professional Legal Educator, Teicher Professional Growth LLC, East Brunswick, New Jersey
About the Special Guests
The Honourable Robert Bauman is the Chief Justice of BC, Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal for BC, and Chief Justice of the Court of Appeal of Yukon.
He was appointed as a justice of the Supreme Court of BC in 1996; as a justice of the Court of Appeal for BC in 2008; as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of BC in 2009; and as Chief Justice of BC in 2013. Prior to becoming a judge, he was in private practice with Bull, Housser & Tupper in Vancouver.
In 2012, and again in 2013, Chief Justice Bauman was named by Canadian Lawyer Magazine as one of the "Top 25 Most Influential" in the justice system in Canada. In 2012, he was also presented with the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Commemorative Medal for contributions to Canada. As well, Chief Justice Bauman is the 2012 recipient of the Anthony P. Pantages, KC Medal for outstanding contributions to the field of justice, presented by The Justice Institute of BC Foundation. Chief Justice Bauman was the recipient of the 2013 TLABC Bench Award by the Trial Lawyers Association of BC. From 2013 to 2016, he held the position of vice-chair of the Canadian Judicial Council. Chief Justice Bauman is the founding chair of Access to Justice BC.
Kari Boyle is a retired BC lawyer called in 1981. After practicing law for many years, Kari focused her efforts in legal services management, conflict management, and access to justice. Kari served as Executive Director of Mediate BC Society 2006–15. Kari has always enjoyed using her legal, mediation, and management experience to encourage collaboration to improve BC citizens' access to viable and affordable conflict resolution options.
Kari has served as a board member of the Courthouse Library Society of BC and as a knowledge engineer with the Civil Resolution Tribunal.
She contributed to the VJAC, led the "Family Unbundled Legal Services Project," and supported the formation of the BC Family Justice Innovation Lab. Kari is a member of the A2JBC Leadership group and Coordinator of the Lab which uses human-centred design approaches to improve the well-being of family and children experiencing separation or divorce. The Lab's two main initiatives are Youth Voices and the Unbundling Research Project.
Chris Considine has acted in many significant cases and has served on a wide variety of commissions, boards, and advisory groups. He resides in Victoria, BC where he has practiced law for over four decades. Chris was appointed to the King's Counsel in 1998. He is a special prosecutor, and has served on the Judicial Council of BC and Judicial Compensation Committee of BC.
Some of Mr. Considine's most significant cases include Counsel, Rodriquez v. Attorney General of BC, Supreme Court of Canada, Chief Commission Counsel, British Columbia Hydro Inquiry, Chief Commission Counsel, RCMP Public Complaint Commission, the APEC Inquiry.
Trials of Chris' that have been the subject of books, articles and movies are numerous including the movie "At the End of the Day: The Sue Rodriquez Story."
Chris is actively engaged in promoting healthy living and mountaineering sports amongst young people and supports many charities and academic and sport scholarships for young people at both secondary and post-secondary institutions.
Wally Oppal is presently involved as a mediator and arbitrator, particularly in commercial disputes involving business, government, and First Nations. Also, Wally is an adjudicator and commissioner in disciplinary matters under the Police Act of BC.
In 2017, the Government of BC awarded Wally with the Order of BC. In 2018, the Government of Canada appointed Wally as panelist to resolve disputes on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (now United States, Mexico, Canada Trade Agreement).
In private practice, Wally was appointed as a special prosecutor on many high profile criminal and commercial cases. He served as a judge in the County Court of BC, the BC Supreme Court, and the BC Court of Appeal. While he sat on the Supreme Court bench, he was appointed to conduct a commission of inquiry into policing in BC. The inquiry was called after a number of police shootings of civilians.
In 2005, Mr. Oppal was appointed as Attorney General of BC and served as Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism until 2009. Wally was involved in many significant reforms of the justice system, including the establishment of Canada's first community court to deal with chronic offenders, developing new Rules of Court in order to promote quicker resolution of disputes, and developing new initiatives in dealing with violence against women
A lifetime resident of BC, Wally has dedicated his entire working life to the pursuit of social justice and community safety. His landmark report on policing in BC led to many policing reforms after its publication in 1994. Wally's service to the public of this province, most recently as Commissioner of the Missing Women Commission of Inquiry, is of special significance.
Gordon Sloan started mediating in 1985. He founded ADR Education in 1997 providing dispute resolution services across Canada. Although Gordon retired in July 2018, he is still working with ADR Education as needed.
Gordon's interests in dispute resolution have been panoramic, ranging from work with individuals to large corporations, governments, and First Nations. He is fascinated by the role intense values and group identity play in conflict resolution. Gordon's intervention practice has included workplace advice and assessment, multi-party cases in the public policy arena, facilitation of value-charged conflicts, and a full array of litigation mediation.
One of Canada's best known trainers and teachers of dispute resolution, Gordon has delivered negotiation and mediation courses to a wide array of audiences in every part of the country. He has taught and advised in academic settings as well as the private sector and government at all levels. He has provided training programs and seminars in dispute resolution to professional bodies, First Nations, government departments and agencies, and NGOs. Gordon is passionate about his own adult learning and is quick to share that interest with others.
Stuart Teicher, Esq. is a professional legal educator who focuses on critical lawyering skills. A practicing lawyer for 20 years, Stuart's career is now dedicated to helping fellow lawyers survive the practice of law and thrive in their careers.
Stuart teaches lawyers how to write, speak, and develop other skills that are vital to the practice of law. Mr. Teicher is a true "CPD Performer" in his seminars and keynote addresses.
Mr. Teicher teaches throughout the US and Canada. In addition, Stuart is an adjunct Professor at Rutgers University in East Brunswick, New Jersey where he teaches undergraduate writing courses. He is also a Supreme Court appointee to the New Jersey District Ethics Committee where he investigates and prosecutes grievances filed against lawyers, and is an adjunct Professor of Law at Georgetown Law in Washington, DC.