Practice Before the Registrar 2026

Course Chair
Greg Palm — Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation, Surrey

About the Course Chair
Greg Palm is the managing partner at Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation in Surrey and the senior litigator in that firm's Civil & Commercial Litigation practice group. His practice focuses on commercial disputes, real estate litigation, collections and foreclosures and employment law, but also includes a significant amount of work for lawyers and law firms, as well as their clients, in relation to disputes about legal fees and related matters and disputes over the costs of litigation.

Greg is a former member of the CLEBC board of directors, is a contributing author and editorial board member for the CLEBC publication Practice Before the Registrar and  authored the chapter on "Costs" in CLEBC's Annual Review of Law and Practice from 2007 to 2013 and the chapter on "Lawyers' Remuneration" from 2007 to 2025. He was also a member of the former Fee Review Working Group for the Law Society of BC, is a past president of the Surrey Bar Association, and is a former member of the Provincial Council of the CBA (BC Branch).

Greg holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from SFU and a Bachelor of Laws from UBC. He was called to the BC bar in 2001.

Faculty
John C. Fiddick — DWF Group, Vancouver
Registrar Meg Gaily — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver 
David A. Hunter — Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation, Surrey
Andrew P. Morrison — Shields Harney LLP, Vancouver
Jessica Spelliscy — Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP, Kelowna

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Practice Before the Registrar
Know what to expect at your registrar’s hearing 

This publication is essential for: anyone requiring guidance for appearing before a master or registrar in BC

Current to: August 1, 2025

Faced with a hearing before a Supreme Court or Court of Appeal registrar and don't know what to do? Turn to Practice Before the Registrar for guidance from the Registrars themselves and from experienced practitioners. Learn when and why to seek a hearing, the procedure to get your hearing, what happens at the hearing, and steps to take after the hearing. With clear discussions of the law and procedure and 80 sample forms, this resource will help you smoothly navigate the many types of hearings before the registrar, from costs assessments, family law references, bankruptcy matters, and settling orders to reviews and appeals.

With this resource, you will be able to:

• understand when to go before a registrar in your client's case
• efficiently prepare for a registrar's hearing
• confidently advocate at a registrar's hearing with knowledge of practice and procedure

Buy today and practice confidently before a registrar! View a sample from this book!

Highlights of the 2025 update:

• enhanced discussion of affidavit evidence at registrars' hearings
• Rules changes for virtual registrars' hearings
• requisition requirements for virtual registrars' hearings and pre-hearing conferences
• 60-day-in-advance requirement for pre-hearing conferences
• updated document requirements for hearing record
• time limits for approving or objecting to family law orders drawn up by a party
• urgent applications to the Court of Appeal registrar
• referrals to Court of Appeal where frivolous or vexatious or capable of summary dismissal
• Court of Appeal registrar case management powers
• sequencing applications to quash an appeal
• requests to appear remotely before Court of Appeal registrar
• Court of Appeal registrar's hearings in writing
• updated discussion of transcript preparation
• new BCCA and BCSC case law in appellate matters, Legal Profession Act reviews, family, estates, bankruptcy matters before the Registrar

"As Registrar, the most common saying I hear is 'I've never done [a registrar's hearing] before.' The manual puts you in the position of knowing what needs to be done. Essentially, [Practice Before the Registrar] provides a measure of experience in a single volume." – Scott A. Nielsen, Associate Judge, Supreme Court of BC

Course Introduction and Land Acknowledgement (9:00 – 9:05)

Raymond Lee — Program Lawyer, CLEBC, Vancouver
Greg Palm — Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation, Surrey

General Advice (9:05 – 9:20)

• the importance of proper preparation
• adherence to pre-hearing and filing requirements
• effectively conducting a hearing before the Registrar

Registrar Meg Gaily — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Greg Palm — Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation, Surrey

N.B. In addition to the above, Registrar Gaily will be adding her Registrar's remarks to all of the session topics that follow.

Debt Collection Matters (9:20 – 9:50)

• subpoenas to debtor
• references under the Court Order Enforcement Act
• hearings relating to garnishing orders

John C. Fiddick — DWF Group, Vancouver

Family Law References (9:50 – 10:20)

• evaluating the utility and appropriateness of a reference
• required filings, evidence, and pre-hearing preparation
• conduct of the reference and post-hearing matters

Jessica Spelliscy — Rush Ihas Hardwick LLP, Kelowna

Settling Orders (10:20 – 10:30)

• avenues to avoid a hearing
• filing and service requirements
• conduct of the hearing and entry of the order

Greg Palm — Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation, Surrey

BREAK (10:30 – 10:40)

Review of Bills Under the Legal Profession Act (10:40 – 11:15)

• preliminary filing and pre-hearing requirements
• marshalling evidence and preparing for the hearing
• conduct of the hearing and certification of the result

Andrew P. Morrison — Shields Harney LLP, Vancouver

Passing of Accounts (11:15 – 11:45)

• the application to the court and importance of the order
• form and content of the accounts (including legal accounts)
• preparation for and conduct of the reference

David A. Hunter — Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation, Surrey

Assessments of Costs (11:45 – 12:15)

• preparing an effective bill of costs
• narrowing issues and preparing evidence
• preparation for and conduct of an assessment

Greg Palm — Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation, Surrey

Closing Remarks (12:15 – 12:20)

Greg Palm — Hamilton Duncan Law Corporation, Surrey