QUEEN’S COUNSEL APPOINTMENTS

L. Neil Matheson of Vancouver is a senior litigation partner with the law firm of Harper Grey, where he has practised for 39 years. He has been recognized by the Canadian Lexpert Legal Directory as a leading lawyer in construction law, commercial insurance and aviation law. He has been actively involved in legal education.

David Birnie is a tax lawyer and founder of Birnie & Company in Vancouver. He is a member of the tax section of the Canadian Bar Association, Society of Trust and Estate Planners and the International Fiscal Association. He has published several works on various aspects of Canadian and international tax.

William Kerr Clark has been a Crown counsel with the Vancouver region of the provincial criminal justice branch since 1974. He has appeared in all levels of court in the province and is active in mentoring and guiding junior prosecutors.

Lawrence Kahn is a partner in the Richmond law firm of Kahn Zack Ehrlich Lithwick, where he practises family law. He has contributed to the development of alternative dispute resolution as a method of solving legal problems. Kahn is a member of the Association for Conflict Resolution, B.C. Mediation Roster Society and Family Mediation Canada.

Kenneth S. Westlake of Vancouver has been a defence counsel at every level of court in British Columbia since the 1970s. Among other high profile cases, Westlake has been counsel for landmark court decisions on wiretap and a constitutional challenge of police check stops for impaired drivers.

Clifton Prowse of Vancouver is a senior litigation counsel with the Ministry of Attorney General, where he has served since leaving private practice in 1985. He is past chair of the civil litigation section of the Canadian Bar Association (B.C. branch).

Larry R. Jackie is a senior litigation partner with the Vancouver law firm Borden Ladner Gervais and worked on the early application of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Previously, he was a Crown counsel in Vancouver from 1975 to 1981.

Richard Stewart of Victoria practises family law with Cook Roberts LLP, where he is a partner. He is a director of the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia and founding member of the Victoria Collaborative Family Law Group.

Herbert Dodd of Vancouver is a partner with Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy, where he practises corporate and project finance, securities and banking. He has been recognized by the 2007 Guide to the Leading 500 Lawyers in Canada and the 2007 edition of The Best Lawyers in Canada.

Trevor Armstrong is a partner with the Surrey law firm of Hamilton Duncan Armstrong & Stewart. He was a founding director of the Surrey Foundation and has provided pro bono services for clients of the Salvation Army’s Downtown Eastside legal advice clinic.

John S. Harvey of New Westminster is partner with the law firm of Scarborough, Herman, Harvey & Bluekens. His practice focuses on family law, including property, financial and custody disputes.

Donald P. Lidstone of Vancouver is a partner with Lidstone, Young, Anderson, which acts for nearly 200 municipalities and government agencies across Canada. He has worked extensively with the Union of B.C. Municipalities and was an advisor to the B.C. community charter council in 2001 to 2002.

Mark Benton of Vancouver has been executive director of the Legal Services Society since 2002. He has served with the society since 1983, providing legal aid services in courts and tribunals and serving as in-house counsel.

Wendy Harris is a senior partner at Harris & Co., where she practises education and labour law. She is counsel to the British Columbia Public School Employers’ Association and advises the British Columbia School Superintendents’ Association and the British Columbia School Trustees Association.

Paul Mitchell of Kelowna is the managing partner of Pushor Mitchell LLP, where he practises in the area of personal injury, with an emphasis on brain injury claims. He was the recipient of the Canadian Bar Association’s (B.C. branch) community service award in 2000 and is a board member of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia.

Henri Alvarez of Vancouver is a partner with Fasken Martineau, co-chairing the firm’s international law practice group. He is considered a leading expert among the international arbitration community and teaches and writes extensively on the subject.

John D. Rogers of Vancouver is a founding member of the Victory Square Law Office, where he has provided pro bono legal assistance to such community groups as the Carnegie Centre and the Downtown Eastside Women’s Centre. His practice primarily involves labour and employment law. He has acted for numerous unions and professional associations.

Mitchell R. Taylor is a senior general counsel with the federal Department of Justice in Vancouver and has practised in civil litigation and Aboriginal law. He has represented the government at the Supreme Court of Canada in many high profile and complex cases involving Charter and Aboriginal rights.

Boris Tyzuk of Vancouver has worked as a civil litigator with the Ministry of Attorney General for 20 years. His negotiating skills are highly regarded and he has represented the Province in many complex issues, such as the Nisga’a Final Agreement.

Frits E. Verhoeven is a senior litigation partner at Edwards, Kenny & Bray LLP in Vancouver. He is an experienced and successful litigator and negotiator. Verhoeven was president of the B.C. branch of the Canadian Bar Association in 2006/07.

E. Jane Milton is a partner at Bull, Houser & Tupper in Vancouver, where she has practised for over 23 years. She has an extensive practice in the areas of insolvency and commercial litigation, with particular expertise in banking and estate matters.

Douglas B. Buchanan of Davis LLP has practiced law for over 22 years and currently practises out of both the Vancouver and Toronto offices. He is one of the leading lawyers in Canada in the areas of banking, project finance and project development, including natural resource projects and public-private partnerships.

Paul Daykin is a partner in Aaron Gordon & Daykin of Vancouver, where he has a well-established reputation as a senior litigator specializing in family law. He deals with cases with complex financial, corporate and tax implications.

Catherine Murray has served as Crown counsel on Vancouver Island for over 20 years. Currently practising in Victoria, Murray routinely prosecutes serious and high profile criminal cases.

David Chesman is a partner in the Vancouver law firm of Gowling Lafleur Henderson. He specializes in labour relations and is a frequent speaker on British Columbia labour relations issues.

Howard Mickelson is a founding partner in Gudmundseth Mickelson LLP in Vancouver. He handles cases ranging from commercial, public liability and professional negligence to medical malpractice and catastrophic injury litigation.

Teresa Mitchell-Banks of Vancouver has been practising criminal law as Crown counsel with the Ministry of Attorney General since 1991. Since 2005, she has led the special prosecutions section, where, as well as being a prosecutor, she provides advice to other Crown counsel on law, policy, strategy and ethics.

Maria A. Morellato is a partner in the Vancouver law firm of Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, where she is an expert in international trade law. She is recognized nationally as one of the leading Aboriginal law practitioners.

Peter C. P. Behie of Nanaimo is a partner with Ramsay Lampman Rhodes, where he practises civil litigation. He is chair of the Dispute Resolution Practicum Society, which runs mediation practicums for law students. Behie served for six years as president of the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation.

Megan Ellis specializes in matrimonial and civil sexual assault litigation, often advocating for low-income clients, through her firm, Megan Ellis & Company, in Vancouver. She is a founding director of the Association of Legal Aid Lawyers and a member of the Canadian Centre for International Justice.

Andrew Wilkinson of Vancouver is a partner with McCarthy Tetrault LLP, focusing on government-related litigation, professional negligence, class actions, corporate commercial disputes and contractual claims. An M.D., he teaches with the Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia.

Frank Falzon of Victoria works in private practice in the areas of constitutional and administrative law. He has served as alternate chair to the British Columbia Review Board and prepares and delivers administrative law training to numerous tribunals across British Columbia.

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Media contact:	Shawn Robins Communications Director Ministry of Attorney General 250 387-4965

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