Background and Professional Activities

In her career, Kerry-Lynne has distinguished herself as a lawyer and as a community leader, achieving regional, provincial and national recognition as a passionate advocate and articulate debater. She has represented clients at every level of court including the Supreme Court of Canada, and been actively involved in the mediation of multi-party disputes in complex situations. Along the way she has mentored many junior men and women in the legal profession and worked for improvements in access to justice and court reform. Kerry-Lynne is recognized as one of the most knowledgeable lawyers regarding aborginal land and resource management issues.

• 2007 - 2009: Immediate Past Chair, Canadian Bar Association (CBA), National Women Lawyers Forum

• 2005 - 2007: Chair, CBA National Women Lawyers Forum

• 2006 - 2011: Canadian Human Rights Tribunal Appointment, by Vic Toews, Federal Minister of Justice

• 2002 - 2004: Founding Chair, CBA British Columbia Women Lawyers Forum

• 2001: YWCA Woman of Distinction Award in the category of Management, the Professions & Trades

• 1999: Queen's Counsel Appointment, by Ujjal Dosanjh, B.C. Attorney-General

• 1997 - 1998: President, B.C. Branch, CBA

• Served on the Provincial and National Councils of the CBA for many years, chaired a variety of legislation and law reform and administrative committees and was elected as the President of the Canadian Bar Association (B.C. Branch) in 1997-1998. In total, she served on the B.C. Branch Executive for ten years.

• Active in the Canadian Bar Association, she has served on the National Task Force on Court Reform in Canada and as Chair of the national Constitutional Law Section.

• Has a considerable background advising on corporate restructuring and assisting charitable and non-profit organizations. She is a certified family law mediator and completed the program of Instruction for Lawyers at Harvard Law School in 1990.

• Graduated from the University of British Columbia with a B.A. (Honours) in History in 1975 and her L.L.B. in 1978, and was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1979.

• Has authored numerous Continuing Legal Education papers and articles, some published in Bar Talk, mostly through the auspices of the Canadian Bar Association on the various topics listed below.

• Has appeared before both the House of Commons and Senate Committees on Aboriginal Affairs in Ottawa, with briefs filed and oral testimonies transcribed.

• Frequent keynote speaker, panelist, and media commentator on a variety of legal topics locally, nationally, and internationally. Those topics have included various family law trends and decisions, human rights issues, aboriginal land issues, municipal planning initiatives, constitutional accords and negotiation, mandatory retirement, women in politics and leadership roles, and the importance of professional mentorship.

• Has been featured in articles in publications that include Time, MacLean’s, and Homemaker Magazines as well as local newspapers including The Ottawa Citizen, The Globe and Mail, The National Post, the New York Times, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

• Was the Founding Chair of the National Women Lawyers Forum (2005-2007) and then served as Immediate Past Chair for another two years. She was also the Founding Chair of the BC Women Lawyers Forum serving on that executive from 2002 - 2006. Her past community posts include Chair of the Vancouver City Planning Commission and Board member for Science World and the Federation of Junior Leagues of Canada.