The Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) has initiated a pivotal three-week trial at the British Columbia Supreme Court, challenging the recently enacted 2024 Legal Professions Act (LPA). The society contends that the new legislation jeopardizes the autonomy of the legal profession by proposing significant changes to how lawyers are regulated. [View the Notice of Civil Claim](https://www.lawsociety.bc.ca/CMS/getmedia/2a8e2bbb-feab-4f02-bb7d-e97621c719f8/NoticeofCivilClaimMay17-2024.PDF)

The Attorney General of British Columbia has rebutted, describing the LSBC's stance as "indefensible in our representative democracy." The government argues that the LPA aims to streamline regulations, enhance legal services access, and support Indigenous reconciliation efforts. [Read the AG's submissions](https://cbabc.org/BC/media/docs/initiatives/regulation-of-the-profession/resources-and-reading/AGBC-Submissions-15-Sep-2025.pdf)

Under the LPA, which received royal assent in May 2024, a new 17-member board will replace the current LSBC governance structure. This board will include both elected and appointed lawyer members, a shift from the previous format predominantly elected by peers. [Learn more about the new regulator](https://lpatransition.ca/)

The LSBC's legal arguments focus on the constitutional implications of the LPA, questioning whether the independence of the bar forms an unwritten principle of the Canadian Constitution and exploring the potential overreach of provincial authority under the Constitution Act, 1867.

Represented by Lawson Lundell LLP partner Craig Ferris, the LSBC argues that replacing lawyer-led regulation with potential government interference could undermine the profession’s duty to its clients and the justice system. [Ferris's perspective](https://www.canadianlawyermag.com/resources/professional-regulation/lsbc-argues-for-appropriate-distance-between-bar-and-state-at-trial-over-legal-professions-act/393206)

In a recent development, Justice J. Mariam Gropper of the B.C. Supreme Court denied an interim injunction sought by the LSBC, which would have paused the transition to the new regulatory body. Gropper stated that the LSBC failed to demonstrate that the LPA would cause "irreparable harm" to the profession's independence. [Read the court's decision](https://www.bccourts.ca/jdb-txt/sc/24/12/2024BCSC1292cor1.htm)

The trial will also hear from other key stakeholders in the legal community, including the Trial Lawyers Association of BC, the Canadian Bar Association, and the Law Foundation of B.C., each presenting their viewpoints on the implications of the new regulatory framework.

This case represents a significant moment in the governance of British Columbia's legal profession, with outcomes likely to influence regulatory practices nationwide. [More on this developing story](https://www.jurist.org/news/2025/10/british-columbia-trial-court-begins-hearings-on-lawyer-self-regulation/)