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Retired judge Brent Hoy has been described as “a gracious and humble trail-blazer” and “a model for the pan-Asian legal community”. A keynote speech he gave last fall at the BC Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers’ gala was very well-received – comments on it included “wise”, “richly insightful” and “beyond inspiring”.
BC lawyers no longer have to visit a courthouse in person to see Provincial Court records in family matters – they can now access these court records digitally with just a few clicks! This digital access will increase convenience and speed of delivery for lawyers while reducing workload for court registry staff.
How does it work?
During the pandemic the BC Provincial Court modified many of its front-end procedures to maintain British Columbians’ access to justice. Innovations like virtual conferences, virtual bail hearings, and digital court orders did more than that – they reduced barriers for court users and improved timely access. Because they’ve worked well those new procedures are here to stay.
From dental hygiene to housing to art, music and writing opportunities, partnerships with organizations outside the justice system play an important role in the work of Vancouver’s two specialized sentencing courts, the Downtown Community Court and the Drug Treatment Court. Involvement in activities like these help court participants rebuild their lives and avoid criminal behaviour.
On March 13, 2023 fire devastated the Law Courts in Golden, British Columbia. Not just courtrooms, but paper court files were destroyed. Twenty years ago, this would have caused serious delays or put an end to many court proceedings.