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www.canadianlawyermag.com 17 progressed in B.C., but Bauman welcomes the push the pandemic provided to that. Bauman's real passion, though, is access to justice, an area where he cites other courts as examples of success. As head of Access to Justice BC since its inception, Bauman has worked with organizations across the prov- ince and mentions the Provincial Court of British Columbia as "a shining example of a progressive court addressing very basic prob- lems for a lot of British Columbians" through, for example, its use of specialty courts. For access to justice, he continues to prod the justice system and lawyers to do better. "I don't want to say it's a matter of survival for the judiciary or the legal profession, but I guess you could look at it from that perspec- tive," Bauman says. "To remain relevant as a profession, and OPERATIONS BEFORE THE PANDEMIC Chief Justice Robert Bauman listed a few key accomplishments of his court in its 2019 annual report: • Issued dispositions in 767 appeals • New Civil Appeals Program means that every self-represented person who files a civil appeal can contact a lawyer • Amended, repealed and replaced several practice directives • Webcast Reference re: Proposed Amendments to the Environmental Management Act, and webcasting of select appeals will continue indefinitely • Worked with the Ministry of Attorney General to complete public consultation on proposed reforms to the Court of Appeal Act and Rules • Participated in a Twitter town hall to kick off British Columbia's second ever 'Access to Justice Week' Osgoode's Part-Time Professional LLM WINTER 2021 APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN. If you want to dig deeper and truly excel in your area of practice, the commitment goes beyond billable hours. Immerse yourself in an environment with peers who are as passionate about what they do as you are. Choose from six specializations starting in January 2021: · Administrative Law · Business Law · Constitutional Law · Criminal Law and Procedure · Energy and Infrastructure Law · Privacy and Cybersecurity Law Outside Toronto? All programs can be completed remotely. Register for an online info session at osgoodepd.ca/cdnlawyer Ryan M.J. Hayes, MBA, LLB, LLM (Business Law) Associate, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP as a judicial institution, in this century, we have to ensure that ordinary people can get in access the promise of the rule of law and actually enjoy its fruits." Whether it is ensuring survival, or simply relevance, in a time of crisis, a steady expe- rienced hand leading your court can't hurt, provided that is mixed in with the imag- ination to doing things differently when required.