Canadian Lawyer

25 TOP Changemakers THE chieF Justice RobeRt bauMan Chief JUstiCe, British CoLUmBia CoUrt of aPPeaL, vanCoUver MOST INFLUENTIAL What voters had to say: "Chief Justice Bauman is an unfailing advocate of access to justice and should be applauded for his willingness to take on the system from within in order to foment change." congratulations, Kristine! Congratulations to all of the legal professionals featured in this year's Canadian Lawyer "25 Most Influential Lawyers" list, including our own Kristine Robidoux, Q.C. Kristine has shown great leadership in the field of global business integrity — from corporate governance and corruption prevention to crisis management and transactional due diligence. We are very proud to have her on our team. Learn more at gowlings.com/anticorruption montréal ottawa toronto hamilton 28 Gowlings1/2_CL_Aug_13.indd . C1A N A D I A N L a w ye r m a g . c o m august 2 0 1 3 www waterloo region calgary vancouver beijing moscow london 13-07-19 1:10 PM Kagan mcleoD Chief Justice Robert Bauman has not been shy about warning of the threats facing the Canadian legal system. He became chief justice of British Columbia in mid-June following four years as chief justice of the supreme Court of B.C. since being named one of our most influential in 2012 for taking a strong stance on judicial independence, Bauman continues to be outspoken about problems of accessibility and accountability in the profession. Recently he highlighted his concerns in a speech before the trial Lawyers association of British Columbia, where he received the 2013 Bench award. While many talk about access to justice issues, Bauman shook up the legal community when he warned these problems could be "potentially fatal to our profession as we know it." at the same time, Bauman praised national access to justice initiatives, and urged lawyers to embrace change. In april, he called on lawyers to: "Wake up to the realities of these challenges; speak up about our value and our critical relevance in the lives of ordinary Canadians; and shakeup our attitudes toward lawyering."

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