President’s Message

We are fortunate to belong to an honourable profession, one that is hallmarked by civility.

As the pace of practice increases and the need for work-life balance is reassessed, the demands on our time are continually greater, with the result that we often forego “non-billable” time spent with our peers. In turn, we face significant challenges to maintain civility at the bar but, in my humble opinion, maintaining civility is crucial to preserving our role within the justice system and the public’s confidence in our justice system. Civility amongst counsel will lead to more orderly results for our clients and, for ourselves, greater enjoyment of practice.

The Vancouver Bar Association prides itself on its long history, since 1892, of fostering collegiality at the bar. Indeed, fostering collegiality is our primary purpose. VBA events such as the annual spring social, the fall wine tasting, the VBA/CBA golf tournament, the ski races, and the AGM provide opportunities for our members to network and create professional relationships but, most importantly, they are opportunities to have fun.

On behalf of the VBA, I wish to thank our members and their firms for their continued support of VBA events.

Warmest regards,

Patrick S. Cleary
President, Vancouver Bar Association