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For the Public

You can learn more about the LSBC Tribunal by reading our Mission and Core Values. You can find information on attending a public hearing in the Guides for the Public section. If you still have questions, you may find answers among the FAQs. For an overview of what we achieve each year, take a look at our Annual Reports.

For Participants

Our Legal Resources section includes links to Directions on practice and procedure before the LSBC Tribunal as well as Forms to be filed with the Tribunal Office. Under Instructions and Guides, you will find a variety of information helpful for parties and participants involved in current cases before the LSBC Tribunal.

Hearings and Decisions

For upcoming hearings, take a look at our Hearing Schedule. If you need to find information about a current case or past decision, these can be found in the Hearing Files and Decisions section. For a list of all recently initiated or recently decided cases, see the Recent Proceeding Updates section below.

What's New

November 21, 2023

Richmond Lawyer Hong Guo Disbarred

Richmond lawyer Hong Guo has been disbarred from practicing law in BC after being found ungovernable by a Law Society Tribunal hearing panel. In the decision to disbar Guo, the hearing panel took into account her lengthy and serious discipline history consisting of numerous conduct issues covering different circumstances dating back to 2012. Four hearing panels, including the most recent, made wide-range findings of professional misconduct, including misappropriation and other mishandling of trust funds, breaches of trust accounting rules, conflicts of interest, misrepresentations and false representations to clients and the Law Society, failure to supervise staff, and breaches of undertakings and Law Society orders. Guo*s discipline history is also replete with concerns about her practice and file management, competence and ability to co-operate with the Law Society. Guo met many aspects of the test for ungovernability, including a lengthy discipline history, repeated breaches of undertakings to the Law Society, breaches of Law Society Orders, a consistent and repetitive failure to respond to the Law Society inquiries and a pattern of misleading behaviour directed at both the Law Society and clients. The Tribunal held that had it not disbarred Guo based on her ungovernabililty, it would have disbarred her for her conduct underlying the citation at issue. Having considered alternate sanctions, it found that disbarment was the only penalty that would protect the public and preserve the public confidence in the Law Society*s ability to regulate lawyers.
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Message from the Tribunal Chair 

October 19, 2023

I am pleased to inform you of significant updates within the Tribunal aimed at fostering a more inclusive, fair and supportive environment for all our participants:

1.  New Guide for Participants: Indigenous Engagement with the LSBC Tribunal:  The LSBC Tribunal is committed to fostering a culturally sensitive and supportive environment for Indigenous hearing participants. We have developed a new guide, "Indigenous Engagement with the LSBC Tribunal" which outlines our inclusive policies, protocols, and hearing processes which can be tailored to different Indigenous cultures, laws and needs.  If you identify as First Nations, Inuit or Metis, I encourage you to review this guide. Reach out to the Tribunal to discuss how we can best assist you throughout the hearing process.

2.  Information for Witnesses including Witness Accommodation: All people deserve an equal opportunity to participate in the hearing processes at the LSBC Tribunal.  Our updated guide on “Information for Witnesses including Witness Accommodation” sets out the Tribunal’s commitment in this regard.

3. New Licensing Hearing Forms and Overview:  In collaboration with the Law Society’s Credentials and Licensing Group, we have introduced updated forms [Form 3 – Notice of Referral to Hearing- Licensing/Credentials, Form 40 – Requisition – Licensing/Credentials and Form 29 – Information Sheet Referral for Licensing Hearing] along with an enhanced “Overview of the Licensing Hearing Process” for licensee applicants.

4.  Updates to Practice Directions as of January 2024: In our ongoing efforts to refine our processes, I have reviewed feedback from adjudicators and participants. Following consultation with the Chair’s Roundtable, I am pleased to announce that we will be updating the Practice Directions effective January 1, 2024. I urge you to familiarize yourselves with the upcoming changes, particularly the ten new or substantive modifications highlighted in our “What’s New” section. A redlined version of the Practice Directions effective as of January 1, 2024 can be found here or under Legal Resources/Instructions and Guides. These changes represent our dedication to ensuring a fair, transparent and efficient hearing process for all participants. 

Herman Van Ommen, KC Chair, LSBC Tribunal

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