Meisner Appointed to B.C. Law Society

Monday, May 31, 2010 03:00 PM

Prince George, B.C.- Prince George broadcaster, and Opinion250.com President, Ben Meisner, has been appointed to the B.C. Law Society.

The Law Society of British Columbia is the regulatory body for the BC legal profession. The primary responsibility of the Law Society under the provincial Legal Profession Act is to protect the public interest in the administration of justice.

Mr. Meisner says he is more than flattered with the invitation to be part of the B.C. Law Society “I am deeply honoured to join such a prestigious group. I follow in the footsteps of former talk show host and broadcaster Jack Webster who also served on the B.C. Law Society, and I will do my utmost to show the same dedication and work ethic as he did in that position.”

The Law Society of BC works to ensure that the public is well served by a legal profession that is honourable, competent and independent. The Law Society sets and enforces standards of professional conduct for lawyers in BC. The Society also brings a voice to issues affecting the justice system and the delivery of legal services.

Mr. Meisner becomes one of the “Benchers” which form the Board of Governors for the Law Society. They govern the work of the Law Society in accordance with the Legal Profession Act. They establish the Law Society Rules, the Professional Conduct Handbook and board policies (including governance policies) and they oversee the implementation and administration of programs carried out by the Law Society staff.

There are 25 elected Benchers who are lawyers – chosen by other lawyers in nine regions across BC – and up to six non-lawyer (appointed) Benchers, appointed by the provincial Cabinet. Benchers serve two-year terms and can be re-elected, Mr. Meisner’s term will end January 1, 2012.

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Posted on Monday, May 31, 2010 03:00 PM in News by 250 News

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Comments

Posted by: Slim2229 on May 31 2010 3:21 PM

Well done Ben. I know you will do well in keeping Lawyers legal,(chuckle). Best wishes.

Posted by: The Real Moses on May 31 2010 3:54 PM

Congratulations!

Posted by: jus cuz i can on May 31 2010 3:55 PM

Congratulations Ben!!

Posted by: saywhat on May 31 2010 4:13 PM

congrats

wont leave you much time to run for mayor though.

Posted by: metalman on May 31 2010 4:31 PM

Attaboy, Sir.
metalman.

Posted by: RIP commonsense on May 31 2010 4:39 PM

Congratulations Ben
Richly deserved for all the work you have done untiringly through the years.

Posted by: hammmy on May 31 2010 4:52 PM

Well done, congratulations!

Posted by: Honestjoe on May 31 2010 5:36 PM

I have dealt with the Law Society in the past and I felt that they were there only to protect the questionable ethics of some lawyers. Hopefully, Ben, you can see that all residents will be treated fairly.

Posted by: Andyfreeze on May 31 2010 5:44 PM

Three cheers for Ben!!
Congratulations!....keep 'em honest!

Posted by: gus on May 31 2010 6:46 PM

Congratulations Ben!

"Benchers serve two-year terms and can be re-elected, Mr. Meisner’s term will end January 1, 2012."

Looks like they have already cheated you out of 5 months! Wonder if that's legal!! ... :-)

Posted by: skeptikl on May 31 2010 6:48 PM

way to go Ben.... somebody needs to keep them honest!

Posted by: Junco on May 31 2010 6:56 PM

Bring back the hanging Judges...jk, jk.
Congratulations Ben.

Posted by: chrislivingdowntown on May 31 2010 7:17 PM

Cool right on good for you.

Posted by: chrislivingdowntown on May 31 2010 7:17 PM

Cool right on good for you.

Posted by: Farnorth on May 31 2010 8:15 PM

Congratulations, well deserved!

Posted by: PrinceGeorge on May 31 2010 8:58 PM

A great honour to be sure and an opportunity to contribute a lot of wisdom accumulated from real life experience!

Congratulations!

Posted by: kidar on May 31 2010 9:18 PM

Ben,
This position is well earned and to an individual who has the respect of everyone from the "blue collar" worker to the "law makers" of our society. Your integrity is steadfast and direct. An appointment such as this says it all.

Posted by: dnakamura on May 31 2010 9:18 PM

A well deserved post Ben, the Law Society is very lucky to have you on board!

Posted by: Eagleone on May 31 2010 9:45 PM

The Law Society in BC clearly needs more accountability and ethical direction, so from my standpoint this is great news to see a man like Ben Meisner joining their Board of Governors. Ben will bring a perspective that respects the working middle class access to a fair justice system I have no doubt.

If I had a suggestion of a glaring unethical legal development in this province... it would be to look into how the lawyers are able to bill for services with nothing in the law society clarifying what is 'standard industry practice' for issues such as conveyance law... its a very serious issue, because as it sits now lawyers have no accountability for the 'mistakes' they make in not actually following through on services they are billing for (ie searching wrong data bases partly through ignorance of what the proper process is). This issue is compounded when the province starts levying a fine to the person who paid for the services and not to the lawyer who did the substandard work. So we have a province that declares people guilty until proven innocent, and a law profession that hides behind the claim that they have no 'standard practice' with which to use as a guideline in governing the quality of their work. It represents a complete failure in the legal system brought on by lawyers protecting themselves and the government penalizing the clients because they are easier targets than the lawyers who do the work. I just went through this and all my claims were settled out of court because they didn't want it on court records, and I didn't have the time and resources to take the risk once a settlement was offered... but I know some unsuspecting working stiff will have the same problem again in the future because that's the way the system is oriented right now.

Just a suggestion anyways, but congratulations none the less and I'm sure with the BCSC and what have you your issue box will be full.

Posted by: DPJ on June 1 2010 1:10 AM

Congratulations!!! Always enjoyed your show.

Posted by: acrider54 on June 1 2010 5:28 AM

Good job! Congratulations

Posted by: anniemartin on June 1 2010 8:18 AM

Congrats and thanks for always standing up for the people - asking the hard questions and giving all of us a voice. One Man's Opinion can and does make a difference!