THE ADVOCATE 933
VOL. 79 PART 6 NOVEMBER 2021
NEW MASTER
By R.C. Tino Bella
The Honourable Master John Walter Bilawich
John Walter Bilawich was appointed as a master of
the Supreme Court of British Columbia on December
21, 2020. John brings with him personality traits and
legal experience that will serve him and the administration
of justice in this province well.
The youngest of three children, John was born in
Estevan, Saskatchewan, where he lived until age
five. His family then moved to Whitehorse, Yukon, where John grew up. His
father, Walter, worked with the Yukon government, and his mother, Pauline,
at a local bank. John has two older sisters, Paula and Sandra. John is married
to Ana-Maria. They have a daughter, Andrea.
John obtained his B.A. in public administration from the University of
Saskatchewan in 1988 and his LL.B. from the University of Alberta in 1991.
He articled with Russell & DuMoulin in Vancouver. After completing articles,
John relocated to Victoria and joined Dinning Crawford as an associate.
In 1995, he moved to Clay & Company.
In 2000, John married Ana-Maria and returned to Vancouver, where he
joined Holmes & King as an associate. That firm eventually became
Holmes & Bilawich in 2017, then Holmes Bilawich & Stewart. John
remained there until his appointment as a master. His practice in recent
years focused on commercial and estate litigation.
John has extensive experience in family, personal injury and other civil
litigation, including difficult and complex cases. He has appeared in all levels
of courts in British Columbia, and once in the Supreme Court of Canada.
His breadth and depth of legal knowledge is readily apparent and impressive
to those who have dealt with him.