766 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 5 SEPTEMBER 2021
appears that they want to have a
“thorough consideration of all aspects
of the subject.”
—Editor (re-reading Hamlet III, ii …)
Dear REDACTED,
Re: The Advocate
We acknowledge and thank you
for your letter of •••, regarding Law
Society funding for the Advocate.
The issue of funding for the
Advocate is not whether one does,
or does not, like or appreciate the
Advocate. We know there are
lawyers who read every issue and
firmly believe it is an excellent
publication, and there are lawyers
who have no interest in receiving
or reading it. The issue for the
Benchers is whether it remains
appropriate to require mandatory
payment of an annual subscription
to the Advocate as a condition of
being licensed to practice law in
British Columbia.
For a number of years the Law
Society has collected an annual
levy on all members of the profession
in respect of the Advocate’s
annual subscription fee. With increases
in the number of lawyers
over time, the annual amount currently
made available by the Law
Society to the Advocate is now in
excess of $400,000.1
It is unfortunate that in communications
recently circulated on
behalf of the Advocate, the editor
has implied that the funding for the
organization is about to end and
the Advocate would be left with
only four months of reserve funding.
This is not accurate.
While it has not been our practice
to communicate Finance and
Audit Committee recommendations
prior to the annual budget
meeting of the Benchers, it is
important that those interested in
this issue know the Finance and
Audit Committee is recommending
to the Benchers that the 2022
budget include continued funding
for the Advocate. Any implication
that the Advocate is about to be left
with only four months of funding
is, quite simply, incorrect.
We are concerned that questions
raised by members of the profession
regarding the Advocate have
been characterized as “accusations”
against the publication. They are
not. Considering whether payment
of the Advocate annual subscription
fee should be a mandatory condition
of a licence to practice law in
BC is both reasonable and responsible.
Should the Benchers address
this question in the future, there
will be a thorough consideration of
all aspects of the subject.
Yours truly,
Dean Lawton, Q.C.,
President
Lisa Hamilton, Q.C.,
First Vice President
1. The Advocate received $320,324 in 2018; $331,487 in 2019; $364,299 in 2020; and $364,641 in 2021.–Ed.