---
title: "BC's lawyers' association asks new government for consultation on Legal Professions Act repeal"
description: "CBABC president Connor Bildfell says lawyers must keep self-regulation with a lawyer majority on the regulator board. The BC Conservatives committed in September to repealing the 2024 act, which has not yet taken effect."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/bc/provincial-2026/news/cbabc-legal-professions-act-bc-conservatives-november-2026"
last_updated: "2026-11-09T16:25:38.916Z"
---

The Canadian Bar Association BC branch is asking the new BC Conservative government for consultation before it acts on the Legal Professions Act, the organization's president said in a letter reported by Canadian Lawyer on November 9, 2026.

The Legal Professions Act, passed in 2024, would create a single regulator governing lawyers, notaries and paralegals in BC. It has not yet taken effect because of unresolved constitutional litigation with the Law Society of BC, according to Canadian Lawyer. The BC Court of Appeal delayed the constitutional appeal hearing until early 2027, Canadian Lawyer reported.

The BC Conservatives committed in a September 29, 2026 letter to repealing the act, according to Canadian Lawyer. That letter acknowledged the importance of an independent bar and judiciary for maintaining the rule of law.

Connor Bildfell, who became CBABC president on September 1, 2026, told Canadian Lawyer: "lawyers must continue to be self-regulated, with a substantial lawyer majority on the board of any legal regulator." He added: "That independence is not a professional privilege; it is a public right that serves the public interest."

CBABC is also asking for the creation of an Indigenous Council made up mostly of Indigenous lawyers, separate from government, to contribute to rules affecting Indigenous legal professionals, Canadian Lawyer reported. On paralegals, Bildfell told Canadian Lawyer: "We support a role for properly qualified and regulated paralegals. However, expanding the role of paralegals alone will not meaningfully address the barriers."

Canadian Lawyer reported that the act received Royal Assent with only 30 of 317 clauses debated in the legislature.

The BC Conservative government has not yet said when or how it will act on the Legal Professions Act, nor what it will replace it with. Residents who work in or use legal services in BC can follow the government's decisions at [/bc/provincial-2026/news](/bc/provincial-2026/news) on this site.

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