About Chris McPherson, K.C.
Christopher McPherson, KC is a senior prosecutor responsible for challenging, high-profile homicide cases. He has prosecuted more than 40 homicide cases.
Christopher has been a Bencher since 2016 and is President for 2023. He is the first prosecutor to be President of the Law Society of BC. He is the Chair of the Executive Committee, Co-Chair of the Indigenous Engagement in Regulatory Matters Task Force and the Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee, and a member of the Finance and Audit Committee and the Mental Health Task Force.
He is a member of the International Association of Prosecutors and the International Society for the Reform of Criminal Law. He formerly served as a director of the BC Crown Counsel Association, and was President and on the Executive of the New Westminster Bar Association.
His teaching and lecturing experience includes coach of the Western Canadian Criminal Moot Competition and UBC Burns Moot Competition, instructor at CLEBC’s Winning Advocacy, lecturer with the National Judicial Institute, ongoing training with the Ministry of Justice and various law enforcement agencies, and presenter at the International Association of Prosecutors Conference.
About Clare Jennings
Past-President of the CBABC (2021-2022), Clare Jennings is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Victoria. Clare has been a provincial Crown Counsel in Victoria and Colwood since her call to the Bar in 2008. As a Victoria based practitioner, she has been involved with the Victoria Law Day committee for 10 years; was the chair for 4 years, and now primarily focuses her energies on writing the annual Fairy Tale Trial script. She has been on the executive of the CBABC Criminal Justice - Victoria Section for 6 years, and has also been involved with various CBABC Council Committees, including Access to Justice, Sections Standing Committee, REAL Advisory Board, and the regional Law Week Committee. She has been a member of the Executive Committee of the CBABC since September 2018, first as an Officer and currently as Secretary-Treasurer.
About Elizabeth Kollias
Elizabeth Kollias is a senior paralegal with the Litigation Group at Cassels, having joined the firm in 2022. With more than 20 years of experience in many areas of civil litigation, at all levels of court, Elizabeth provides paralegal support to partners and associates on matters ranging from initial phase to final conclusion. Elizabeth’s responsibilities include: file management; preparing all court documents including applications, affidavits, and orders; preparation for hearing and trials; gathering and analyzing documents and evidence; document production and reporting; as well as client and related party communication.
Prior to joining Cassels, Elizabeth worked as a paralegal at the Vancouver office of an international firm, and the Vancouver offices of large regional firms, as well as a boutique litigation firm focusing on commercial litigation, construction, bankruptcy and insolvency, real property, and debtor-creditor litigation. She has also worked as a paralegal in the public sector and specifically for the civil litigation group of the Provincial Crown (Ministry of Attorney General).
Elizabeth volunteers her time as part of the Leadership Group of Access to Justice BC (A2JBC) – a collaboration of individuals and organizations chaired by the Chief Justice of BC and committed to improving access to justice in BC.
About Mark Iyengar
Mark Iyengar is an associate at Peck and Company Barristers, where he practices primarily in the areas of criminal law, administrative law, and appellate litigation. He sits on the board of directors and executive of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society.
About Kate Roome
Kate Roome is a Notary Public in and for the Province of BC, running a small but mighty practice in Duncan. Formerly an award winning Realtor, she now provides her community with non-contentious legal services. Kate also enjoys participating in not for profit work, sitting on many local boards over the years. She currently sits on the boards of the BC Notaries Association and Common Law Association of Notaries. Kate is a Rotarian and member of the Cowichan-Duncan Chamber of Commerce. She is an avowed feminist who loves to read, hike and spend time on the water. She also has a terrible addiction to equestrian sports.
About Kerry Simmons, K.C.
Kerry Simmons, K.C. is CBABC’s Executive Director. As a lawyer in private practice until 2018, Kerry assisted clients with family and civil litigation, witnessing their experiences and those of lawyers in private practice. A keen volunteer in CBABC from 2000-2018, Kerry contributed to CBA’s advocacy and member services, and served as Branch President in 2012-13, and National President in 2017-18. Her additional areas of interest include public education, reconciliation with indigenous peoples, inclusion and diversity, and the protection and promotion of children in healthy, positive environments.
