An Okanagan lawyer has received top honours for his extensive personal injury work and commitment to the profession.

Bill Dick of Murphy Battista LLP was awarded the designation of Queen鈥檚 Counsel this week 鈥� an appointment seen by only about seven per cent of practising B.C. lawyers.

鈥淚 was very fortunate to have spent my formative years as a lawyer at two firms, Guild Yule in Vancouver and Nixon Wenger in Vernon, whose leaders understood the difference between the business of law and being part of a legal profession,鈥� Dick said of his career success.

鈥淚 learned that being a lawyer was a privilege and that it was important to not only do good work for your client, but to give back to your profession, to contribute to building a better legal system, and to contribute in meaningful ways to your community. My current firm, Murphy Battista, also embraces those values.鈥�

David Eby, Attorney General, announced the 2018 recipients of the honorary title of Queen鈥檚 Counsel (QC) Dec. 10.

鈥淐ongratulations to each of the recipients of this prestigious designation,鈥� said Eby. 鈥淭he QC appointment is a very special honour that denotes a superb record of achievement and commitment to our province鈥檚 legal system. Your valuable work is helping to make British Columbia a stronger and more equitable place to live.鈥�

Dick was appointed alongside 27 other British Columbia lawyers who bring a diverse set of professional specializations including First Nations law, criminal law, commercial litigations, family law and mediation.

Eby said these professionals were chosen for their distinguished accomplishments in areas such as continuing legal education, community volunteerism and mentorship of new legal professionals.

The QC designation is conferred each year on members of the legal profession who have been nominated by their peers and have been members of the B.C. bar for at least five years. After the call for nominations in September, an advisory committee reviewed applications and recommended candidates to the attorney general.

Dick said he is honoured and humbled to have received the Queen鈥檚 Counsel designation. He said he is grateful to his mentors who taught him that being a lawyer is a privilege and instilled in him a commitment to his clients, his profession and his community.

He was called to the B.C. Bar in 1993 and practised in Vancouver before he joined Vernon鈥檚 Nixon Wenger in 2006.

鈥淔or the past four years, I have been practising almost exclusively in the area of personal injury with Murphy Battista working in both the Vernon and 琉璃神社 offices. I am currently on the Board of Governors of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia, a member of the Access to Justice Leadership Group and a member of the Supreme Court Rules Committee.鈥�

He has also taught as an adjunct professor at the UBC faculty of law.

This year saw 129 nominations in B.C. There are currently 494 Queen counsels of about 11,000 practising members of the bar. The first Queen鈥檚 counsel was conferred in 1594 when Queen Elizabeth the First reserved Francis Bacon as her legal advisor.

Dick joins Vernon lawyers Tom Christensen of Nixon Wenger LLP and Michael Yawney also of Nixon Wenger.

parker.crook@vernonmorningstar.com
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