Lance Finch
Lance Sydney George Finch, O.B.C., Q.C. is a Canadian jurist who served as the Chief Justice of the British Columbia Court of Appeal until his retirement on June 16, 2013.Early life
Born in Edmonton, Alberta in 1938, he later moved to and attended high school in Victoria, British Columbia. He enrolled in Victoria College in 1955, and went on to earn his undergraduate and law degree at the University of British Columbia and was called to the bar in 1963. He was a member of the University's rowing team. He Articled at Guild, Yule & Company in Vancouver, British Columbia and became partner in 1968. He is a former President of the Vancouver Bar Association, and served an appointment as a bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia. He has actively taught at the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law and the Continuing Legal Education Program.Career as a judge
He was in private practice from 1963 to 1983. He was appointed to Supreme Court of British Columbia on May 5, 1983. On May 28, 1993 he was appointed to the British Columbia Court of Appeal and appointed Chief Justice on June 6, 2001. He has publicly voiced concern over access to justice for the working poor, and middle class who earn too much to qualify for legal aid but not enough to afford a lawyer. He returned to private practice in 2013, upon reaching statutory retirement age.Awards
He was awarded an Honorary Law Degree, LLD, by the University of British Columbia. Finch was appointed to the Order of British Columbia on November 30, 2017.
