Course Chairs
Jeffrey A. Rose, KC — Vancouver
Michèle Ross — Designated Paralegal, Virgin Hickman, Vancouver
About the Course Chairs
Jeff Rose, KC was called to the bar in 1984 and shortly thereafter joined M. Edward Mortimer, KC in the practice of family law, which was always Jeff's specialized area of practice.
In 2005, he was appointed Queen's Counsel by The Honourable Wally Oppal, KC, Attorney General of BC. Jeff was later awarded the BC Leaders in Learning Award by CLEBC for exceptional contributions to the profession.
Jeff has co-chaired and contributed to over 70 family law courses and conferences. He has been on the Editorial Board of the BC Family Practice Manual, Financial Issues in Family Law, and the Family Law Sourcebook.
Jeff currently holds a position as a Practice Advisor at the Law Society of BC.
Michèle Ross is a senior paralegal at Virgin Hickman in Vancouver, BC. She handles Mark V.C. Virgin's family practice and also works with Heather Mathison and several associate lawyers in the family department at Virgin Hickman. Prior to Virgin Hickman, she worked with Carol W. Hickman, KC, for 25 years primarily at Quay Law Centre. Michèle and Carol joined Virgin Hickman in 2019. Michèle's focus throughout her career has been in the area of family law.
Michèle has extensive activity in the legal community. She joined the Board of Directors of the BC Paralegal Association in April 2016, initially serving as the Association's Education Chair. She became one of the Association's Vice Presidents in April 2018 before becoming President of the Association in October 2018 which position she held until April 2022.
On March 14, 2022, Michèle was appointed by the Provincial Government as a bencher for the Law Society of BC. She currently sits on the Law Society of BC's Discipline Committee, the Innovation Sandbox Advisory Group, and the Trust Review Task Force.
Michèle has been a designated paralegal for the past 11 years since the Law Society of BC approved rule changes allowing BC paralegals to perform additional duties under a lawyer's supervision.
Michèle was appointed to the Law Society of BC's Licensed Paralegal Task Force for both 2019 and 2020.
In June 2021, she was selected by the BC Supreme Court Civil & Family Rules Committee as one of two paralegals to support the work of the rules committee and offer advice on new projects and rules that may impact British Columbian's access to justice.
She is a Certified Legal Coach (CLC)* having completed training through the Legal Coaches Association.
Michèle has volunteered, created materials, and presented for CLEBC and TLABC on many occasions. She is also one of the authors of the "Paralegal Perspective" column which appears in TLABC's publication, the Verdict.
Faculty
Master Leslie J. Muir — Supreme Court of BC, Vancouver
Alexander Boland — Connect Family Law, Kelowna
Carol W. Hickman, KC — Virgin Hickman, Vancouver
Meghan Maddigan — Deputy Director-PLTC, Law Society of BC, Vancouver
Heather Mathison — Virgin Hickman, Vancouver
Click here for full faculty bios