Rebecca spoke to Jason Proctor of CBC News about the causes of excessive delay in criminal trials, ways the government could address this issue, and the need to explore creative alternatives to prosecution in appropriate cases. Rebecca spoke on behalf of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia.

On September 26, 2024, Rebecca had the pleasure of co-chairing the Trial Lawyers Association of BC’s annual criminal law conference, entitled The Charter as an Engine of Change: Litigation as the Driving Force. An engaging group of panelists discussed cases shaping the law’s view of search, seizure, and arrest powers; pre-charge delay; and remedies for unconstitutional state conduct, to name just a few.

Rebecca represented a Wet’suwet’en hereditary chief charged with criminal contempt for breaching an injunction relating to the Coastal GasLink pipeline construction. The sentencing proceedings completed on July 3, 2024, with the Court imposing a conditional sentence order instead of incarceration.

The Continuing Legal Education Society of British Columbia hosted a day-long program on vital issues in sentencing. Rebecca and Crown counsel Lesley Ruzicka, K.C. provided attendees with a comprehensive overview of recent changes to legislation governing Sex Offender Information and Registration Act orders.

Rebecca and Carly Peddle of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC - Criminal Defence Committee moderated an enlightening webinar on emerging issues in delay litigation. Criminal lawyers Stephanie Dickson and Molly Shamess took attendees through the key steps in a Jordan application, practice tips for protecting the record and the client’s interests, and recent developments in delay jurisprudence.

In May 2024, junior criminal defence lawyers and law students attended a two-day bootcamp hosted by the Criminal Defence Advocacy Society and Legal Aid BC. Rebecca joined a panel on Sentencing Issues, where she spoke on the topic of joint submissions on sentence. Rebecca outlined the key steps involved and shared her tips for ensuring that a joint submission goes smoothly.

Rebecca spoke to the media about how violence outside of the Vancouver Provincial Court and inside a Quebec courthouse have amplified the security concerns arising from the recent incident at the Vancouver Supreme Court.

Rebecca spoke to Brieanna Charlebois of the Canadian Press about the concerns raised by threats made against defence counsel during a highly-publicized murder trial, and what those responsible for courthouse security should do to address these concerns. Rebecca spoke on behalf of the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia.

Rebecca joined child protection lawyer Stephanie Hodgson for a lively and educational discussion about the intersection of criminal law and child protection law. Rebecca and Stephanie shared their views on the ways advocates can protect their clients’ interests when they are facing overlapping or related investigations in both the criminal and child protection realms. The webinar was hosted by Courthouse Libraries BC and West Coast LEAF.

It was another fantastic conference from the Trial Lawyers Association of BC. Stars of the bar provided attendees with lively discussion, insightful commentary, and practical advice about struggles criminal lawyers face every day. Thanks to all who participated!

The Trial Lawyers’ Criminal Defence Committee put on a webinar series aimed at giving defence counsel the tools they need to defend clients charged with sexual offences. The four-part series examined the ins and outs of pre-trial applications, challenging the Crown case, putting on the defence case, and negotiating resolutions. Rebecca was a panelist for the webinar on challenging Crown evidence and moderated the panel on resolutions.

Bail reform has been a hot topic in the news lately, with politicians calling for greater restrictions on who can be granted freedom from incarceration pending trial. But, as Rebecca noted to journalist Dale Smith, recent criticism of the system betrays a lack of understanding of the law and how the bail system operates.

GlobalTV reported on the BC Government’s announcement that it was launching a hiring drive for prosecutors. Rebecca shared the TLABC’s defence-side perspective: this is not a silver bullet for the justice system’s problems.

Rebecca co-chaired the Trial Lawyers Association of BC’s annual Criminal Law Conference on September 23, 2022, with Kevin Filkow of Filkow Law. The conference, on Effective Advocacy from Investigation to Trial, received positive feedback from attendees, who heard from engaging speakers from the criminal bar. Can’t wait till next year!

The Trial Lawyers Association of BC’s Criminal Cross-Over Series explores situations where criminal law intersects with other practice areas. On September 13, 2022, panelists Talia Magder of TM Law and Eric Purtzki of Fowler Blok Law spoke about what criminal lawyers need to know about prison law. Rebecca moderated the informative discussion.

On September 9, 2022, Rebecca joined preeminent appellate litigators Peter Sankoff and Mark Halfyard to present a seminar on bail after conviction. Obtaining bail pending appeal is a complex task with evidentiary, substantive and procedural requirements. During the seminar, the group discussed the law and best strategies for success in bail pending appeal applications.

Rebecca joined Nicole Gilewicz of Hunter Litigation Chambers to present a Lunch & Learn session on pre-trial evidentiary applications in sexual offence cases. The discussion focused on s. 276 applications and s. 278.92 applications, including R. v. J.J., 2022 SCC 28.

On behalf of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC, Rebecca made submissions in R. v. Nahanee on the importance of fundamental fairness in sentencing hearings and remedies for breaches of procedural fairness. Rebecca’s argument begins at 1:03:00 of the video.

Rebecca had the pleasure of participating in a panel on impeachment as part of The Advocates’ Society’s Cross-Examination Program on March 23, 2022. She and co-panelist Michael Watson of Gowling WLG conducted a mock cross-examination of a forgetful - or possibly untruthful - witness based on fact pattern involving a civil claim for damages.

On February 23, 2022, Rebecca McConchie spoke at the CBA-BC’s Criminal Justice Subsection Meeting on the topic of “The Riveting Realm of Regulatory Offences”. Rebecca joined two senior Crown counsel to discuss recent regulatory prosecutions, general trends in regulatory cases, and what it looks like to defend clients facing regulatory charges.

On December 9, 2021, the TLABC, represented by Rebecca McConchie, was granted leave to intervene in the R. v. Nahanee appeal before the Supreme Court of Canada. The appeal involves important questions of procedure and fairness in contested sentencing hearings.

Rebecca McConchie was elected to the Board of Governors for the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia. Rebecca has been involved with the TLABC’s Criminal Committee for several years, and is looking forward to this new way to serve the legal community in BC.

On November 9, 2021, Rebecca McConchie and Rebecca Robb of Hunter Litigation Chambers co-presented a seminar on “Communicating with your Expert Witness”. The seminar was part of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC’s Making the Most of Expert Evidence webinar series.

Justice writer Sean Fine quoted Rebecca McConchie’s submissions to the Supreme Court of Canada in the R. v. J.J. appeal. Rebecca successfully defended J.J. at trial, securing an acquittal on a charge of sexual assault.

Watch the webcast of the arguments in R. v. J.J., a constitutional challenge to new provisions in the Criminal Code restricting the admissibility of certain types of defence evidence in sexual offence prosecutions. Rebecca, acting for the Respondent J.J., made submissions about why the provisions are unconstitutional.