Editing King's Counsel (section)

=====British Columbia=====

{{See also|List of King's Counsel Appointments in British Columbia}}

King's Counsel are appointed by the provincial Cabinet on the advice of the [[Attorney General of British Columbia]]. No more than 7% of the bar of British Columbia can be awarded the designation. Before making the recommendation to Cabinet, the Attorney General is required by statute to consult with the [[British Columbia Court of Appeal|Chief Justice of British Columbia]], the Chief Justice of the [[Supreme Court of British Columbia]], and two lawyers appointed by the [[Law Society of British Columbia]]. A recipient must have at least five years' standing at the bar of British Columbia.<ref name = BCQC>[https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/laws/stat/rsbc-1996-c-393/latest/rsbc-1996-c-393.html ''Queen's Counsel Act''], RSBC 1996, c 393.</ref>

In practice, the Attorney General appoints an advisory committee which includes these officials and also the Chief Judge of the [[Provincial Court of British Columbia|Provincial Court]], the president of the British Columbia Branch of the [[Canadian Bar Association]] and the [[Deputy Attorney General|deputy attorney general]]. Candidates must be acknowledged by their peers as leading counsel, have demonstrated exceptional qualities of leadership in the profession, or have done outstanding work in legal scholarship.<ref name = "BC 2020">[https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/for-legal-professionals/queens-counsel British Columbia:  Queen's Counsel Nomination Process.]</ref>

In 2020, the province designated twenty-six lawyers as Queen's Counsel, from a group of 136 nominees.<ref>[https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2020AG0078-002114 British Columbia News Release (22 December 2020):  "26 lawyers appointed as Queen's counsel."]</ref>

The [[Attorney General of British Columbia]] is automatically appointed as King's Counsel on taking office.<ref name = BCQC/>