Justice Lorne D. Lachance grew up in rural Northern Ontario. He earned his law degree at the University of Ottawa in 1991 and was called to the Ontario Bar in 1993. However, he and his wife moved to their adopted province of British Columbia in 1994, and he joined the British Columbia Bar in 1995.
Justice Lachance spent five years working in a general practice firm, focusing primarily on civil litigation, employment, and criminal law. Starting in 2000, he then worked for 24 years with the Department of Justice Canada, conducting civil litigation involving torts, contracts, regulatory, administrative and constitutional laws. Before leaving his departmental position as Senior General Counsel in 2023, he also gained expertise in class actions, was a founding member of the department’s national class-action committee and was a member of the class action Federal Court’s Bench and Bar Liaison Committee. In 2023, he joined the Attorney General of British Columbia as a senior counsel, then was promoted to a Deputy Supervising Counsel position. He advocated before all court levels in British Columbia, as well as the Federal Court, Federal Court of Appeal, and Supreme Court of Canada.
Justice Lachance was a consistent organizer of and contributor to continuing legal education conferences, was a principal to many articling students and a mentor to even more counsel.
Justice Lachance and his wife, Lisa, are proud parents of three children. In his leisure time, he enjoys restoring old British cars and playing guitar.
Congratulations to Justice Lachance on this appointment!
See the News Release from the Department of Justice Canada for more information.