Bryan Williams (Canadian lawyer)

The Hon. Bryan Williams, Q.C., LL.D.
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia
In office September 30, 1996 – 2000
Nominated by	Jean Chrétien
Preceded by	William A. Esson
Succeeded by	Donald Brenner
Justice of the Court of Appeal of British Columbia
In office September, 1995 – September 30, 1996
Nominated by	Jean Chrétien
58th President of the Canadian Bar Association
In office 1986–1987
Preceded by	The Hon. Robert Wells, Q.C., LL.D.
Succeeded by	The Hon. Jean Bazin, Q.C.
President of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association
In office 1977–1978
Personal details
Nationality	Canadian
Political party	Liberal
Spouse(s)	Audrey Williams
Education	University of British Columbia: LL.B.
Profession	Lawyer

Bryan Williams, Q.C., LL.D., is a Canadian lawyer and retired judge from Vancouver, British Columbia. He was a puisne justice on the British Columbia Court of Appeal and also Chief Justice of the British Columbia Supreme Court. In addition to an extensive litigation practice, he was heavily involved in a number of organizations relating to the practice of law and the administration of justice, including a term as national president of the Canadian Bar Association.

Williams was born in Calgary, Alberta, but his family moved to British Columbia when he was young. He grew up on Vancouver Island and then attended law school at the University of British Columbia. His wife, Audrey Williams, was a competitive ice skater and ice skating judge, including judging at the Lillehammer Winter Olympics in 1994. They have four children together.

Williams was called to the British Columbia bar in 1959. He practised law with the Vancouver firm of Swinton and Company for close to forty years, being made partner in 1961. A litigator in commercial matters, administrative and environmental law, he eventually led the firm's litigation department. He developed a very busy practice in the courts, often juggling different complicated court matters simultaneously. He appeared in major cases involving aboriginal land claims, physician billing practices, and lawyer advertising rules. He also appeared in two cases in the Supreme Court of Canada. One of them, Attorney General of Canada v Law Society of British Columbia, is a leading case on the constitutional jurisdiction of provincial superior courts, as well as the interplay between federal competition law, and provincial regulation of the legal profession.

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