John Lauchlan Farris (1911–1986) was a Canadian lawyer and judge. He served one term as President of the

Canadian Bar Association The Canadian Bar Association (CBA), or Association du barreau canadien (ABC) in Canadian French, French, represents over 37,000 lawyers, judges, notaries, law teachers and law students from across Canada. History The Association's first Annu ...

,Canadian Bar Association: Past CBA Presidents
/ref> prior to being appointed

Chief Justice of British Columbia The British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA) is the highest appellate court in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It was established in 1910 following the 1907 Court of Appeal Act. The BCCA hears appeals from the Supreme Court of Britis ...

Early life and family

Farris was the son of

John Wallace de Beque Farris John Wallace de Beque Farris, (December 3, 1878 – February 25, 1970) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. Born in White's Cove, New Brunswick, the son of Laughlin P. Farris and Louise Hay, he was educated at St. Martin's Seminary, rece ...

and Evlyn Fenwick Farris. The couple had three other children: Katherine Hay, Donald Fenwick, and Ralph Keirstead. Farris' father, John Wallace de Beque Farris, was a well-established lawyer. He had served as

Attorney General of British Columbia The attorney general of British Columbia (AG) oversees the Ministry of Attorney General, a provincial government department responsible for the oversight of the justice system, within the province of British Columbia, Canada. The attorney general ...

, President of the

Law Society of British Columbia The Law Society of British Columbia is the regulatory body for lawyers in British Columbia, Canada. Purpose The society's primary mandate under the ''Legal Profession Act'' is to uphold and protect the public interest in the administration of ...

, and national President of the

. Farris married Dorothy Beatrice Colledge. The couple had three children: Ann, Haig, and Katherine.CAN-BC-OBITS-L Archives, July 23, 2004: FARRIS, Dorothy Beatrice
/ref>

Legal and judicial career

In 1935, Farris joined his father's law firm, which became known as Farris, Farris, Stultz, Bull & Farris (now Farris LLP). He originally practised as junior counsel to his father. He interrupted his legal career to serve overseas in World War II, returning home in 1945.Farris: Proud of Our History
/ref> Farris established a reputation as a good advocate, particularly in appeals. He appeared several times before the

Judicial Committee of the Privy Council The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council (JCPC) is the highest court of appeal for the Crown Dependencies, the British Overseas Territories, some Commonwealth countries and a few institutions in the United Kingdom. Established on 14 Augus ...

, at that time Canada's highest appellate court.W.H. McConnell, ''William R. McIntyre: Paladin of Common Law'', (Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 2000), p. 47 Like his father before him, Farris was elected national President of the

, serving a one-year term from 1971 to 1972. In 1973, Farris was appointed directly from the Bar to the position of Chief Justice of British Columbia, the highest judicial office in the Province.

Resignation from the bench

In the summer of 1978, the Vancouver Police acquired evidence, including wiretap and photographs, which implicated Chief Justice Farris in dealing with prostitutes. The matter was eventually referred to the

Canadian Judicial Council The Canadian Judicial Council (CJC; french: Conseil canadien de la magistrature) is the national council of the judiciary of Canada, overseeing the country's federal judges. The Council has 41 members, composed of chief justices and associate chi ...

, which has the power to review allegations of misconduct by judges. Shortly after the referral to the Council, Chief Justice Farris submitted his letter of resignation to the federal Minister of Justice,

Otto Lang :''see also Otto Lang (film producer) and Otto Lang (actor)'' Otto Emil Lang, (born May 14, 1932) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician. Life and career Lang was born in Handel, Saskatchewan. In 1961, he was appointed Dean of Law at the U ...

. The letter stated, in part:Glen Bohn, "Recalling a scandal", ''Vancouver Sun'', May 31, 2008.
Farris was never charged with any offence in relation to the matter. He was not required to testify, as the woman in question pleaded guilty to a charge of keeping a bawdy house. She was ordered to pay a fine of $1,500 and perform 300 hours of community service.

Later life and death

In 1979, a few months after his resignation, Farris re-applied to the Law Society for permission to practise as a lawyer. The Law Society granted the application. Farris joined another law firm, not the firm founded by his father, where he himself had practised for nearly forty years. Farris died in 1986.

References

External links

Farris: Proud of Our History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Farris, John Lauchlan 1911 births 1986 deaths Lawyers in British Columbia Canadian King's Counsel Canadian Bar Association Presidents Judges in British Columbia 20th-century Canadian lawyers