JIM MATKIN

Jim Matkin graduated from the University of Alberta Faculty of Law in 1968 and received his LL.M. from Harvard University in 1969.

Jim Matkin Q.C. is CEO and Executive Director of the Law Society of B.C. He is the B.C. president of the non-profit Council of Canadian Unity and founding director of GT Group Telecom. Prior to 1998 he practised business law at Norton & Stewart, and Lang Michener as well as being senior counsel to Government Policy Consultants. In 1994 he was sole Commissioner of Inquiry into the Vancouver Stock Exchange and BC Securities Commission.

Matkin is well known for his work in public policy. He began his law practice on Wall Street in New York City before accepting a clerkship to Mr. Justice Martland of the Supreme Court of Canada. After clerking he taught law at UBC and the University of Victoria. In 1973 he helped draft the new Labour Code and became Deputy Minister of Labour and then Deputy of Intergovernmental Relations in BC. During the next decade Matkin worked on major law reform in labour relations, wage restraint, international trade and the patriation and amendment of the Canadian Constitution. In 1983 he became CEO of the Business Council of BC where he represented 150 of Canada's largest companies in business-government relations for another ten years.

He has served as a director of the Bank of Canada, ITT Canada and the BC Workers' Compensation Board as well as many other profit and non-profit organizations.