Herman Van Ommen recently started his one-year term as president of the Law Society of British Columbia.
A Ladner resident since 1988, Van Ommen has practiced commercial litigation in Vancouver with the law firm of McCarthy Tetrault LLP since 1985.
"I have been looking at this for a number of years and it's towards the end of my career, so I'm proud to be president," said Van Ommen. "You are first nominated to be second vice-president and you spend a year in that role and then you get the nomination of first vice-president the next year, so it's a three-year process to becoming president."
The Law Society of British Columbia regulates the legal profession. Its duty is to protect the public interest and does that by setting and enforcing standards of professional conduct for lawyers.
Van Ommen said among other things during his year as president, he wants to see the society speak out more on the funding of legal aid and emphasize the importance of lawyers accessing a network of colleagues.
"Practising law is difficult. We are called upon to make challenging decisions in complex situations," he said. "Not only must we protect and represent our clients, we must do so in an ethical manner. Deciding what to do, in situations fraught with strife and ambiguity, is not something one should do alone. Many lawyers have a ready-built support system in their firms, but many do not."
Van Ommen and his wife Barbara Norell have raised two children in Ladner, both Delta Secondary grads. The family has been involved in gymnastics, minor hockey, baseball, dance and horse jumping.
