Each year at its annual Appreciation Breakfast, Access Pro Bono presents awards to two pro bono lawyers who show outstanding commitment to providing free legal services to low-income British Columbians. One award-- the APB Dugald Christie Award for Advice Services-- is presented to a lawyer who volunteers at APB's summary legal advice clinics. The other award-- the APB Award for Representation Services-- is presented to a lawyer who provides pro bono representation to one or more individuals through APB's Roster Program and/or Civil Chambers Program.

This year, the APB Award winners are Alison Sawyer (Advice Services) of Gibsons and Catherine Brink (Representation Services) of Pryke Lambert Leathley Russell in Richmond.

Alison Sawyer is a sole practitioner who has single-handedly carried APB's Sunshine Coast presence on her back. Over the past several years, Alison has volunteered at two APB clinics per month on average, and served more than two hundred clients. When APB's only Sunshine Coast clinic site was closed for renovation, Alison arranged to provide free legal advice out of an elementary school classroom. Recently, Alison's exemplary individual effort to increase access to justice in British Columbia was profiled in a community newspaper.

Catherine Brink practises family law with a collaborative divorce focus at Pryke Lambert Leathley Russell in Richmond. She is also a certified family law mediator. With little regard to the notion that family law is the most difficult area of law for matching pro bono lawyers with deserving clients, Catherine provided remote legal assistance to a low-income client in Bella Coola who was struggling to complete a separation agreement. She also offered to assist a single parent with three children who was suffering from MS and wanted to finalize a divorce. And she stepped forward to represent a recent immigrant with limited English skills who was filing for divorce.

Both Alison and Catherine were presented their awards in the presence of Chief Justice Lance Finch and Chief Judge Thomas Crabtree at the APB Appreciation Breakfast a few weeks ago.