Dr. Lynn Smith

Biography

Honourable Lynn Smith, OC, KC, has had a distinguished career in law, practicing with Shrum, Liddle Hebenton (now McCarthy Tetrault) and serving as a faculty member at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Faculty of Law from 1981 to 1998, during which she was Dean of Law from 1991 to 1997. Appointed as a judge to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 1998, she was involved in a variety of constitutional law cases, including the landmark decision in Carter v. Canada concerning medically assisted dying. Following her retirement in September 2012, Smith returned to UBC as an Honorary Professor at the Peter Allard School of Law, where she now teaches a seminar on Charter Litigation. She has been a proactive contributor to judicial education, including leadership roles at the National Judicial Institute. Smith's recent scholarly contributions include a co-written article on expert opinion evidence featured in the U.B.C. Law Review. Her efforts in legal education and advocacy are further demonstrated through her involvement with various organizations, including the Law Foundation of British Columbia and the Vancouver Opera Foundation. Named a Y.W.C.A. Woman of Distinction in 1992 and honored with the Georges Goyer Award in 2003, Smith has also received an honorary doctorate from Simon Fraser University.

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