Bijan v. Law Society of BC: A Mental Health and Fairness Case

This page follows a precedent-setting case involving the regulation of lawyers in BC. It has gone all the way to the BC Court of Appeal, the highest court in the province. The Court set aside all findings of professional misconduct against Bijan Ahmadian, a BC lawyer, and ordered a fair redetermination of the case by the Law Society. That hearing is now joined with another matter and scheduled for two weeks in March to April 2025. The Court held that the previous Law Society panel made several errors including: 1. improperly excluding the evidence of another lawyer experienced in Bijan's area of practice; 2. incorrectly concluding that Bijan's evidence of mental health was irrelevant to judging his conduct; and 3. that Bijan's conduct should not have been characterized as misappropriation. When mental health issues are improperly addressed by the regulator of lawyers, it affects the justice system as a whole and harms the public interest. The ongoing litigation has taken a great toll on his family, finances, and mental health. But Bijan and his family believe in the saying that principles only mean something if you stick by them especially when it’s inconvenient. Lawyers and others are supporting Bijan’s fight to ensure a fair conclusion to this years-long journey. Hear their views in a short video at WeDonate.ca. Follow this page for updates on the case as it continues. More information on the proceedings is available on the Law Society Tribunal website. The BC Court of Appeal case is indexed as Ahmadian v. Law Society of BC, 2023 BCCA 470.