Bracebridge native Chris Giaschi named to B.C. Supreme Court

BRACEBRIDGE — A distinguished jurist with roots in Bracebridge has been named to the B.C. Supreme Court.

Lawyer Christopher Giaschi has been named to the B.C. Supreme Court.

Town and district councillor – and mayoralty candidate – Lori-Lynn Giaschi-Pacini posted on Facebook Sunday: “Excellent news – Christopher J. Giaschi born and raised here in Bracebridge has just been appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia in Vancouver – We are all so proud of him – Congratulations.”

The Giaschis are a prominent Bracebridge family. Larry Giaschi ran the Norwood movie theatre for decades and the family still operates it on Manitoba Street.

He is a partner at Giaschi & Margolis, a boutique firm of litigation and commercial lawyers located in Vancouver.

According to his CV, Giaschi was born in Bracebridge. He earned a B.A. (Honours) from the University of Toronto in 1982 and a joint LL.B. and M.B.A. from Osgoode Hall Law School at York University in 1986.

Justice Giaschi was called to the Ontario Bar in 1988 and commenced practising law at Campbell, Godfrey & Lewtas, which later merged with Faskens. In 1991, he moved to Vancouver with his spouse, Professor Deborah Giaschi. In Vancouver, he practised as an associate and later a partner with McEwen Schmitt & Co. In 1997, he founded Giaschi & Margolis, a boutique law firm specializing in transportation and maritime law.

Justice Giaschi was recognized nationally and internationally as a leading practitioner of maritime law. He is a titular (honourary) member of the Comité Maritime International, a former president of the Canadian Maritime Law Association, and a former chairperson of the National Maritime Law Section of the Canadian Bar Association.

From 2004 to 2009, he taught maritime law as an adjunct professor at the University of British Columbia. He has also served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Marine Insurance Association of British Columbia, as chairperson of the Education Committee of the Marine Insurance Association of British Columbia, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Ontario Branch of the Maritime Law Subsection of the Canadian Bar Association.

Justice Giaschi is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars and has an extensive list of publications. He is the annual contributor for Canada to Lloyd’s Maritime Law Yearbook. He is also the founder of and principal contributor to AdmiraltyLaw.com, a pre-eminent Internet resource for maritime and transportation law.

Giaschi’s appointment came August 31, in Ottawa, from the Department of Justice Canada. Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, made the announcement.

She also appointed Karen Horsman, counsel at the Legal Services Branch of the Ministry of Justice of British Columbia, as a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, also in Vancouver.

As well, she appointed G. Bruce Butler, who was a judge of the Supreme Court of British Columbia, as a Justice of the British Columbia Court of Appeal and a Judge of the Yukon Court of Appeal.