Ian Donaldson, K.C. (Law’84), is a criminal defence lawyer based in Vancouver. Called to the British Columbia Bar in 1985 and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998, he advises and represents clients in criminal and regulatory matters and has appeared before all levels of court. He is a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers.
He serves as Supervising Counsel for the UBC Innocence Project at the law school, where he works with students and lawyers to investigate and litigate wrongful conviction claims.
He has held numerous leadership roles within the legal profession. He served as a Bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia from 2000 to 2007 and is now a Life Bencher. He has served on numerous CBA and LSBC committees and task forces, including the Joint Justice Planning Committee, the Task Force on the Reform of the Criminal Code, and the Street Crime Working Group. He served as British Columbia’s representative to the Federation of Law Societies and as Vice-President of the Federation.
A graduate of Queen’s University Faculty of Law, Ian has demonstrated a longstanding commitment to legal education, professional governance, the administration of justice, and to promoting the public interest in different areas. He credits Queen’s with giving him a terrific education, inside and out of the law school, from student legal aid to the Correctional Law Project, and beyond. He remains very grateful for his professors and their patience and support.