The Honourable Judge Stella Frame.

Quite appropriately, Chief Judge Hugh Stansfield described her Honour Stella D. Frame as a "welcome addition" to the Provincial Court of British Columbia as he administered the oath of office on December 28, 2006. In the presence of family and friends, Judge Frame began the next phase of her career in the law, where she will be dispensing justice rather than explaining it to clients and counsel. Judge Frame will also be returning to her roots, leaving a busy downtown Vancouver practice to return to Kamloops, the site of some of her youthful activities.

Although born in Vancouver, she was only a temporary resident. Judge Frame grew up outside the big city, in places like Ocean Falls, Kamloops, Prince George, Mackenzie and (again) Kamloops, graduating from NorKam Secondary (Class of '80). This was followed by a bachelor of arts from the University of British Columbia (1984) and an LL.B. from the University of Victoria (1988). After a year of articles and a brief period of practice with Richards Buell Sutton, she joined what was then Boughton Peterson Yang Anderson (now simply "Boughton"), practising through the early 1990s with now Justices Brown (Brenda) and Garson (Nicole) along with a number of others, in a busy litigation practice that exposed her to a varied array of cases in all fields. Accredited as a mediator (including the Court Mediation Practicum Program) at the time of her appointment, she was a member of the B.C. Mediation Roster Panel and had served for a period of time on the Residential Tenancy Arbitration Review Panel.

Along the way, Judge Frame found time to teach and write, mostly in the area of insolvency and corporate recovery. Her bar activities in this chosen area of practice saw her involved in the CBA Court Order Enforcement Act Review Committee, the Insolvency Discussion Group, the CBABC Insolvency Section and the International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation. She found time also to play an active role in CBABC Branch activities, serving as a member of the CBA Advisory Committee to the Judicial Council of B.C. (2001-2003), an elected member of the CBA Provincial Council (2003-2006), a member of the CBABC executive and chair of the Equality Committee (2003-2005), chair of the Trust Administration Fee Task Force (2005-2006), a founding member and, at the time of her appointment, chair of the CBABC Women Lawyers Forum. Outside her bar activities, she was also a member of the Association of Women in Finance and the Women's Executive Network.

In all of this, Judge Frame has also found time to raise her daughter Madeleine ("Maddy" to those who know and love her) as a single parent and to be featured in the June 2005 CBA National Magazine on Family Values and Worklife balance. She was active in her PAC at Maddy's school, managed Maddy's softball team and still found time to mentor others as a community leader for the Minerva Foundation. A move to the Kamloops Judicial District will give her the chance to expose Maddy to life outside the "Big City". In her appointment, Judge Frame joins other Boughton alumni in "crossing the bar"; she finds herself in distinguished company. Boughton's loss (and that of its clients) is the province's gain.

Chief Judge Stansfield summarized it best in his announcement of her appointment when he said:

   Judge Frame brings to the court rich experience as a senior and
   highly regarded civil litigation lawyer ... In addition to a
   distinguished career as trial counsel, Judge Frame is trained and
   experienced in mediation ... Judge Frame welcomes the opportunity
   to relocate to Kamloops and to reunite with many friends and family.

How true. Both the Provincial Court and especially the Kamloops Judicial District will be well served by Judge Frame, who will balance a strong understanding of the law with a good dose of common sense and practical experience. Welcome home, Judge Frame.