MacLean Law Lawyer Sophie Bartholomew: A New Vice-Chair at the Helm
We are proud to announce that Vancouver lawyer Sophie Bartholomew of MacLean Law is serving as Vice Chair of the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch Family Law Committee for 2025–2026. In this role, she is among the legal professionals providing the government with critical feedback on the proposed changes to the Family Law Act.
Sophie’s expertise is actively influencing the evolution of family law in British Columbia, and she brings that same depth of insight and commitment to every client she represents.
Divorce Lawyer Sophie Bartholomew – Tel: 604 602 9000
Sophie brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role. As a lawyer with MacLean Law, she was called to the British Columbia bar in 2019, after originally qualifying in 2016 and practicing in family law in Oxford, England. Her background includes work with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva, Switzerland. Her practice covers a wide range of family law matters: divorce and separation; agreements (pre- and post-nuptial); property division including multi-jurisdictional or business-related assets; child and spousal support; parenting arrangements; and related interjurisdictional issues.
Sophie has also been involved in the Family Law Committee of the CBA BC since 2021, monitoring legal developments, and helping in policy and submission work.
Sophie Bartholomew – Interjurisdictional Lawyer Vancouver – Tel: 604 602 9000
As Vice-Chair, Sophie Bartholomew will play a key role in steering the Committee’s agenda in BC for 2025-2026: influencing how proposed reforms are shaped, bringing frontline experience from her practice to policy discussions, and helping ensure that the concerns of families and lawyers both are heard. Her dual-qualification (England & BC) and her interest in interjurisdictional matters may also bring fresh perspectives especially in a legal landscape increasingly shaped by mobility, immigration, cross‐border families, and global norms.
Family law touches the most fundamental human relationships: spouses, parents and children, extended families, and often the interface of family with society. In Canada, many of the big issues – protection of children, division of assets, support obligations, domestic violence, the rights of seniors, jurisdictional questions – are rooted in family law. Lawyers, judges, social workers, and others must grapple not only with legal rules but with deeply personal and emotional realities.
The BC Family Law Committee
The Family Law Committee of the Canadian Bar Association is a central vehicle for responding to these challenges. Its mandate typically includes:
- Monitoring developments in both the law and its practice, to ensure that the legal system keeps pace with changes in society, technology, culture, and economic conditions.
- Coordinating policy reform proposals and submissions to governments, to shape family law legislation, regulation, and administrative practice.
- Providing resources, professional development, and guidance for family law practitioners.
- Engaging in public advocacy where the interests of fairness, access to justice, and the well-being of children and families are implicated.
- By serving as a forum for legal professionals across regions to share experience, surface problems, propose solutions, and hold governments to account, the Committee plays a vital role in helping family law evolve in ways that are more just, accessible, and sensitive to actual family realities.
2025 Proposed Amendments to BC’s Family Law Act – Tel: 604 602 9000
Sophie’s appointment comes at a time of significant proposed changes in BC family law. For example, the Phase 2, 2025 proposed amendments to British Columbia’s Family Law Act are under review with a recently released policy intentions paper, covering guardianship, parenting, support, and protections around family violence, following extensive feedback from the CBABC Family Law Committee. The next Phase 3 of the Family Law Act Modernization project will address the following topics:
- Family dispute resolution processes.
- Judicial case management and enforcement of orders and agreements.
- Children’s property.
- Child support.
Having a Vice-Chair who is actively practicing, attuned to both legal complexity and the lived experience of clients, helps bridge the gap between law on paper and law in practice. The Committee’s submissions and recommendations can shape not only legislation but also how courts and practitioners interpret and implement it.
The BC Family Law Committee of the Canadian Bar Association is one of the legal profession’s key levers for constructive reform in a highly sensitive and impactful area of law. With Sophie Bartholomew stepping in as Vice-Chair in British Columbia, there is reason for optimism that the Committee will bring both practical experience and thoughtful leadership to the challenges ahead. For people navigating family law in BC, and for professionals working in this field, this is an excellent development and we congratulate Sophie on the appointment.
MacLean Law: Family Law Firm of the Year
MacLean Law was honoured as an Excellence Awardee in 2025 and won the 2024 LEAP Legal Software Award for Family Law Firm of the Year, an award recognized by The Canadian Law Awards for the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of legal work performed. The Canadian Law Awards recognize the nation’s leading law firms, in-house legal teams, individuals, deals and cases over the past year. It’s a true reflection of excellence in the legal profession.
Vancouver Divorce Lawyer Sophie Bartholomew – Tel: 604 602 9000
Sophie has channeled her passion for human rights into focusing on being a strong advocate for clients in Family Law. Request a consultation with MacLean Law today.
