David S. Duncan has been heading the Legal Services
Society as its Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director since November 1, 1993. Mr.
Duncan has more than 26 years experience in the justice system and has also been active in
the community legal aid services sector, and held various community board positions.
Prior to 1993, Mr. Duncan was the assistant deputy minister of the Court Services
Branch of the Ministry of the Attorney General, and a member of the ministry's executive
committee. He was also acting assistant deputy ministry of the Ministry's Support Services
Branch at the time of leaving the Ministry to take on the Legal Services Society's
responsibilities.
In the Court Services Branch, Mr. Duncan was responsible for the administration of all
courts in British Columbia and maintained a dual reporting relationship to the ministry
and to the judiciary through the Chief Justices of the Court of Appeal and the British
Columbia Supreme Court, and the Chief Judge of the Provincial Court.
Before the Ministry's re-organization, Mr. Duncan was the assistant deputy minister of
the Ministry's Management Services Branch, where he was responsible for the Ministry's
budget and its legislative agenda and policies. He has been in various other senior
management positions relative to the British Columbia Court system since 1974.
Mr. Duncan was a participant in a number of justice-related bodies and was co-chair of
the Joint Court Services Committee of the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar and the Ministry
of Attorney General and, as well, a member of the the Canadian Criminal Justice
Association. He also was president of the Law courts Education Society and, as well, was a
member of the Association of Canadian Court Administrators.
Currently, Mr. Duncan is a member of the U.S. based National Association of Court
Management and State Courts; the National Legal Aid Defenders Association; the Canadian
Bar Association; the Canadian Institute of Management; and, the national Permanent Working
Group on Legal Aid.