McConnan Bion O'Connor & Peterson Law Corporation

McConnan Bion O'Connor & Peterson Law Corporation We are a full-service law firm providing legal services in Victoria, British Columbia.

Our firm was founded over 40 years ago in 1975 by David Lisson, Bruce McConnan, and Patrick Bion. Michael O’Connor and Alan Peterson joined in 1976 and the firm began as Lisson McConnan Bion O’Connor & Peterson. Upon the departure of David Lisson in 1981 the firm became known as McConnan Bion O’Connor & Peterson. In 1981, the firm’s offices were located across from the Victoria Court House at 837 Burdett Avenue occupying half of the top floor and eventually expanding to occupy the entire top floor. In 1987, we outgrew those premises and moved to our present location at suite #420-880 Douglas Street. For the first eight years of our existence, we kept a branch office in Ganges on Salt Spring Island. We closed the office in the early 80s when several full-time lawyers became resident on the island. However, we still maintain strong ties with many clients on the Gulf Islands. As McConnan Bion O’Connor & Peterson continues to move forward, we provide a wide range of legal services to residents in Victoria and all over southern Vancouver Island, consistently maintaining the high standard of service to our clients that we strived to achieve from the outset. As one of Victoria’s leading law firms, we are very proud of the service we have provided to our clients over the past 40 years and are enthusiastic about the services that we will provide in the future.

Truth demands more than acknowledgement.Reconciliation demands action.Today, we honour the children who never returned h...
09/30/2026

Truth demands more than acknowledgement.

Reconciliation demands action.

Today, we honour the children who never returned home, the Survivors of residential schools and the families and communities carrying that harm.

We encourage everyone to listen to Indigenous voices, learn the truth of Canada’s history and reflect on the role each of us must play in reconciliation.

09/23/2026

A separation agreement can shape your financial and family arrangements for years to come.

While online templates may seem like a simple way to save time and money, they can miss important issues, fail to meet legal requirements or leave you agreeing to terms without fully understanding what you may be giving up.

Every separation is different. Your agreement should reflect your property, finances, parenting arrangements and other circumstances, not someone else’s checklist.

Getting legal advice before you sign can help ensure the agreement works for you now and in the years ahead.

Buying a home comes with enough to think about. The legal side shouldn't be one more thing keeping you up at night.Thank...
09/17/2026

Buying a home comes with enough to think about. The legal side shouldn't be one more thing keeping you up at night.

Thank you to our client for sharing this experience working with Michael Mark on a new home purchase — and for the kind words about the whole team. Making a big transaction feel manageable is exactly what we aim for.

Separation is complicated enough without a language barrier.Francophone British Columbians can now access a free online ...
09/15/2026

Separation is complicated enough without a language barrier.

Francophone British Columbians can now access a free online course designed to help families understand and navigate the separation process.

Parenting After Separation is already available in English and Punjabi, as well as a culturally informed version for Indigenous families. The new French version expands access to practical family justice information for parents and caregivers who are more comfortable receiving it in French.

“Making this course available in French will help more parents and caregivers access practical information and support in the language they are most comfortable using, so they can make informed decisions and better support their children,” Attorney General Nikki Sharma said in a recent news release.

The free online course looks at the impact of separation and divorce on families, with a focus on reducing conflict and supporting children and youth through the transition.

Topics include:

➡️ Helping families adjust to change

➡️ Communicating effectively

➡️ Keeping children and youth out of parental conflict

➡️ Resolving family disputes through mediation, counselling and the court process

Resources like this can help families understand the separation process. But they can’t tell you how the law applies to your particular circumstances.

If you’re separating or considering separation, a family lawyer can help you understand your legal rights and obligations and the options available to you.

09/11/2026

Buying a home involves more than signing on the dotted line.

A real estate lawyer reviews your Agreement of Purchase and Sale, identifies potential legal issues, confirms key details and prepares the documents needed to complete the transaction.

And if something goes wrong before closing, they know how to respond.

A real estate lawyer’s role isn’t just paperwork. It’s protecting your legal and financial interests through one of the biggest transactions you’ll make.

An employer can’t discourage a worker from filing a WorkSafeBC claim, even if it believes it is acting in the worker’s b...
09/09/2026

An employer can’t discourage a worker from filing a WorkSafeBC claim, even if it believes it is acting in the worker’s best interests.

A B.C. Supreme Court judge has upheld two Workers’ Compensation Board decisions finding that BC Hydro broke the law when it impeded an employee from reporting a work-related mental disorder.

The employee went off work for medical reasons in February 2021, several months after raising concerns about a co-worker and engaging BC Hydro’s respectful workplace process.

According to the court decision, management told her that her disability benefits would continue and that she did not need to file a claim with the board. She also told the board that her employer encouraged her to keep the matter in-house because a board investigation could be upsetting and unpleasant.

When she eventually filed a claim, the board found that BC Hydro had breached s. 73(1)(a) of the Workers Compensation Act, which prohibits employers from impeding workers from reporting injuries to the board. That finding was later upheld on review.

BC Hydro challenged the decisions in court. Among its arguments, the utility maintained that the provision did not apply to mental disorders and that it had misunderstood its obligations rather than intentionally trying to prevent the employee from making a claim.

The judge rejected both arguments.

He described BC Hydro’s interpretation of the legislation as “rigid and somewhat tortured” and found that the board could reasonably conclude the employer intended to discourage the worker from reporting, without finding that it acted with malicious intent.

That distinction matters: an employer doesn’t have to be acting in bad faith to unlawfully interfere with a worker’s ability to report an injury.

For employers, good intentions are not a substitute for understanding their obligations under workers’ compensation law. When an employee may have a work-related injury or mental disorder, the decision about whether to make a claim belongs to the worker.

08/28/2026

You don’t need a marriage certificate for the law to see you as spouses.

In B.C., living together in a marriage-like relationship for two years can give you many of the same rights as a married spouse.

Know where you stand before everything changes.

Please join us in welcoming Madison Thulien and Luke Ashton to McBOP Lawyers as our newest associates.Madison joins our ...
08/25/2026

Please join us in welcoming Madison Thulien and Luke Ashton to McBOP Lawyers as our newest associates.

Madison joins our family law team after completing a clerkship with the Supreme Court of British Columbia, where she spent a year assisting judges with written decisions. Originally from Ontario, she worked in public health before earning her law degree from the University of Victoria and being called to the B.C. bar.

She brings a thoughtful, adaptable and empathetic approach to her family law practice. Madison helps clients understand their options and move forward with clarity during periods of significant change.

Before entering law, Luke worked in the forestry, resource and infrastructure sectors across Northern British Columbia. His firsthand understanding of the province’s business community informs his practical, commercially minded approach to resolving disputes.

Luke maintains a broad litigation practice encompassing corporate and commercial disputes, personal injury, estates, creditors’ remedies, construction and real estate. He is also developing his practice in criminal defence and other quasi-criminal matters.

Madison and Luke bring distinct experience, sound judgment and a strong commitment to their clients. We are delighted to have them on the McBOP team.

Welcome, Madison and Luke!

Being served with family court documents is rarely as dramatic as it looks on television, but it can be every bit as str...
08/20/2026

Being served with family court documents is rarely as dramatic as it looks on television, but it can be every bit as stressful. What you need to do next depends on the form you received.

FORM F3: NOTICE OF FAMILY CLAIM
A Form F3 starts a family law case in the B.C. Supreme Court. It may involve parenting arrangements, child or spousal support, property division or divorce.

You generally have 30 days after being served to file and serve a Form F4 response. If you want to make your own claim against the other party, you will also need to file a Form F5 counterclaim.

If the case involves support, property or debt, you may need to provide a Form F8 financial statement. Your filed documents must then be served on the other party.

FORM F31: NOTICE OF APPLICATION
A Form F31 asks the court to make an order within an existing case. It may seek temporary child support, financial disclosure, or the enforcement or variation of an existing order or filed agreement.

The form will tell you what orders the other party wants and when the application will be heard.

In most cases, you have five business days after being served to file and serve a Form F32 application response and any supporting affidavits.

You generally have 14 business days if the application asks the court to change, suspend or end a final order, or to set aside or replace a filed agreement. Different timelines may apply in some proceedings.

A Form F30 affidavit allows you to respond to the evidence and attach supporting documents. If financial issues are involved, you may also need a Form F8 financial statement.

The form numbers matter, but the deadlines matter more.

If you have been served with family court documents, read them carefully and get legal advice promptly.

Address

Suite # 420 – 880 Douglas Street
Victoria, BC
V8W2B7

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+12503851383

Website

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