Education

Bar Admission

  • 1977 Admitted to the British Columbia Bar

Jo Ann Carmichael, K.C. is an Associate Counsel at Alexander Holburn.

Ms. Carmichael’s practice is primarily litigation based. She is a member of the firm’s Insurance and Family Practices. Ms. Carmichael commonly represents insurers with respect to life, accident and disability insurance matters and has a particular interest in fraud and bad faith claims. She also represents clients in family law matters, dealing with many clients in transition due to death, divorce, second marriages and preserving wealth through marriage agreements and estate planning. Alternate dispute resolution techniques are extremely appropriate tools in both her practice areas.

Ms. Carmichael practices in the Supreme Court of British Columbia and the British Columbia Court of Appeal. She has also successfully represented clients before the Supreme Court of Canada in defeating applications for leave to appeal.

Through her years of service to the Law Society of British Columbia, Ms. Carmichael has developed a special interest in the ethical dilemmas of legal practice. She annually provides Ethics training to the firm’s articling students.

On A Personal Note...

Ms. Carmichael enjoys home renovation projects, gardening, photography, wine (always) and cooking (sometimes).

Publications

Ms. Carmichael is a frequent speaker at Continuing Legal Education and insurance industry conferences. Recent papers and presentations include:

  • October 2015, Canadian Family Law Matters: ”Defining ‘Excluded Property’ – Recent Developments Regarding the Effect of Transferring Property to a Spouse”, Author
  • July 2010, Advocacy Workshop, Continuing Legal Education, Guest Speaker
  • April 2010, “Examining General Exclusion Clauses”, Disability Claims Conference, Insight
  • May 2009, “Challenges of Work Phobia and Risk of Relapse”, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Claims Section Annual Conference, Speaker
  • May 2009, “Practical Mediation Skills for Counsel: Discussion of Best Practices”, Dispute Resolution Conference, Speaker
  • April 23, 2009, “Work Phobia and Risk of Relapse”, Medical Legal Society, Speaker
  • June 2008, “Life and Disability Insurance: A Primer”, Canadian Insurance Coverage Symposium, Speaker
  • November 2004, “Recent Developments in the Law of Limitation Periods in Disability Insurance”, Continuing Legal Education, Speaker
  • April 2004, “Defending Bad Faith Claims: Creative Approaches”, Insight

Professional & Community Affiliations

Jo Ann's
Focus

Practice Areas:

  • Personal
  • Insurance

Personal