Victoria/Fraser Valley – The Government of British Columbia has appointed three Provincial Court judges to help ensure timely and efficient access to justice.
The new judges are:
* Perbeen Mann (effective Friday, May 1, 2026)
* Jacinta Lawton (effective Friday, May 1, 2026)
* Scott Wright (effective May 21, 2026)
Strengthening the justice system
The new appointments bring diverse, extensive legal experience to the Provincial Court, as well as a strong commitment to serving communities throughout British Columbia.
Perbeen Mann
Mann will be assigned by the judiciary to Abbotsford. Mann has been a federal prosecutor since 2004, first serving as a standing federal Crown agent before joining the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC) in 2007. In 2009, Mann became an organized crime prosecutor, and in 2022, was appointed to team leader of the PPSC – Surrey office. Mann has recently been on assignment at PPSC headquarters in Ottawa as senior legal and strategic adviser to the deputy director.
Mann has served as an adjunct professor in the master of laws (LLM) program at the Peter A. Allard School of Law since 2018, teaching Canadian Criminal Law and Procedure and Canadian Private Law: Contractual Obligations and Remedies. Mann has also held a leadership role on the Public Prosecution Service of Canada’s National Council of Racialized Employees, providing advice to senior government officials on advancing cultural competency and anti-racism initiatives in the workplace.
Jacinta Lawton
Lawton will be assigned by the judiciary to Port Coquitlam. Lawton was Crown counsel for the B.C. prosecution service from 1995 to 2023, working in adult and youth courts in Port Coquitlam, Surrey, Richmond and Vancouver. Lawton’s practice specializes in criminal prosecution with a focus on intimate partner violence, sexual offences and files involving children and vulnerable victims.
Lawton is a contributor to legal education programs and has developed training materials for Crown counsel, police and other justice system stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on the prosecution of intimate partner violence cases.
Scott Wright
Wright will be assigned by the judiciary to Surrey. Wright has worked in private practice since 2007, primarily as a criminal defence and ad hoc Crown counsel, conducting criminal cases at all levels of court in B.C., Alberta and Manitoba. Wright is also experienced in administrative law. Since 2022, Wright has been a principal partner at Pender Litigation.
A mentor to junior counsel and students, Wright has volunteered with the Peter A. Allard School of Law moot program and has contributed to the legal profession through presentations at law conferences and secondary schools, as well as through the publication of articles and scholarly papers.
Judicial appointments in B.C.
* Judicial appointments consider various factors, including court requirements, diversity of the judiciary and candidates’ areas of expertise.
* Mann, Lawton and Wright are the seventh, eighth and ninth judicial appointments since December 2025, helping address vacancies and maintain the court’s capacity.
* These appointments support B.C.’s commitment to ensuring courts have the judicial resources needed to meet the demands of the justice system and serve the people of the province.
