Profiles

Camille Chisholm is a graduate from the JD class of 2012 from the law school at UBC. Prior to attending law school she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UBC in 2007. She currently works as an Associate at Lawson Lundell LLP (“Lawson Lundell”) in the firm’s Litigation and Disputes Group. Her practice primarily focuses on commercial and real estate litigation and she has experience appearing before all levels of court in British Columbia.

Angela Crimeni is an Associate at the Vancouver office of Stikeman Elliott LLP (“Stikeman Elliott”) in the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. With extensive experience in litigation, Crimeni’s practice traverses many diverse areas of law ranging from employment agreements to securities regulation. She has appeared before all levels of court in British Columbia and also has experience with proceedings before the British Columbia Securities Commission.

Brad Cocke is a Partner at Harris & Company LLP (“Harris”), a well-regarded labour and employment firm located in Vancouver. Cocke works with both public and private sector employers, addressing his clients’ needs in relation to a variety of legal matters involving labour law, employment law, and human rights law.

Patricia Barkaskas is the Academic Director of the Allard School of Law (“Allard”) Indigenous Community Legal Clinic, and the incoming director of the Allard Judicial Externship Program. In addition to working closely with law students in these capacities, Barkaskas is a sole practitioner, practicing in the areas of child protection (as parent’s counsel) as well as criminal and family law.

Emigrating from Poland at the age of 9, Alice Davidson worked hard in her youth leading to a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University before graduating from the law school at UBC in the Class of 2011 from the JD Program. Prior to pursuing her legal education, Davidson worked as a Contracts Associate at Schneider Electric in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Jon Conlin is an alumnus of the Class of 2011 and graduate of the Business Law Concentration program. Originally from Vancouver, Conlin attended Washington State University where he received a BA in Political Science and played NCAA football for the Washington State Cougars. After graduation he began working for Fasken in Vancouver as a member of the Technology group. He currently works as a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions (M & A) team at Fasken with a focus on companies in the technology and health sciences sectors.

Kate Bond (JD ’11) has a passion for the outdoors. During the summers of her undergraduate degree at UBC, Bond worked at a fire lookout in northern Alberta and also held positions in the Yukon and northern BC. Following a clerkship at the British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA) and a subsequent articling year at the Department of Justice in Vancouver, Bond continued working as a litigator at the Department of Justice in the Business and Regulatory Law Section.

Affectionately referred to as “aunty” amongst Indigenous students at the Allard School of Law, Dana-Lyn Mackenzie is the Associate Director of the Indigenous Legal Studies Program. Whether it’s advising Indigenous students on course selection, connecting students with alumni or advocating for the Indigenous community within the law school and the University, Dana-Lyn plays an important role amongst the Indigenous study body. Her efforts were recognized in the summer of 2016 with the prestigious President’s Staff Award for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion.

Kyla Lee (JD ’11) is a criminal defence lawyer with Acumen Law Corporation in Vancouver, focusing on drinking and driving offences. Kyla hosts a podcast, Driving Law, which discusses current criminal law matters in BC and Canada. As well, Kyla generously supports one Allard School of Law student each year through the Kyla Lee Indigenous Law Students Award.

Note: Responses are paraphrased

What drove you to pursue law school and what inspired you to practice criminal law?

A day in the life of an Executive Producer involves story meetings, conversations to decide what will be on that day’s news broadcasts, debates about how those stories will be reported, and the constant knowledge that a breaking story could change your day in an instant. As exciting as a last minute dash to a courthouse registry might be, it seems hard to imagine that a career in law could ever be as interesting as one in journalism.

UBC alumnus Carlos Mendes has always loved beer. He has found a niche career, bringing together his love of the law and his love of beer. He talks about his work ... and his favourite beer. He is known as the "beer guy", being the only lawyer in B.C. who specializes in representing clients in our province’s craft beer industry. He also writes about the industry and beer in general on his blog, www.bcbeerlaw.com, and in various publications.

"Plus, I’ve been known to enjoy a beer or two, now and then," says Carlos.

For many third year law students, post-graduation plans are focused on obtaining an articling position in the Lower Mainland or securing a judicial internship. But for some students, the most interesting opportunities are in smaller, close-knit communities. When Ryan Scorgie graduated, he decided to leave Vancouver and return home to Kamloops.

After learning about the tragic death of a woman (potentially due to a drug overdose) at the Occupy Vancouver protest site in November 2011, Michael McCubbin saw the writing on the wall and knew that an eviction notice from the City was inevitable. He had to get involved.

For McCubbin, the heart of the issue before the City was about providing a safe environment for the many homeless people who had set up shelters in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery during the Occupy Vancouver protests.

Joel Morris is a graduate from the LLB class of 2010 from the law school at UBC. Prior to attending law school Morris obtained an Honors Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University in 2006. He currently works as a Partner in the Health Law, Commercial Litigation, Professional Regulation, and Insurance Law practice groups at Harper Grey LLP (“Harper Grey”) in Vancouver.

When asked to identify what he loves about his work, Professor Benjamin J. Goold identifies two things. Firstly, "thinking about theory." He enjoys that law forces him to "think about the underlying structures of how things work." Secondly, he embraces that law facilitates "talking to people" and being pushed to think about practical implications.

Vandana Sood (JD ’10) found herself drawn to law after working over a decade in the sciences. “I was always interested in being of service to others, in particular helping with matters related to women and social justice,” explains Sood. “That’s why I decided to apply to law school.”

On September 21, 2009, the Honourable Mr. Justice Robert Bauman was sworn in as the 15th Chief Justice of Supreme Court of British Columbia. A well-respected judge, he had served for 13 years on the trial and appellate courts of this province. His appointment by the Prime Minister was universally well received by the public and the court.

Associate Professor Darlene Johnston joined the Faculty at the Allard School of Law in 2009. She previously taught and advised students, as an Associate Professor and Aboriginal Student Advisor, at the University of Toronto. She holds a BA from Queen’s University and LLB and LLM degrees from the University of Toronto. Professor Johnston is a member of the Chippewa Nawash First Nation in Ontario.

When Doug McLeod (LLB ’09) was in his second year at the Allard School of Law, he accepted a summer student position in Toronto, Ontario. The born-and-raised British Columbian didn’t know a soul in the city. In fact, he had never set foot in Toronto until he had flown there for interviews earlier that week. Fast forward ten years and he now has a multitude of contacts, both professional and personal, an incredibly successful commercial litigation practice within Blakes, Cassels, & Graydon LLP, and legal experiences he wouldn’t have been able to access anywhere else.

Professor David Duff teaches tax law and tax policy at the Peter A. Allard School of Law. In 2014, he was awarded the Alumni Award for Research at the 2014 Allard Alumni Association Achievement Awards. Professor Duff joined the law school in July 2009 after visiting at the Faculty during the 2008-09 academic year. From 1996 to 2008, Professor Duff taught tax law and policy at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.