At the University of British Columbia, Bertie McClean was Dean of the Faculty of Law from 1971 to 1976, and Associate Vice-President Academic from 1984 to 1995. His main legal areas of interest are trusts and estates, property law and pensions. He has written and lectured extensively in those fields, and has provided opinions on them to both the private sector and to government.
In 2009, Bertie McClean was awarded the Allard Law Alumni Association Alumni Award for Research in recognition of his research achievements that have advanced the Faculty’s reputation as a leading research institution.