When you meet Douglas Chiu, one of the first things you notice is his grounded, approachable manner – a quality that has served him well over his two decades of practice as a litigator at Hammerco.
After articling at a small firm, Doug says he realized he wanted to focus on helping “regular individuals,” rather than big banks or corporations. “I wanted to help somebody sitting across the table from me.”
Doug began his career as a personal injury lawyer, building a strong reputation for himself. When major legislative changes reshaped personal injury law, his firm anticipated the change and pivoted. “It was like going back to school – CLE courses, textbooks, new cases,” Doug recalls. “We slowly built practices in new areas.”
Today his practice includes professional negligence claims, corporate malfeasance matters, and insurance coverage disputes. He has appeared as counsel in trials and proceedings before the Supreme Court of British Columbia, always with the goal of helping his clients understand and exercise their rights.
Doug’s ability to speak English, Cantonese and Mandarin has also been a bridge for many clients seeking clarity and trust in a system that can often feel inaccessible. “That’s very empowering, to tell someone, in words they understand, ‘Yes, you do have rights.’”
Within the legal community, Doug is highly engaged. He proudly serves on the Advisory Committee for the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (BC), sits as a non-bencher Lawyer for the Law Society of British Columbia Tribunal (discipline and credentials hearings), and was on the Executive Committee of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC.
These roles, have sharpened his skills and made him a better lawyer. “On the Tribunal, you act like a judge, you hear evidentiary issues, direct examinatinos, and cross-examinations presented by very capable counsel, you learn from that. It sharpens your writing and reasoning.”
Doug is also passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and cross-cultural competency, both as a matter of justice and good practice. “You may not understand it all. You may not appreciate it. You may not share the same viewpoints. But everybody deserves respect regardless,” he says. “And learning more about others, again, that’s just a nice thing to do.”
He encourages students and new lawyers to begin engaging with EDI issues early. “Attend an event and have deeper conversations with those who may not resemble you. Get to understand what some of the struggles are and what the similarities might be too.”
Doug is generous with his advice for the next generation of lawyers. Here are a few of his tips: seek mentorship early, learn to embrace change, and maintain a good balance between your legal profession and other roles you value.
He also shared his insights on the future trends in the profession: “All lawyers need to be sharper and more confident in what they know—because of AI. Clients now often come in with information. It might be wrong, it might be right, but you need to know your stuff and have confidence to say, “No, I'm right here.” Also, AI is a tool, helpful as a start, but you still have to read the cases and write your own materials.”
For Doug, law is more than a profession. It’s a calling that began when he first decided to become a lawyer at just 13 years old. After 20 years at Hammerco, he continues to advocate fiercely for his clients and push the profession forward.