Profiles

A proud member of the Gitxsan Nation, Bill Lomax (LLB ’97) has dedicated his career to improving the economic prospects and well-being of Indigenous communities. After receiving his undergraduate and law degrees at the University of British Columbia, Bill furthered his education with an MBA from Columbia University. 

Wilf Wakely, most commonly pronounced "Wirofu Waekuri" in his beloved and enchanting Japan, died peacefully in Tokyo on February 2, 2021 after a two year battle with brain cancer.

“To me, law school wasn't just about reading cases, books, and case law,” says Harjit Sangra. “Law school teaches you a way of thinking, analyzing, organizing, attacking, and hopefully solving problems, which gives you a tremendous footstool to pursue your dreams.”

“I’m passionate about corporate culture, diversity and inclusion, and how organizations can make a positive impact in communities,” says Emiko Ando, General Counsel at BlueShore Financial Credit Union. Emiko has made it her mission to help organizations do just that.

“The work we do as lawyers is based on humility — excellence through humility is important,” says Bruce McIvor, founder and partner at First Peoples Law LLP. At First Peoples Law, Bruce is dedicated to defending and advancing the rights of Indigenous people. Bruce, who is Métis, grew up in Manitoba. His family was displaced from their lands, leaving his grandparents to farm in between rocks and swamp. “When I was a young boy on the farm, I picked a lot of rocks, but I decided that there had to be something better to do than picking rocks for the rest of my life,” he recalls.

Christine Arnold (LLMT‘22) is one of two Allard alumni to win the prestigious BIV 2024 Forty Under 40 Award. Among her accomplishments, Christine was the inaugural director of clinic services of the Access Pro Bono Society of B.C.’s Everyone Legal Clinic, a first-of-its-kind fully virtual legal services provider and teaching incubator aimed at improving access to justice in British Columbia.  She now serves as the CEO and Registrar for the College of Veterinarians of British Columbia and a lecturer for the Sauder School of Business.

“Too many people in BC face legal issues without the benefit of legal advice,” says Craig Ferris, QC, FCIArb. “As lawyers, we have a duty to help fix this problem.”

Gigi Chen-Kuo, LLB 1990, was named interim CEO of TransLink beginning in February 2021, after a long record of service to the organization in executive leadership and in-house counsel roles. In January, we had the chance to ask Ms. Chen-Kuo a few questions about her career path and law school experience.

Tell us a bit about yourself.

Photo credit: Chung Chow, courtesy of Business in Vancouver.

Dr. Carol Liao has played a pivotal role in Allard Law since she joined in 2017. In addition to her role as Faculty member and instructor, she is the UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar of the Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics, Director of the Centre for Business Law, and Principal Co-investigator of the Canada Climate Law Initiative.

In 2019, the Honourable Justice Joe Williams (LLM Hons, 1988) made history as New Zealand’s first Māori Supreme Court judge. An accomplished expert in Indigenous law, he has served in various judicial roles: first, on New Zealand’s specialized Indigenous courts (the Māori Land Court and Waitangi Tribunal), then the High Court, and Court of Appeal. He is of Ngati Pūkenga, Waitaha and Tapuika nation.

After growing up in Kingston, Ontario and earning a bachelor’s degree in political science from McGill University, James Reid knew he wanted to go to law school and knew he wanted to do it on the West Coast.

“I was so excited to be in Vancouver. Just the vibe of Vancouver—it felt very new and fresh,” he said. “It just felt, at least at that time, like it was the place to be … young people like me just seemed to be moving there.”

James Struthers (JD 2017), at a crossroads in his career, pursued law school for the intellectual challenge and the ability to contribute to society. Now, as founder of macushlaw and 253 Columbia, he is helping rethink how lawyers work and provide their services to the public.

Founded in 2020, macushlaw specializes in corporate, commercial and real estate services to SMEs, non-profits, and Indigenous groups and individuals. The macushlaw team prides itself on providing affordable and approachable legal services without sacrificing quality.

When Jeremy Dong was quite young, a family friend shared with him a story of his dad, Barry, acting on their behalf on a pro bono basis to help save their life savings. Barry would never tell such stories himself, but for Jeremy, these stories—where the law was used to make the world a little better—were great motivators for him.

There is little that Professor Emeritus Joost Blom has not done at Allard Law. Professor Blom completed his law degree at the law school in 1970, joined the faculty in 1972, served as Dean from 1997 to 2003, and retired in 2017, but continues to maintain an active presence at Allard Law as well as in the university more broadly.

For only one example of his active current involvement in the UBC community, Professor Blom takes on a new role this upcoming academic year as Principal of the UBC Emeritus College.

Judge David St. Pierre put himself through school, in part, by playing guitar in a band. When he was about 18, he was arrested for allegedly being in possession of a “prohibited weapon”: St. Pierre had just come off the stage at a big show and was wearing a studded wristband.

“Social movements need more access to lawyers,” says lawyer and mediator Katrina Pacey. This realization, her passion for social justice and desire to fill this gap, motivated Katrina to pursue a law degree.

Since being called to the British Columbia bar in 1966, Mitchell Gropper, QC has been a leader in the business law world.

After earning his BA and LLB from the University of Saskatchewan, Mr. Gropper spent 28 years at the Vancouver offices of McCarthy Tétrault LLP where he served as Managing Partner from 1988 to 1990. In 1998, he joined Farris LLP where he currently practices as a senior member of its business and corporate law group. He also holds an LLM from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The Allard Law History Project sat down with Anna Fung, QC in the summer of 2020: listen to the full interview. As of 2021, she is Deputy Chair of the BC Utilities Commission, Chair of the BC Unclaimed Property Society, and a Director of the BC Council of Administrative Tribunals.

Jane Shackell was just 20 years old when she entered the Allard School of Law in 1981, after completing three years of her Bachelor of Arts in political science at UBC.

Beyond the “impressive” faculty and course offerings, her first impression was that of a strong sense of community among students, one which would only grow stronger in her three years at the school.

Nicco Bautista and Maria Kim-Bautista both immigrated to Vancouver as children. They are both the first people in their families to attend law school and have both established themselves as successful lawyers in the city.

Now, they’re sharing a simple yet powerful message with law students of Asian heritage: “You belong.”

The couple first became acquaintances during their time as undergraduates at UBC. They later reconnected when Maria transferred to the Allard School of Law after completing her first year at the University of Alberta.