Profiles

“The law is a great challenge intellectually, as a study. As a practice, it is a tough task master. It takes a lot of your time, of your energy” – D Scott Lamb, hockey coach, results-oriented lawyer, President of the Conservative Party of Canada, Class of 1989.

Jennifer Chow is the incumbent vice-president and upcoming president of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association (“CBABC”). Significantly, she is the first visible minority to hold either of these positions, and is setting a milestone for equality and diversity in the legal profession. She is also the first Department of Justice (“DOJ”) lawyer to hold those positions. 

Marlee Gayle Kline (1960 – 2001) joined the law school at UBC as a professor in 1989. Professor Kline was deeply committed to a critical, challenging and engaged study of law and legal institutions. Her work reflected her passionate belief that social justice concerns must play a central role in legal education and law. Her writings on feminist legal theory and critical race theory, child welfare law and policy, the continuing effects of colonialism, and restructuring of the social welfare state are internationally acclaimed.

Kavita Sharma’s inspiration for entering law school came after she was unjustly fired from her English teaching job at Hindu College at the University of Delhi. “I was quite shattered,” explained Sharma. “Then a lawyer friend of my father’s insisted that I should come out of my gloom and fight for my rights. With much trepidation, I filed a case against the College in the High Court of Delhi.” ...

Lana Li is a partner at Kornfeld LLP, and the proud mother of two sons. She graduated from the University of British Columbia (“UBC”) Faculty of Law in 1988, having gone straight to law school from the third-year of her undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Arts. Growing up, Li always considered going to law school, and never made any backup plans in case law school did not work out. Having been in practice for the past 27 years, Li’s instincts were certainly on point.

Prominent Crown Counsel Winston Sayson is the first Chinese-Filipino Canadian appointed as Queen’s Counsel in British Columbia, a designation he received in recognition of “exceptional merit and contribution to the legal profession.” Born and raised in the Philippines, Sayson immigrated to Canada in 1981 at the age of 18.

Shirley Nakata is the Ombudsperson for Students at the University of British Columbia (UBC), a career that she finds fascinating as it allows her to navigate the fairness issues arising between students and the University in a complex and diverse environment. Born in Osaka, Japan, Nakata immigrated to Canada at the age of four. She describes her upbringing as one that would be typical of an immigrant family growing up in East Vancouver in the late 1960s in which pursuing a post-secondary education was not optional.

On June 19, 2017 Michael TEmmen was sworn in by Chief Justice Hinkson as a justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. For Mike, that moment marked the end of nigh-on three decades of exacting toil in the courtrooms ofthis province defending persons accused of "remorseless, treacherous, lecherous" acts, often in the face of an overwhelming Crown case and usually accompanied by paltry remuneration. He was a principled, tough and fearless advocate, and passionate about his craft. Now Mike will bring all that he has learned to his duties on the bench.

In Sanskrit, there is a word for the perfect integration of livelihood with life’s purpose: dharma. Some of us know from the time we’re kids what we’re going to be when we grow up. Others venture down a few different paths before finding the right one, and still others of us discover our life’s work by accident.

Richard Hart (LLB ’88) is the Director of ProActive Resolutions, a business management consultation firm that focuses on building respectful, equal, and safe work environments. In an interview with the Peter A.

She barely advertises. And if you want to see or talk to her as a potential client, be prepared to wait three to four months – if you’re not a vulnerable child who needs legal help, that is. If you are the latter, she’ll make an exception. Irene Peters, a sole practitioner in Prince George since 2006 and in Prince Rupert before that, focuses entirely on family law. Few lawyers in her region, which includes Prince Rupert, Terrace, Kitimat and Smithers, concentrate on her legal area, offering little competition ... 

The lawyers of Yale County are very pleased to have another CBABC branch president elected from their ranks. Meg Shaw assumed the role of branch president at the CBABC annual general meeting in August 2005 ... 

Shauna Olney knew she wanted to become a lawyer ever since she was a child, and having grown up in Vancouver and attended UBC for her undergraduate degree, Allard was the ideal law school for her.

“I remember being eight years old and declaring at a family dinner at my grandma’s house that I wanted to be a lawyer,” she said. “[UBC] was quite a natural place for me to go, and I was really excited when I was accepted. I remember that moment. I was actually sitting at my locker in the arts faculty when I was accepted, and this was a really important moment in my life.”

Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Subsection 15(1)

The appointment of the Honourable Judge Tom Woods to the Provincial Court last October, while no doubt a good thing, has regrettable brought an end to his 11 years as editor of The Advocate ... 

Megan Ellis, QC is a member of the LLB class of 1987. She currently practices at her firm Megan Ellis & Company, which specializes in sexual assault conflict litigation, family law, and personal injury law. She consulted the Ministry of the Attorney General of BC in creating the new Family Law Act.

Professor Isabel Grant joined the Allard School of Law in 1987. She is one of Canada’s leading law scholars, and her main research interests lie in the areas of Criminal Law and Mental Health Law. She is particularly interested in the law and policy issues surrounding homicide, HIV nondisclosure and gender and criminal law. Professor Grant has made significant contributions to areas ranging from sexual assault, to homicide, to the legal implications of nondisclosure of an HIV-positive status.

"Jay was a salt of the earth, genuinely good man who was the heart and soul of his family and friends," writes Oliver Hui in memoriam, "he believed in giving back to the community."

David Allard is Partner at the Vancouver office of Lawson Lundell LLP (“Lawson Lundell”) where he practices commercial, corporate finance, and securities law. He is consistently recognized for his expertise in the areas of corporate law, mergers and acquisitions, agribusiness, and cross-border disputes. Over his career Allard has been recognized as a leading name in a variety of legal fields by Chambers Canada, Best Lawyers in Canada, and Lexpert. In 2019, Best Lawyers in Canada named Allard as the Corporate Law Lawyer of the Year in Vancouver.

Daphne Mackenzie is a graduate of the LLB class of 1986 from the law school at UBC having first obtained an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Toronto in 1983. She currently works as a Partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP (“Stikeman Elliott”) in Toronto where she is the Head of the firm’s Banking and Finance Group. A core focus of her legal practice involves project financing for international mining projects.