Profiles

Brian Higgins, Class of 1979, has the unique quality of having greatly impacted the lives of countless law students at the University of British Columbia without ever having been their professor. Higgins was the longest serving Supervisor Lawyer of the Law Students' Legal Advice Program, working with the Program from 1988 until his retirement in 2011.

His father was a member of Dean Curtis’s second graduating class in 1949. He attended University Hill School and played field hockey where Gage Towers now sit, urged into the sport at age six by Dr. Harry Warren, an Olympic sprinter, Rhodes Scholar geology professor and friend of George Curtis. Two of Curtis’s boys were teammates.

The Honourable Madam Justice Risa E. Levine holds a BA (Honours) and an MA in Sociology from the University of Toronto and an LLB from the University of British Columbia's law school. She received the Law Society Gold Medal and Prize for the LLB class of 1977, in recognition of achieving the highest cumulative grade point average over three years of study at the Allard School of Law. She would later join the Faculty as an adjunct professor and join the Dean's Advisory Committee for the Centre for Business Law.

Kerry-Lynne Donna Findlay was elected this spring by acclamation to be the President of the B.C. branch of the Canadian Bar Association for the year commencing in August 1997. Kerry-Lynne was born in the early evening hours of January 12, 1955, at Ladysmith, B.C., much to the joy and pride of her parents, Stephen and Norah Findlay ... 

Elizabeth Arnold-Bailey was sworn in as a justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia on May 4, 2005. Madam Justice Arnold-Bailey leaves a large void to fill on the Provincial Court of British Columbia, where she has presided for the last 15 years.

When it comes to the environment, Gregory McDade pulls no punches. “I think the battle for climate change is largely lost. Our kids will inherit a very different world than the one we live in.” Spoken by one of Canada’s top environmental lawyers, these words must not be taken lightly.

Justice Alnashir Visram (LL.B. ’78) was born and raised in Kenya, and in the mid-70s, he wanted to start a new life in Canada. Already a practicing Kenyan lawyer, Visram decided to repeat law school so he could start a new legal career in Canada. But nine years after graduating from law school at UBC, Visram found himself back in Kenya. Visram is now a judge in the Kenyan Court of Appeal, the highest court in Kenya. Here he talks about his journey from Kenya to Canada, and back again ...

As a native Vancouverite interested in business and law, UBC was the natural choice for Ron. He completed the seven-year combined Commerce/Law program in 1978 and found the legal education he received at UBC to be indispensable preparation for his employment at Farris & Company. However, his foray into the legal world did not last long. A year after being called to the bar in 1979, Ron decided to enroll in the MBA program at the University of Western Ontario.

Dorothy Joan Beck was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan in 1930. She attended the University of British Columbia, obtaining a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Social Work, and Master's Degree in Social Work. This training launched Beck on a career advocating for children's rights, working at the Child Guidance Clinic and volunteering as President of the Children's Aid Society of Vancouver.

This issue of the Advocate honours Robert Brun, who assumed the position of president of the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association in August 2003, for a one-year term. Robert Charles Brun was born in 1952 to Mona and Paul. Many may recognize Mona Brun as local media personality who hosted the Woodward’s cooking show on BCTV for many years ... 

Melvin Hunt began his life in an orphanage in Toronto, taken from his unwed mother after his birth in 1942. His early years in orphanages and foster homes were not encouraging for academic pursuits, and instead Melvin engaged in his own entrepreneurial ventures before dropping out in grade 10 to be independent. He worked a variety of heavy-labour jobs until mid-day during a construction job at age 17 he visited a Canadian Forces recruiting office, a decision that would be life-changing.

Pamela Ann Kirkpatrick received a telephone call from Kim Campbell, the Minister of Justice, on Thursday afternoon, November 26, 1992, to offer her an appointment as a Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia sitting

Leigh Harrison has succeeded Barbara Nelson as President of the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association on August 27th. He was born in Vancouver in 1949 and graduated from Point Grey High School. He took first year Arts at UBC and then began three years of education by travelling, visiting and working in New Zealand, Australia, Southeast Asia and India ... 

Peter Csiszar is a Partner at Harris & Company LLP (“Harris”), a well-regarded labour and employment firm located in Vancouver. His legal practice involves a variety of matters related to labour law, employment law, and human rights law, including collective agreement interpretation and collective bargaining strategies. Over his career Csiszar has appeared before a variety of courts and administrative bodies including the Supreme Court of British Columbia, the British Columbia Court of Appeal, human rights tribunals, labour arbitration boards, and the Canada Industrial Relations Board.

On April 23, 2010, the Prime Minister announced the appointment of Anne Winter Mackenzie as Associate Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia to “replace” (if such is possible) the Honourable Patrick D. Dohm, who retired after serving in that role for 15 years. She is the first woman to occupy that position …

The political activism of Ujjal Dosanjh, British Columbia’s 33rd premier, was bred in the bone. Growing up in the Punjab in the early days of India’s hard-won independence, he has many childhood memories of the lively political debates that constituted dinner conversation in the Dosanjh household. He learned at a young age the value of being able to vigorously disagree with an opponent while maintaining personal respect ...

Barbara Jo Nelson was born Barbara Jo Branston in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, a few years ago. Sometime later, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary as Barbara Jo Froese. She then moved to Vancouver and obtained her law degree from the University of British Columbia in 1976, and was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1977 ...

Peeter Wesik is a proud UBC alumnus. He first graduated with a BA in political science in 1973, and then with an LLB in 1976. Mr. Wesik has been a long-time supporter of UBC, making donations to Athletics, the Faculty of Education and the Faculty of Law. A student lounge is named in Mr. Wesik's honour through a generous gift by the Wesik family to the Building Project.

barbara, as a first year student, consulted the student health service psychologist. She told him that either something was wrong with the world, or something was wrong with her, and she hoped that it was the latter as it would be much easier to fix.

Nancy Wiggs began her career at UBC in 1973 in the Department of Economics and then the Faculty of Education. In 1976, Nancy accepted a position as a secretary in the Faculty of Law when Jim Taylor hired her to work in the UBC Legal Clinic. When Nancy asked about what the job entailed, Jim said that he had no idea but he needed someone willing to jump in, figure it out and do it. That marked the beginning of a 36 year career with the law school.