Profiles

What is it like working as a corporate lawyer amidst the hustle and bustle of New York City? Alumna and author Lindsay Cameron (née Lamprecht) recently shared her experience with us, an experience that inspired her first novel, BigLaw. 

Just like the many ski destinations that his company manages, Allard School of Law alumnus Trevor Bruno’s’ career has seen its fair share of adventure. In 2007, Trevor joined Intrawest, the largest developer and operator of ski resort properties in North America, as Legal Counsel. Over the years, through a series of challenging events and rewarding opportunities, Trevor worked his way up to serve as the President of Intrawest Resort Club Group and Intrawest Hospitality Management. 

When Marcie Moriarty made the leap from Animal Biology at UBC to her LLB at Allard Law, she had no idea she was embarking on a path that would lead to her dream job. Combining her love and compassion for animals with a zest for exacting change through legal processes, Marcie is now the Chief of Protection and Outreach at the BC SPCA.

“I was always looking to leave a legacy, and when I started I thought it would be the books I write, and then I thought later it would be the court cases I argue. I think the proudest achievement in my career is the day I had my family, and you start to realize that’s the legacy.” Jason Kuzminski’s career has followed a somewhat unusual path, with not only legal, but also political, managerial, and leadership experience. Currently the Director of Communications at the Ministry of Justice & Attorney General in Victoria, Mr.

Carmine Boskovich is a graduate of the LLB Class of 2001 from the law school at UBC. Prior to law school, Boskovich obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Environmental Studies from UBC in 1996. She joined Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP (“Fasken”) in 2002 after clerking at the British Columbia Supreme Court. She was called to the British Columbia Bar in 2003. Boskovich is currently a Partner in the Indigenous Group and the Mergers and Acquisitions Group at Fasken’s Vancouver office. 

Neil Davie is one of those guys for whom success appears to have come easily. 

With more than a dozen years of practice under his belt, one of the leading real estate lawyers in Canada and one of Lexpert Magazine's "rising starts" under 40, Davie is unassuming, jovial and genuinely curious as to why he has been tapped to do an interview for Your Alumni News. 

“I would have never thought that I would be in the Alumni newsletter,” he said, laughing, as we sat down for coffee at Bull Housser, the Vancouver firm at which he is the Real Estate Group’s lead. 

As a child, Robin Gage (LLB ’01) wasn’t entirely sure what a lawyer did, but she knew she wanted to be one. 

Today, Robin’s legal practice is driven by a passion for equality and social justice. As Managing Partner at Arvay Finlay, she focuses on areas of public law including environmental, Aboriginal, human rights, administrative and employment law.

Karey Brooks views the law "as a potential tool or instrument to advance social justice causes." She currently practices civil litigation with a focus on aboriginal, constitutional and administrative law, and has acted on many landmark Aboriginal cases, including as co-counsel for the trial and appeal of Grassy Narrows (Keewatin v. Ontario (Minister of Natural Resources) (SCC, 2014)).

Angela Austman is a Partner at the Vancouver office of Lawson Lundell LLP (“Lawson Lundell”). Austman’s legal practice primarily focuses on corporate finance and securities law and she works as a member of the Private Equity Practice Group at Lawson Lundell. BC Business Magazine named Austman as one of BC’s Most Influential Women in Finance in its March 2019 issue. 

Graduates from the Peter A. Allard School of Law can be found in some pretty unexpected places—Curt Howard is one of those graduates; we found him working at Google Canada. As Head Legal Counsel for Google Canada (based in Toronto), Curt is part of an ever-evolving and nascent field of law. We had the opportunity to talk to Curt about his career path since leaving the Peter A. Allard School of law and his dynamic journey. Curt explains what led him toward this exciting career opportunity and how his experiences have shaped his legal interests.

When Ljiljana Biukovic was studying law in her native Yugoslavia in the mid-1980s, Europe was a far different place than it is now. The tensions of the Cold War weighed on everyone’s minds, the USSR exerted great influence behind the so-called Iron Curtain, and the contemporary notion of a European Union where goods and people travel freely across most of the continent’s borders was still years in the future ... 

In the opinion of Louis Marquis (Ph.D. ’00), participatory justice brings a new way of thinking about law and justice, one that’s progressive, empowering, dynamic. Simply put, participatory justice is the use of mediation and conciliation that engages everyone involved, in order to find a satisfactory solution ...

If juggling a law career and a family with two children isn’t enough, try throwing part-time business owner of a successful dress shop into the mix. In 2006, Deb Viccars, along with her business partner and friend Catherine Staveley, launched Frocks Modern Bridesmaids, a bridal boutique in Kitsilano, Vancouver targeting those ladies on the edge of the spotlight.

Jyotika Reddy is a graduate of the JD Class of 2000 from the law school at UBC, having first completed a Bachelor of Arts in 1996 at UBC. While at law school, Reddy served on the Board of Directors of the UBC Law Review. She currently works as a Partner at the Vancouver office of Lawson Lundell LLP, having joined the firm in 2016. 

Reddy was admitted to the British Columbia Bar in 2001. From 2008 to 2013, she worked as an Associate at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP and as a Partner at Clark Wilson LLP from 2013 to 2016 before transitioning to Lawson Lundell LLP. 

Allard School of Law Professor Janis Sarra has been awarded a YWCA Women of Distinction Award. Professor Sarra is an internationally recognized expert in corporate finance, banking and securities regulation, who has published ten books and more than one hundred refereed articles. She is known for her innovation and leadership.

Stuart Breen is a Partner at Lawson Lundell LLP (“Lawson Lundell”) in Vancouver where he acts as the head of the Corporate Finance and Securities Group. His legal practice primarily focuses on corporate finance, securities, and mergers and acquisitions. Regarding industry, Breen often represents clients in the mining sector. 

The University of New Brunswick (UNB) recently announced that Peter A. Allard School of Law alumnus John Kleefeld (LLB ’99) would be joining their faculty as the incoming Dean of Law and Professor. The love of learning and connecting has been a driving force throughout Kleefeld's career. “People tell me I was born to teach,” says Kleefeld, who reflects that he gets “energy from both the intellectual engagement with my subject matter and the interpersonal engagement with students.” 

Matt Westphal has enjoyed a legal career any student would envy: A Law Society Gold Medal, a clerkship with the Supreme Court of Canada, and an offer from a prestigious New York firm. Now a high-school teacher in Surrey, where he teaches Law, French, and Social Studies, Westphal is using his law training in a way he never imagined when he was in practice...

In addition to being a criminal defence lawyer, Mark Gervin is a Lecturer at the Allard School of Law and Director of Legal Services for the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic (ICLC). For the past 25 years, the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic has played an important role in the Indigenous community throughout the province. The ICLC provides free legal services to those in need while also providing students with practical work experience. We recently chatted with Mark to learn more about him, his time at the Clinic and his passion for criminal defence. 

Lorne McClenaghan (LLB ‘99) figured out that he wanted to be a lawyer from a young age. He found himself drawn to law while watching films and programs like The Paper Chase, LA Law and Street Legal. “I don’t come from a family of lawyers and didn’t know any lawyers growing up, but I remember thinking law was a good fit for me,” says McClenaghan.