Profiles

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.

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 ... 

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...

For more, read the full profile of Matthew Westphal in the Allard Law Alumni Magazine, Spring 2014.

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.”

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.

Andi is a trial and appeal lawyer at Winteringham MacKay. She has appeared at all court levels and is regularly involved in trials dealing with professional liability, criminal cases (both prosecutions and defense), commercial litigation, employment law, products liability, tavern liability, constitutional law, complex insurance litigation and tort litigation. Andi has been involved in many leading cases defining the scope of fiduciary duty and constructive trusts. In the criminal realm, Andi has been a prosecutor of complex criminal cases.

Litigator turned “wellness lawyer” Andy Clark worked for the largest firm in Atlantic Canada when he started tagging along with his wife to professional wellness conferences and seminars. Interested in what he was learning, he began blogging about health, wellness, and the challenge of living healthily as a working lawyer. Several years later he is a published author, consultant, speaker and leader in the niche field of lawyer wellness education and awareness.

Most people would be happy to have a career in law. How about adding a stint as an award-winning filmmaker? Then add time as a criminal law university instructor. Oh, add another career as a heavy-weight champion pro-wrestler. Now, you’re starting to get a picture of the multi-disciplined, multi-talented, multi-everything Peter Smith (a.k.a. “The Rocket” Randy Tyler to wrestling fans) ... 

Kinji Bourchier is a leading commercial and business litigator in his role as Parter at Lawson Lundell LLP in Vancouver. Bourchier’s practice focuses on environmental remediation cost recovery claims and contaminated site litigation. He has also appeared before a wide variety of courts and administrative bodies and has worked on seeking leave to appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada. A well-recognized name in the field of environmental and commercial law, Bourchier continually contributes to Lawson Lundell’s blog focused on commercial litigation and dispute resolution.

Lorne McClenaghan (LLB ‘99) figured out that he wanted to be a lawyer from a young age.

When Kim Stanton entered law school, she did not plan to article and become a lawyer in private practice. The fact that Kim did article and now has her own practice may make it seem like she had a major change of heart. However, even a quick look at her resume makes it very obvious that she has stayed true to her focuses on social justice, women's equality, and human rights.

John-Paul Boyd (LLB ’99) was half way through completing a master’s degree in philosophy when he first realized his interest in speculative epistemology was so far removed from his roots as a social activist that he could no longer justify his pursuit of it. Believe it or not, prior to attending law school, he had marched in anti-nuke parades and lobbied for affordable post-secondary education.

Nigel Beckmann graduated from the law school at UBC with the LLB class of 1999. Prior to attending law school he obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government from Queen’s University in 1984. He currently works as a Director at Whitelaw Twining Law Corporation (“Whitelaw Twining”) in Vancouver. His legal practice is litigation based with a core emphasis on insurance and personal injury defence. He leads the Defamation and Abuse Litigation groups at Whitelaw Twining.

“It was a foregone conclusion that I would follow in my father’s footsteps,” says Jody Wilson-Raybould. “Dad encouraged us to be critical thinkers and to look at the world from all different perspectives. Law school seemed like the most appropriate place to be."

Doran Chandler, a folk-rock musician turned lawyer has been recognized by the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory and Who’s Who Legal: Canada (Sports & Entertainment) as one of Canada’s preeminent entertainment lawyers. He is co-founder of Chandler Fogden Aldous, a Vancouver-based firm specializing in entertainment law, and his practice focuses on advising clients on all aspects of film, television, and new media projects.

Tom Shorthouse has played many roles in his life. The one for which he is best known to the legal profession is head librarian at the Faculty of Law, University of British Columbia. For 32 years, Tom nurtured and guided the law library to its current position as one of the best in Canada …

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson set a new world record in the 100 metres only to have it stripped away after testing positive for steroid use. Canadian sailor Lawrence Lemieux was poised to win the silver medal in the Finn class when he abandoned the race to save an injured competitor, finishing 22nd. He was awarded the Pierre de Coubertin Medal for Sportsmanship. For Canada, 1988 represented the worst and the very best the Olympics has to offer. Here, Doug Harris shares his own best and worst memories of the 24th Olympiad …

Duncan McCue is a national reporter for CBC-TV News in Vancouver, and his current affairs documentaries are featured on the CBC’s The National. His work has been nominated for Gemini and Webster awards, and he received an RTNDA Award for investigative reporting and multiple honours from the Native American Journalists Association for investigative, news and feature reporting. McCue is Anishinaabe and a member of the Chippewas of Georgina Island First Nations in southern Ontario. Throughout his career, he has worked diligently to bring Native stories into the mainstream media.

Isabel Jackson is a member of the Gitxsan First Nation. She grew up in coastal British Columbia, mainly in Prince Rupert. As a young student, Jackson developed an affinity for the sciences, and pursued this interest by enrolling in undergraduate studies in the Faculty of Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC).

Michael (Mike) McDonald, QC (LLB 1988), is a partner at Clark Wilson and Co-Chair of the Aboriginal Business Group. He originates from a small Aboriginal community in northern Manitoba. His parents instilled in him the values of dedication and humility such that his success is measured by the people he serves. He is proud to be a part of the solution to helping Aboriginal communities and businesses engage meaningfully and successfully. Mike is a member of the Peguis First Nation in Manitoba.