Law History Profiles

“In a way, I feel like Forrest Gump.” It’s 9:00 a.m. in Vancouver and midnight in Hong Kong, and this is Olivia Lee on the line, head of the China and Hong Kong Capital Markets practice and the Hong Kong Mergers & Acquisitions and Corporate practices for White & Case LLP. Maybe it’s the time difference, or a bad connection. Hello?

“I happened to be [involved] in a lot of things which I didn’t expect at all,” Lee starts to explain, “a lot of memorable events, meeting a lot of very interesting people.” Cue the Prime Ministers. Roll film. Aaand … action.

Jonathan Oliphant was born in London, England in 1960 but immigrated to North Vancouver with his family at the age of 2. His father was the Vancouver Harbour Master. This may have played some role in influencing Oliphant's decision to join the Canadian Navy as an engineer after his graduation from Royal Roads Military College. After four years of service he enrolled in law school at the University of British Columbia, graduating with his LL.B. in 1989.

Diane Nielsen has been working in the area of mental health law for the last 24 years and is grateful for the opportunity to work to promote the rights of this vulnerable and disadvantaged group of people. She believes that more funding for lawyers and programs is necessary to advance these rights. "The clients that I meet and serve continue to keep me inspired and motivated professionally. They remain, for the most part, very appreciative of any help that we can offer them.

“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.

For the month of February, we like to profile a couple that met in law school. This month we are profiling Shirley Nakata (LLB 1988) and Richard Hart (LLB 1988) who were drawn to one another by shared interests in Japanese culture and social justice issues.

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 ... 

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."