Law History Profiles

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Subsection 15(1):
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. 
 

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. 

Thomas Woods, a recently retired judge from the BC Provincial Court, has had a multifaceted career that extends beyond the courtroom. After graduating from UBC Law in 1987, Judge Woods began writing under the pen name P.W. Bridgman, and today is an author of both short fiction and poetry. He also served as editor of the Advocate for 17 years. 

In this Q&A, Thomas reflects on his extraordinary career, sharing insights from his time as a law student at UBC, his tenure on the bench, and his latest book. 

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 ... 

The doctors said he’d never ride again. “I was jumping a horse in the back field of the farm I was working on,” recalls Bruce Mandeville, “and the horse stumbled on landing and fell underneath me. My knee hit a boulder. It shattered my femur in five places. Getting from the ground onto the stretcher was the most painful experience of my life. I had lots of surgical hard- ware implanted. But it wasn’t that bad an injury. I didn’t have any trouble getting back in the saddle" ... 

Professor Copithorne’s impressive career spanned six decades, during which he specialized in international law. After being called to the BC Bar in 1956, Copithorne joined the Canadian Foreign Service, where he spent the next 30 years in a wide variety of positions both in Ottawa and abroad.

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. 

UBC alumnus Douglas McK. Brown was a true son of British Columbia having been born, educated and practiced here. He cared passionately about this place and his vocation. Brown’s profound respect for the courts was exceeded only by his higher regard for the profession. 

Brown was born in Vancouver in 1912 and was educated at UBC (Bachelor of Arts, 1933) and Cambridge. At UBC he was a keen rugby player and a member of the Campus Players Club where he developed his talent for oratory which many felt directed him towards the profession of law. 

Tristan Richard Easton was born in Dublin, Ireland in 1948 and spent his early years in the London borough of Chelsea, as it was rebuild following the war. When he was eight his parents separated, and Easton's mother emigrated to British Columbia with him and his sister. He attended high school at Lord Byng Secondary in Vancouver's Point Grey neighbourhood, then enrolled at the University of British Columbia. He graduated from UBC with both a bachelor's and master's degree in English literature.

“Some people only see the forest and others see only the trees. Miriam sees not only the forest and the trees, but each and every single pinecone from every possible angle!” This is an apt description by a colleague of Miriam Maisonville, the incoming president of the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association ... 

Annette Dueck is an Associate in the Vancouver office of Stikeman Elliott LLP (“Stikeman Elliott”). Her legal practice primarily focuses on the intersections between commercial and regulatory law. Dueck also has extensive experience in addressing technological issues that challenge clients in the commercial and regulatory sphere. Her clientele has ranged from foreign banks to federal and provincial trust companies. 

Michael was born and raised in St. Catherine's, Ontario, where he competed in rowing throughout high school and university, winning gold medals at Canadian Henley five times. Something of an academic rolling stone, he enrolled initially in engineering at Waterloo, but switched to mathematics the next year, graduating in 1978 with a minor in philosophy. One can imagine his diverse opinions over coffee...

The University of British Columbia Board of Governors has appointed former Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia the Honourable Steven Lewis Point to become the university’s 19th Chancellor. He will be the first Indigenous person to hold the position. 

Ed Fast grew up in Vancouver, attending high school at Magee and John Oliver before enrolling at the University of British Columbia. Near the end of his undergraduate, he was faced with the decision of what to do next. He wanted to be an airline pilot, but couldn't due to a heart murmur. Instead, he enrolled in the law school at UBC, a move that was eventually followed by his sister Marie-Louise Fast. 

“I was not a very good student,” says John Rich.

Karen Pruden Shirley is a Métis woman, an Aboriginal Law lawyer, and a 2012 recipient of the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. Born and raised in a blue-collar neighborhood in Winnipeg, Manitoba, and with deep roots in the Métis settlement at Red River, Pruden Shirley is the eldest of three siblings. While previously there had been no other professionals in her family, and even though neither of her parents had finished high school, she and both of her younger brothers would eventually go on to study law and become lawyers.

Four-time Olympian: 1976, 1980, 1984 and 1988. Olympic silver medalist, Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist and seven-time World Championship medalist. Six-time recipient of both the Sport Excellence Award of the Government of Canada and the BC Premier’s Athletic Award, and nominee for the BC Athlete of  the Quarter Century. Member of the UBC, BC and Canadian Olympic Sports Halls of Fame.

Before Henry Vlug graduated from law school in 1985, no Deaf person had graduated from a law school in Canada. When he attained his degree from the University of British Columbia, not only did Henry Vlug become the first Deaf graduate of a law school in Canada, but would go on to become the first Deaf practicing lawyer in Canada. It was an achievement he almost didn't attain, but once he did, there was no stopping Henry Vlug. 

“To me, law school wasn't just about reading cases, books, and case law,” says Harjit Sangra. “Law school teaches you a way of thinking, analyzing, organizing, attacking, and hopefully solving problems, which gives you a tremendous footstool to pursue your dreams.”