Law History Profiles

"When I became Justice Minister I described myself as a feminist and there was an audible intake of breath across the country, but you know, they got over it. I didn’t know how else to describe someone who was an advocate for equality of women..."

Nancy Wilhelm-Morden is living proof that dropping everything on a whim to go live on a ski hill is a perfectly good decision. In August of 1973, Nancy came from Ontario to visit her boyfriend (now husband) who was working in Alta Lake, or what is now known as Whistler. She was supposed to stay for two weeks, but her boyfriend's plan to stay for ski season seemed like a much better idea. Forty years later, Nancy is serving the city as their first elected female mayor while continuing to practice law.

In 1991, Judith joined the faculty of law at UBC as a clinical instructor and was coordinator for the faculty's Clinical Legal Program. Once in the academic stream, she taught a variety of courses over the years, including administrative law, criminal law, regulatory state, perspectives on law, disability law, children and the law, and, most recently, legal ethics and professionalism. Judith's passion for teaching lay in the clinical context, as she believed that students learned best by doing, and by engagement with ethical problems as they arise in practice.

Professor Margot Young is passionate about human rights and social justice. She opens up about her recent research into housing justice, and her thoughts on the situation unfolding at Oppenheimer Park. Professor Young began her teaching career at the Faculty of Law, University of Victoria in 1992 after doing graduate work at the University of California, Berkeley in the fields of feminist legal theory and reproductive technologies. Her focus quickly shifted to the areas of constitutional law, in particular, equality law and theory, and social welfare law.

Sue Paish, QC is a UBC Faculty of Law alumna, Class of 1982, and a respected leader with a track record of success in law, business and philanthropy. As a lawyer, Ms. Paish worked her way from articling student to managing partner at Russell & DuMoulin, one of the nation’s leading law firms, which is now known as Fasken. There, not only was she the youngest and first female managing partner, but Ms. Paish spearheaded the expansion of the firm from one office in Vancouver to an international platform with nine offices in three continents. In 2007, Ms.

Just 13 years after graduating from the Peter A. Allard School of Law, Jeff Lowe, QC—then 33 years old—became the managing partner of British Columbia’s oldest law firm and continues in that role today.

In more than 30 years with Richards Buell Sutton, Lowe, who was appointed to Queen’s Counsel in 2013, has established a successful corporate law practice while overseeing the business of running the firm. His areas of expertise include intellectual property, franchising, and corporate finance as well as mergers and acquisitions.

Ross A. Macdonald, Q.C., graduated from the law school at UBC in 1982 before being called to the bar in British Columbia in 1983. Macdonald was one of the original six lawyers that opened the Stikeman Elliott LLP Vancouver office in 1988. He currently acts as Senior Partner at Stikeman Elliott LLP after serving as Managing Partner from 1999 to 2019.

Frits Verhoeven is the new president of the B.C. branch of the Canadian Bar Association after serving in various other CBA positions since 1999. Frits is a partner and senior litigator at Edwards, Kenny & Bray LLP. He has appeared in a wide range of civil lawsuits and administrative proceedings since his call to the bar in 1983 …

Nicole Byres, QC graduated with the LLB class of 1982 from the law school at UBC. She is a Partner at the Vancouver office of Miller Thomson LLP (“Miller Thomson”). Byres’ legal practice primarily focuses on labour and employment but also includes extensive work in the fields of administrative and regulatory law. She currently leads the Labour and Employment Practice Group at Miller Thomson.

Miriam Kresivo was the secretary treasurer of the Vancouver Bar Association for almost 14 years. Elected a Bencher of the Law Society of BC in May 2012, Miriam held the positions of Chair of the Governance Committee, Vice Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee, a member of the Discipline Committee, Executive Committee, and Regulation and Insurance Working Group. In 2018, she became the President of the Law Society of BC. Miriam has been on the executive of both the Canadian Bar Association’s Pension and Corporate Counsel Sections.

On January 1, 2012, Bruce LeRose, Q.C., became the new president of the Law Society of British Columbia, and the first, ever, from the Kootenays. He was born in Trail on September 13, 1957, and except for the time he spent pursuing the post-secondary education that culminated in a law degree from UBC in 1982, Trail has been his home ...

Visitors to Russ MacKay's judicial chambers in Chilliwack were instantly treated to his famous sense of humour, as they walked across a doormat at the entrance to his office which read "Come Back with a Warrant!" Russ was always a practitioner of what is known in 12-Step circles as "Rule 62" (never take yourself too seriously). He took his commitment to his family, his obligation to help others and his duties as a Provincial Court judge seriously, but never himself. For Russ MacKay life was meant to be enjoyed, not endured…

After completing her LLB, Elizabeth M. Vogt, QC clerked for the BC Court of Appeal and subsequently joined McCarthy Tétrault. While she briefly worked as a litigator, Ms. Vogt quickly transitioned to the real estate department. As a partner, Ms. Vogt went on to hold the titles of head of the Real Property and Planning Group, BC’s Regional Managing Partner, and Chief Diversity and Engagement Officer.

“I came to UBC from the University of Auckland in 1968. This was a period when law faculties in North America were expanding dramatically,” Peter Burns recalls. Burns was one of six young academics hired by UBC Law in that year along with Peter Barton, Barry Slutsky, Chris Carr, Richard Fields and Jerome Atrens. When he arrived, the faculty “was quite small and everybody knew everybody - it was a very tight group.”

Theresa Arsenault, QC knew in the early 1980s that she wanted to do corporate law but considered Vernon, where she practised for four years, too small for that. So was Salmon Arm, where she had attended high school. Vancouver, where she did her UBC arts under- grad and law degrees (class of ’81), was too big. This outdoor enthusiast was looking for that just-right place – like Goldilocks, she says by phone with a laugh ... 

Born to an Inuk mother in 1936 and raised in Edmonton, Kiviaq holds the distinction of being Canada’s first Inuit lawyer. As a child, Kiviaq endured the racism of schoolyard bullies, and developed prowess as a fighter. As a young man, he had a distinguished athletic career that included boxing and football.

"Throughout my youth, everyone either knew I was going to be a lawyer or they were telling me that I should become one," explained the Honourable Gary Cohen, a Surrey Provincial Court judge whose interest in law was noticed by everyone, including his mother and teacher who gave him permission to skip class in high school to watch court proceedings.

Born to an Inuk mother in 1936 and raised in Edmonton, Kiviaq holds the distinction of being Canada’s first Inuit lawyer. As a child, Kiviaq endured the racism of schoolyard bullies, and developed prowess as a fighter. As a young man, he had a distinguished athletic career that included boxing and football. 

Elizabeth Watson graduated from the Allard School of Law in 1981. After 20 years of thriving private practice, Ms. Watson founded Watson Advisors Inc., now Canada’s largest multi-disciplinary governance consultancy working with established and growing companies to recruit exceptional directors and executive leaders and optimize board effectiveness. In addition to her practice, Ms. Watson speaks regularly on governance matters and teaches in the Institute of Corporate Director’s Program on Governance Effectiveness. Ms.

John D'Arcy Gardner was born in Estevan, Saskatchewan in 1950 near his grandparents Midale, Saskatchewan wheat farm. The family moved along with Gardner's father's mining work, from New York City to Arizona, Peru, and finally Los Altos, California. He enrolled at Grinnell, a highly-ranked liberal arts college in Iowa. At the time, the Vietnam War had ensnared the United States, and on a trip with classmates to Winnipeg he formally renounced his U.S. Citizenship.