Law History Profiles

Nicco Bautista and Maria Kim-Bautista both immigrated to Vancouver as children. They are both the first people in their families to attend law school and have both established themselves as successful lawyers in the city.

Now, they’re sharing a simple yet powerful message with law students of Asian heritage: “You belong.”

The couple first became acquaintances during their time as undergraduates at UBC. They later reconnected when Maria transferred to the Allard School of Law after completing her first year at the University of Alberta.

Millie Bojic graduated with a juris doctor in 2013, and completed a business law concentration through UBC Law’s Centre for Business Law. She has recently returned from Paris as head delegate and volunteer ambassador for the Young Diplomats of Canada. UBC Law caught up with her to learn about her important work in international diplomacy.

What have you been up to since you graduated in 2013?

What started as stress relief activity during law school turned into passion that would eventually lead to being published in the New Yorker. Zoe Si (JD, 2013) is a lawyer and cartoonist whose cartoons have gained quite the following of fans who can relate to her witty and thoughtful reflections on life, and recently, on isolation. We recently had the opportunity to chat with Zoe about her career and life as an artist. 

Many law students pursue exchange semesters as a way to travel before entering practice, but for Dustin Klaudt, the CBA Young Lawyers International Program (YLIP) provided a chance to continue travelling, even after being called to the bar in BC. The program, with funding from Global Affairs Canada, places young law graduates at internships with organizations working in law reform, human rights, and access to justice in various countries in Africa, East and South Asia, and the Caribbean. 

The Allard School of Law is pleased to welcome Dr. Asha Kaushal, who recently joined the faculty as an Assistant Professor (tenure-track). Dr. Kaushal is an alumna of the Allard School of Law, where she earned her Ph.D. in 2013. She holds an LL.B. from Osgoode Hall and an LL.M. from Harvard, along with an M.Sc. in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics. 

When Jeremy Dong was quite young, a family friend shared with him a story of his dad, Barry, acting on their behalf on a pro bono basis to help save their life savings. Barry would never tell such stories himself, but for Jeremy, these stories—where the law was used to make the world a little better—were great motivators for him. 

Brad Cocke is a Partner at Harris & Company LLP (“Harris”), a well-regarded labour and employment firm located in Vancouver. Cocke works with both public and private sector employers, addressing his clients’ needs in relation to a variety of legal matters involving labour law, employment law, and human rights law. 

From lawyer to legal tech co-founder, Aimee Schalles’ (JD ’12) path has been guided by empathy, community and a commitment to making legal services more accessible. 

As a barrister and solicitor practicing in Revelstoke, BC, Aimee specializes in business, real estate and family law and is the owner of Mackenzie Peak Law Corporation. In 2025, Aimee co-founded Jointly, a platform that offers family law education and relationship agreements services online. 

When Allard School of Law Associate Professor Wei Cui saw a posting for an appointment at UBC in 2012, he suspected that the job was perfectly suited to him. Describing a tax law specialist along with expertise in comparative law in Asian countries, the posting couldn’t have been a better fit, and Cui’s colleagues at the time agreed.

The school’s search for such a scholar coincided with Cui’s desire to relocate from China to North America, where he wanted to pursue academic work more exclusively after several years as a government advisor and senior tax practitioner.

Derek Frenette is a Partner at Alexander Holburn Beaudin + Lang LLP (“Alexander Holburn”). At Alexander Holburn, Frenette’s practice is largely litigation focused with a concentration in wills and estates, employment, and commercial law. Frenette works alongside numerous teams at Alexander Holburn, ranging from the Wills, Estates, and Trusts team to the Intellectual Property and Technology working group. Over the course of his practice Frenette has appeared before the British Columbia Supreme Court, the British Columbia Provincial Court, and a variety of administrative tribunals. 

Dr. Russo obtained his LLB, LLM and PhD degrees from the Peter A. Allard School of Law, where he is currently a Lecturer. His research has been primarily in the area of immigration and labour law and he has published several peer-reviewed articles in this field. He has also held previous teaching appointments at the law school, and has taught first-year Torts, Transnational Law and Public Law in the JD program, as well as Advanced Legal Research and Writing and subjects in the LLM CL and Distance Learning programs. Dr. Russo worked as a legal researcher before pursuing his LLM degree.

Camille Chisholm is a graduate from the JD class of 2012 from the law school at UBC. Prior to attending law school she completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from UBC in 2007. She currently works as an Associate at Lawson Lundell LLP (“Lawson Lundell”) in the firm’s Litigation and Disputes Group. Her practice primarily focuses on commercial and real estate litigation and she has experience appearing before all levels of court in British Columbia. 

Angela Crimeni is an Associate at the Vancouver office of Stikeman Elliott LLP (“Stikeman Elliott”) in the firm’s Litigation & Dispute Resolution Group. With extensive experience in litigation, Crimeni’s practice traverses many diverse areas of law ranging from employment agreements to securities regulation. She has appeared before all levels of court in British Columbia and also has experience with proceedings before the British Columbia Securities Commission. 

Kate Bond (JD ’11) has a passion for the outdoors. During the summers of her undergraduate degree at UBC, Bond worked at a fire lookout in northern Alberta and also held positions in the Yukon and northern BC. Following a clerkship at the British Columbia Court of Appeal (BCCA) and a subsequent articling year at the Department of Justice in Vancouver, Bond continued working as a litigator at the Department of Justice in the Business and Regulatory Law Section.

Affectionately referred to as “aunty” amongst Indigenous students at the Allard School of Law, Dana-Lyn Mackenzie is the Associate Director of the Indigenous Legal Studies Program. Whether it’s advising Indigenous students on course selection, connecting students with alumni or advocating for the Indigenous community within the law school and the University, Dana-Lyn plays an important role amongst the Indigenous study body. Her efforts were recognized in the summer of 2016 with the prestigious President’s Staff Award for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion. 

Kyla Lee (JD ’11) is a criminal defence lawyer with Acumen Law Corporation in Vancouver, focusing on drinking and driving offences. Kyla hosts a podcast, Driving Law, which discusses current criminal law matters in BC and Canada. As well, Kyla generously supports one Allard School of Law student each year through the Kyla Lee Indigenous Law Students Award.

Patricia Barkaskas is the Academic Director of the Allard School of Law (“Allard”) Indigenous Community Legal Clinic, and the incoming director of the Allard Judicial Externship Program. In addition to working closely with law students in these capacities, Barkaskas is a sole practitioner, practicing in the areas of child protection (as parent’s counsel) as well as criminal and family law.

Emigrating from Poland at the age of 9, Alice Davidson worked hard in her youth leading to a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the Schulich School of Business at York University before graduating from the law school at UBC in the Class of 2011 from the JD Program. Prior to pursuing her legal education, Davidson worked as a Contracts Associate at Schneider Electric in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Jon Conlin is an alumnus of the Class of 2011 and graduate of the Business Law Concentration program. Originally from Vancouver, Conlin attended Washington State University where he received a BA in Political Science and played NCAA football for the Washington State Cougars. After graduation he began working for Fasken in Vancouver as a member of the Technology group. He currently works as a member of the Mergers and Acquisitions (M & A) team at Fasken with a focus on companies in the technology and health sciences sectors. 

Vandana Sood (JD ’10) found herself drawn to law after working over a decade in the sciences. “I was always interested in being of service to others, in particular helping with matters related to women and social justice,” explains Sood. “That’s why I decided to apply to law school.”