Law History Profiles

Dr. Carol Liao is an Assistant Professor at the Allard School of Law and the UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar of the Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics at the UBC Sauder School of Business. She is the Director of the Centre for Business Law, a leading national research centre that also oversees the Business Law Concentration and two experiential learning programs at Allard Law, the Business Law Clinic and Corporate Counsel Externship. Prior to joining UBC, Dr.

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.”

Joel Morris is a graduate from the LLB class of 2010 from the law school at UBC. Prior to attending law school Morris obtained an Honors Bachelor of Arts from Queen’s University in 2006. He currently works as a Partner in the Health Law, Commercial Litigation, Professional Regulation, and Insurance Law practice groups at Harper Grey LLP (“Harper Grey”) in Vancouver. 

After learning about the tragic death of a woman (potentially due to a drug overdose) at the Occupy Vancouver protest site in November 2011, Michael McCubbin saw the writing on the wall and knew that an eviction notice from the City was inevitable. He had to get involved. For McCubbin, the heart of the issue before the City was about providing a safe environment for the many homeless people who had set up shelters in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery during the Occupy Vancouver protests.

When asked to identify what he loves about his work, Professor Benjamin J. Goold identifies two things. Firstly, "thinking about theory." He enjoys that law forces him to "think about the underlying structures of how things work." Secondly, he embraces that law facilitates "talking to people" and being pushed to think about practical implications. 

UBC alumnus Carlos Mendes has always loved beer. He has found a niche career, bringing together his love of the law and his love of beer. He talks about his work ... and his favourite beer. He is known as the "beer guy", being the only lawyer in B.C. who specializes in representing clients in our province’s craft beer industry. He also writes about the industry and beer in general on his blog, www.bcbeerlaw.com, and in various publications.

"Plus, I’ve been known to enjoy a beer or two, now and then," says Carlos.

For many third year law students, post-graduation plans are focused on obtaining an articling position in the Lower Mainland or securing a judicial internship. But for some students, the most interesting opportunities are in smaller, close-knit communities. When Ryan Scorgie graduated, he decided to leave Vancouver and return home to Kamloops.

Associate Professor Darlene Johnston joined the Faculty at the Allard School of Law in 2009. She previously taught and advised students, as an Associate Professor and Aboriginal Student Advisor, at the University of Toronto. She holds a BA from Queen’s University and LLB and LLM degrees from the University of Toronto. Professor Johnston is a member of the Chippewa Nawash First Nation in Ontario. 

When Doug McLeod (JD ’09) was in his second year at the Allard School of Law, he accepted a summer student position in Toronto, Ontario. The born-and-raised British Columbian didn’t know a soul in the city. In fact, he had never set foot in Toronto until he had flown there for interviews earlier that week. Fast forward ten years and he now has a multitude of contacts, both professional and personal, an incredibly successful commercial litigation practice within Blakes, Cassels, & Graydon LLP, and legal experiences he wouldn’t have been able to access anywhere else.

Bethany Hastie is an Assistant Professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law. Hastie first joined the Allard community as a law student, graduating alongside the class of 2009. Following her JD studies, Hastie received her LLM from McGill University at the Institute of Comparative Law. Hastie also completed her DCL at McGill University where she held both a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowship and an O’Brien Fellowship in Human Rights and Legal Pluralism. She joined the Law Faculty as a Lecturer in 2015. 

Kelsey Sherriff is a Partner at the Vancouver office of Miller Thomson LLP (“Miller Thomson”) where she works directly with the firm’s Civil Litigation Group. While Sherriff deals with a complex array of civil litigation matters, her legal practice primarily focuses on health law, wills and estates, and class actions. 

Professor David Duff teaches tax law and tax policy at the Peter A. Allard School of Law. In 2014, he was awarded the Alumni Award for Research at the 2014 Allard Alumni Association Achievement Awards. Professor Duff joined the law school in July 2009 after visiting at the Faculty during the 2008-09 academic year. From 1996 to 2008, Professor Duff taught tax law and policy at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

When Victor Tsao broke the news to his parents Ben and Ruth that he was returning to university to pursue a professional degree, their reaction was one of happy relief. “So you have finally come to your senses,” said the couple, who are both physicians. “I want to go to law school,” Tsao clarified.

“Oh,” Ben and Ruth responded, “so you really haven’t come to your senses.”

Assistant Professor Stewart joined the law school in August 2009, after spending two years as an Associate-in-Law at Columbia Law School in New York. Prior to his time at Columbia, Professor Stewart was an Appeals Counsel with the Prosecution of the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. He has also worked for the Legal Division of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Prosecution of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.

Allyson Marta is a graduate from the JD class of 2009 from the law school at UBC. She currently works as an Associate in the Pensions & Benefits Group at the Toronto office of Stikeman Elliott LLP (“Stikeman Elliott”). 

Lauren Cook is a partner at Lawson Lundell LLP in Vancouver, specializing in regulatory law, administrative law, and commercial litigation. Cook’s practice primarily focuses on environmental law with specific efforts in forestry, mining, clean energy, real estate development, and aquaculture. Through her work Cook frequently advises a variety of clients on environmental compliance, assessments, audits, and due diligence. She is well regarded by the legal community, being listed on Benchmark Litigation’s “40 and Under Hotlist” in 2018.

Laura E. Duke graduated with the LLB class of 2008 from the law school at UBC. During law school she was the recipient of the Blake, Cassels and Graydon LLP Prize in Constitutional Law. Upon being called to the British Columbia Bar in 2009, she began working at the Vancouver office of Lawson Lundell LLP (“Lawson Lundell”) where she is now a Partner. Prior to attending law school she received a Bachelor of Arts from UBC in 1999 and a Masters of Arts from the University of Toronto in 2000.

Byron Shaw is a graduate of the LLB class of 2008 from the law school at UBC. He currently works as a Partner in the Litigation Group at the Toronto offices of McCarthy Tétrault LLP (“McCarthy Tétrault”). His litigation experience has brought him before all levels of court in Ontario as well as the Federal Courts of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada. 

Tariq Ahmed graduated from law school at UBC’s LLB program in 2008. In recognition of his dedication and involvement during law school, the Faculty of Law at UBC granted Ahmed with the Raymond G Herbert Award which annually honours the best all-round graduating student in reference to academic excellence, athletic involvement, leadership, and moral force of character. In addition to his stellar academic performance and involvement in student governance, Ahmed also acted as a Real Estate Law Tutor with the Sauder School of Business from 2006-2008.