FACL BC

In this episode, we dive into Cheryl D'Sa, KC's remarkable journey through the legal landscape. From her beginnings in the accounting department of a law firm during undergrad to her current role as managing partner at Narwal Litigation LLP, Cheryl's career trajectory is truly impressive. Beyond her professional accolades, Cheryl is a fierce advocate for diversity and inclusion in the legal field. Her leadership as an elected Bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia since 2020 and former chair of the LSBC’s EDI Committee, among her work on other committees and task forces, underscores her commitment to creating a more equitable profession. Cheryl was also the first visible minority female president of the Vancouver Bar Association and is one of FACL BC's advisory directors. Throughout our candid conversation, Cheryl opens up about her experiences as a woman in law and the challenges she faced along the way. She shares her insights on mentorship, highlighting the importance of fostering genuine connections and candid sharing, much like cultivating a friendship. In 2023 Cheryl won the Debra Van Ginkel, QC Award for mentoring by the Women Lawyers Forum of the CBABC and has also been a mentor for FACL BC. Cheryl closes this episode with powerful insights on fostering inclusivity, finding peace in others, and being an ally for women and racial minorities in the legal industry.

In this episode, James Hsu unveils his unique career journey - transitioning from a litigator to employment lawyer to in-house legal counsel before finding his calling back in private practice as an employment and human rights lawyer at PortaLaw. James also shares his reflections from a nine-month long break between positions. Having gained valuable insights into maintaining personal autonomy, life satisfaction, and identity, James speaks on the importance of taking a break, understanding the meaning behind your career goals, and "throwing your own party".

In this candid conversation, James delves into his reset and pivot into employment law, emphasizing guiding principles like helpfulness, honesty, and a human approach, with the unique addition of "happiness." James concludes the episode with valuable advice for lawyers navigating their own career transitions and finding their place in the legal industry.

Please note the following changes since our interview with James:

• There are now 6 members on the PortaLaw Team.
• PortaLaw’s guest Ukrainian lawyer has since moved on from his temporary role at PortaLaw to a permanent role in another organization.

In this episode, we chat with James Chen, an accomplished legal professional who's paved a unique career path. As the founder of CMJC Law, James spent over a decade in big firms, specializing in corporate and securities law, before transitioning to an in-house role at a large company, where he drove transformative growth initiatives. In 2016, he took the leap to establish his own practice, CMJC Law, offering legal, strategic, and business advice. James shares insights from his journey, highlighting the importance of a supportive legal network and lessons learned from his varied experiences. Join us for a fresh perspective from James, a seasoned legal professional who has truly seen it all!

In this podcast mini-series, join Brian Cheng for a captivating conversation with Chilwin Cheng, a seasoned business litigator specializing in complex commercial litigation and regulatory and white-collar defence. As the principal of Ascendion Law, Chilwin shares insights into his career journey, the changing landscape of diversity, the significance of mentorship, and his distinct perspective on work-life balance. Together, we'll explore the legal profession, gaining unique insights into Chilwin's exceptional experiences and the challenges he's navigated as an Asian lawyer finding success.

In this episode, we sit down with Gigi Chen-Kuo, TransLink's Chief Operating Officer, as she discusses her 30-year career that fuses law and public transportation. From her favorite TransLink route to her transition from law to an in-house role, Gigi shares insights on her unique position, daily challenges, and defining moments. Get a glimpse into her historic role as the first Asian heritage person to lead TransLink, her involvement in EDI initiatives, and practical advice for balancing legal work with non-legal roles. Tune in to gain valuable insights from Gigi's experiences at the intersection of leadership, law, and public service.

This is the first episode of FACL BC's new Corporate Lawyer Series. In this episode, we invite Julia Winters, a partner in Lawson’s Asia Pacific Group focusing on corporate/commercial and real estate law and the Chief Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer at Lawson Lundell. Julia shares her journey towards a corporate and real estate practice, her experience interacting specifically with Asian or Chinese clients, and her efforts in promoting EDI. She shares her views on how EDI may be improved in the legal profession. Whether you are a law student interested in solicitor’s work, an associate practising corporate/commercial or real estate law, or an associate considering the partner track, you can benefit from the practical advice that Julia candidly offers. Bonus: you will learn about Julia’s passion beyond practising the law and her vegetable garden. 

In this episode, we sit down with Sameer Kamboj, a litigator and new shareholder at Owen Bird. Sameer takes us on a journey through his path to law and shares his insights on the keys to success in becoming a shareholder or partner in a law firm. But that's not all. Sameer also provides invaluable advice to law students and associates, offering practical tips to help them thrive in the legal profession. And as a bonus, Sameer also opens up about his personal life and shares with us the journey of finding love while in law school. Spoiler Alert: during the recording of this episode, Sameer revealed that his partner is actually one of our previous podcast guests. Who could it be? Listen in to find out!

Late in 2022, FACL BC’s Vice Presidents, Jim Wu and Fiona Wong, sat down with Justice Randall Wong to reflect on his path to becoming a lawyer, and his distinguished career as a member of the judiciary.

In this episode, Justice Wong recounts the significance of Vancouver’s historical buildings, legal landscape, and key figures who served as mentors to him over the decades. He shares with us the important phone calls he received which changed his career, his journey working in Yukon, serving on the executive of the Canadian Association of Provincial Court Judges, the significance of his swearing-in ceremony when he was appointed as a federal judge, and the “bathtub effect” as a trial judge. Justice Wong emphasizes the importance of learning by doing (much like osmosis), provides mentorship to junior and young lawyers, and encourages young people, especially women, to consider positions in government as well as judiciary positions.

Justice Randall Wong was a trailblazer and an integral part to Asian-Canadian history in Canada. He was:

• the first Chinese Canadian law graduate to article outside of Chinatown;
• first Chinese Canadian Crown Counsel, both federally and provincially;
• the first Chinese Canadian lawyer to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada;
• the first Chinese Canadian judge to decide on a Charter issue (section 24(2));
• the first federally appointed judge of Chinese descent; and
• the first Chief Crown attorney in Whitehorse, Yukon, among other achievements.

After 42 years of service and now colloquially known as a “judicial dinosaur”, but more accurately as a pioneer of Canadian law, Justice Wong shares his post-retirement plans since 2016, which includes serving on the board of the Chinese Canadian Museum (opening July 1, 2023), and acting as President of the Chinese Canadian Military Museum.

Justice Wong also wishes to invite FACL BC's membership to read his article here:

https://www.scribd.com/article/453439842/Reflections-By-A-Judicial-Dinosaur-On-50-Years-In-The-Law

Welcome to our first episode of 2023! FACL BC would like to thank its listeners and supporters for nominating its podcast to receive the 2022 Clawbies Award for Best Podcast. We are grateful to receive this award and hope you continue to enjoy our carefully curated content moving forward.

In this episode, we invite long time FACL BC Mentorship and Membership Committee volunteer, Abby Pang, to share with us her decision to pivot from personal injury law to family law, and how she managed to gain experience in family law before switching practice areas. Abby also shares her ups and downs behind the launch of her new law firm, Illuma Law, and explains the reason behind the unique and new firm name. Having previously hosted our successful panel event geared toward NCA (National Committee on Accreditation) and LLM candidates, Abby closes off the episode by sharing her personal experiences with the NCA process.

Family Legal Clinics:

Amici Curiae (AC) Friends of Court: https://www.legalformsbc.ca/#/

Rise Women's Legal Centre: https://womenslegalcentre.ca/

Battered Women's Support Services: https://www.bwss.org/

In this episode, we invite lawyer and life coach, Angela Han from the US, to share briefly about her own journey with mental health, how she helps others through her career, and her thoughts on being a minority in the legal field.

Angela paves the way for Asian lawyers, particularly Asian women, to turn our so-called “weaknesses” into “fuel” for our journeys. She reminds us that it's okay to be imperfect, and that perception is key to any situation we are in.

Listen to Angela's own podcast here: https://www.angela-han.com/

Our host May Au, in-house counsel at Lululemon, sits down with Jaclyn Leong, Senior Legal Counsel at Aritzia for this episode (recorded in April 2022). Aside from raving about the delicious fried chicken wings at Phnom Penh in Vancouver's Chinatown, and recommending her favourite pieces from the fashion boutique, Jaclyn shares with us her decision to transition from a legal career in private practice, to in-house at Telus, a major Canadian telecommunications company, to now in-house leading the employment portfolio for one of Vancouver's most successful clothing brands in North America. With over 100 stores across Canada and the US, Jaclyn offers practical tips and advice on how in-house counsel can navigate the fashion industry in multiple jurisdictions. In doing so, she speaks from both a legal and business perspective, and shares with us on how that can be achieved during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guest host Chilwin Cheng sits down with Kevin Loo, QC one year later to discuss his Queen's Counsel appointment in 2021. In this episode, Kevin shares with us his thoughts on becoming Queen's Counsel, and family history, including how his great uncle, Andrew Joe, was the first Chinese Canadian to be admitted to the British Columbia bar in 1953. Kevin also discusses briefly his Uncle Andrew's advocacy efforts on behalf of Asian Canadians in Chinatown, where among many things, he fought for the right for local butchers to hang char siu on its store front windows.

See the full list of Queen's Counsel appointments here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021AG0179-002301

Read more about Kevin's uncle, Andrew Joe here: https://historyproject.allard.ubc.ca/law-history-project/profile/andrew-joe

In this episode, guest host Chilwin Cheng invites long-time friend Miranda Lam onto FACL BC's podcast again, one year later. This month she shares with us her exciting (and surprising) transition from being a litigation partner and retail sector lead at McCarthy Tétrault, for more than a decade, to now the Chief Legal Officer and Senior Director, Business Development at Acuitas Therapeutics Inc. Miranda recounts her unforgettable experiences at a National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) conference, and reminds leaders in the legal field to "send the elevator down" to support each other. Chilwin and Miranda also discuss how her past experience as a litigator serves her in her current in-house role, and Miranda leaves FACL BC's listeners once more with great words of wisdom and inspiration.

To listen to Miranda's first episode on FACL BC's podcast, please see Episode 6: February Mini Series with Miranda Lam (Feb 2021).

In this podcast mini-series, Chilwin Cheng interviews Rose-Mary Liu Basham, QC, founder of Basham Law. Rose-Mary discusses her experience as an Asian woman litigator, tracing her journey from when she was first called to the Bar in 1977. Rose-Mary shares with us her stories in the courtroom over the last four decades and imparts wisdom on how to to be a good lawyer, regardless of one's race and gender.

In this podcast mini-series, Brian Cheng interviews Cynthia Lam, new owner of GBC Law in Burnaby, BC. Cynthia shares her journey rising through the ranks from associate to buying the law practice of her now-former boss. As an eight-year call who has been the owner of her firm for eight weeks, she also describes the challenges of transitioning from being an employee to being an employer. We invite you to come listen to the insights that Cynthia shares as a small business owner and lawyer.

In this episode, Brian Cheng interviews Gurminder Sandhu, partner at Hamilton Duncan and recently elected Bencher of the LSBC. Gurminder recounts his experience as a senior litigator with over 21 years of legal practice. As a husband and father of three children, Gurminder shares his insight on developing a new practice area, maintaining work-life balance and having a successful career. As a Bencher, Gurminder tells us about his vision for the B.C. bar and the growing diversity among its ranks.

In this episode, we are honoured to be joined by Gaynor Yeung, who is a Director at Whitelaw Twining and was recently re-elected as a Bencher. Called to the bar in 1996, Gaynor shares with us what equity and diversity (E&D) means to her, some potential steps to improve E&D in the BC bar, and how she thinks the legal community has progressed over the years. In this episode, Gaynor also candidly shares her experience in and enthusiasm for making a difference to encourage racialized and non-racialized lawyers to promote E&D in the legal profession.

TW: this episode contains discussions of sexual violence and violence against women. Listener discretion is advised.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr. Julie Macfarlane, Order of Canada recipient and founder of the National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSLRP). In addition to discussing the access to justice crisis that impacts self-represented litigants, Dr. Macfarlane also shares about her advocacy work against non-disclosure agreements (NDA's) and Islamophobia. The interview concludes with Dr. Macfarlane's commentary on her book titled, Going Public: A Survivor's Journey from Grief to Action, which details her own experiences and struggles with the legal system as a self-represented litigant and survivor of sexual violence.

This episode we sit down with Parveen Sehra, the Director of Professional Resources at Singleton Urquhart Reynolds LLP. She leads the student program for summer and articling students, including recruitment, engagement, and professional development. She is skilled in helping young professionals develop and further their skills and has a broad range of experience within the legal industry. Parveen was most recently one of our speakers on September 14, 2021, for the panel titled “Navigating the Recruitment Process as an Asian-Canadian Law Student: Putting Your Best Foot Forward”. This episode is a recap of that event with OCI guidance, and provides further background on Parveen’s path to legal recruitment.

October's episode is brought to you by DLD Financial Group, a full-service financial planning firm based in downtown Vancouver. This month we are pleased to have Kelly Ho from DLD discuss money matters with legal professionals. You may have seen Kelly at one of our Fridays with FACL BC events earlier this year. In this episode, Kelly will discuss common financial issues faced by lawyers at all stages of their career and strategies one can employ to maximize their financial success. The goal is to provide you with a foundational understanding of financial planning advice specifically for lawyers and to equip you to make the most out of each hard earned dollar.

This episode is a discussion on law-adjacent careers with Barbara Wang, the Manager of Student Experience at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. Prior to joining the law school, Barbara was an associate at McCarthy Tétrault. 

Knowing that there would never be the “perfect” time for a career change, after a few years, Barbara made the leap. On the transition from private practice to her current law-adjacent role at Allard, Barbara discusses the factors she considered in her decision, the people she reached out to, the resources she relied on, the subsequent changes with the Law Society, and more.

Welcome back to season 2 of our podcast, where we feature Aaron Bains for this month's episode. Hailing from Surrey, BC, Aaron currently works at Aird & Berlis LLP and is a member of the firm's diversity and inclusion committee. He dedicates his time to various boards, most recently as president of the South Asian Bar Association of Toronto as well as the St. George's Society. Like our former guest Nerissa Yan, Aaron was named as Canada's Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in 2020 by Canadian Lawyer magazine in the Young Influencer category. He was also recognized as a 2020 Precedent Setter by Precedent Magazine, which recognizes six outstanding young Toronto lawyers who have shown excellence and leadership in their practice and their community.

In this episode, we sit down to discuss Aaron's journey as an award-winning Bay Street partner and his commitment to diversity and inclusion outside of work. We also talk about the importance of fostering strong relationships, surrounding ourselves with pleasant colleagues, and genuinely enjoying one's practice.

Chilwin Cheng, Principal at Ascendion Law, is the host of FACL BC's February special 3-part interview series.

This week's guest is Miranda Lam. Miranda resolves complex disputes and is a highly regarded trusted business advisor to private and public enterprises. A partner in McCarthy Tetrault’s Litigation Group, she is also the Retail Sector Lead in the firm’s national Retail and Consumer Markets Group, and a core member of the Mining and Technology Groups. A skilled litigator, she is recognized for her strategic thinking and business-oriented problem-solving approach to all disputes. Miranda is also the chair of McCarthy’s National Gender Equality Action Group, as part of their Inclusion Now priority.

Miranda returns for a second episode on FACL BC's podcast in season two, Episode 21 (May 2022).

Chilwin Cheng, Principal at Ascendion Law, is the host of FACL BC's February special 3-part interview series. This week's guest is Brian Cheng, who is a shareholder at Owen Bird with a focus on commercial litigation and insurance defence. Brian has appeared in the Provincial Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Appeal. He is also licensed to practice in Washington where he has appeared before the District Court, Superior Court, and the Court of Appeals.

In addition to his practice, Brian volunteers as a supervising lawyer through UBC’s Law Students’ Legal Advice Program and as a clinician lawyer with Access Pro Bono. He is a member of the boards of the Lawyers Inn Society (the Law Courts Inn) and the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers of BC.

Chilwin Cheng, Principal of Ascendion Law, takes over FACL BC's podcast for a special February 3-part series of interviews.

His first guest is Kevin Loo. He is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer and is a partner of Nathanson Schachter & Thompson LLP. Kevin regularly appears as counsel in the B.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, the Federal Court, and various administrative tribunals. Kevin clerked at the Court of Appeal. He is a Litigation Star, Benchmark Canada, and a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.

We speak with Nerissa Yan, recently named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada in the Young Influencer Category for 2020. Nerissa is a civil litigator at Hakemi Ridgedale LLP. We discuss challenges Nerissa has faced like coming to Canada and having to learn English as an adult, gender bias, and experiences in the courtroom.