FACL BC

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/

In this episode, Impact Recruitment's Steve Dorling and Olivia Truong explain to FACL BC's members and the legal community at large on what it means to work with skilled recruiters. They answer all of our questions, from how to work with a recruiter, whether it's a free service, what to submit in your application materials, the average pay range in the US, to being transparent about the difficulties of transitioning back from US legal practice and in-house practice. Is the grass greener on the other side? Only one way to find out!

If you are considering pursuing a career in the US with a Canadian law background, or want to consider a lateral transfer to a local firm in Vancouver, or other firm across Canada, do not hesitate to contact Impact Recruitment and reach out on their social media:

Website: http://www.impactrecruitment.ca

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ImpactRecruitment

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/impactrecruitment/

Twitter: @jobswithimpact

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/impact-recruitment-north-america/about/

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.