Centre for Business Law at UBC

Come learn more about the Business Law Concentration offered through the Centre for Business Law. Information will be provided on the application process of the Concentration, its benefits, and ways for you to get involved with the Centre. This session will be followed by a Q&A period with the Director.

In person registration: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0HebN3o9Eb2nEd8

Zoom registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2kbJMQ6RSdqkHzvAK-jS5g #/registration

Workplace law is a practice area that touches every business, regardless of size. Full-service business law firms typically have an employment and labour practice group, and there are well established workplace law boutiques across Canada. Because workplace law lawyers act both as trusted advisors to, and advocates for, their clients, they tend to have a unique “solicigator” practice that means they are always in demand.

Join us to hear from Katie Comley and Sarina Gill, two experienced workplace law lawyers at Roper Greyell LLP, on the different areas that comprise a workplace law practice (spoiler: it’s more than just employment and labour law!), their day-to-day work, the diverse range of clients they support, their own career paths, and practical tips for students who are curious about pursing workplace law as a practice focus or niche.

Anyone interested in workplace law or better understanding the legal aspects of their own experience as an employee or employer is welcome to attend.

In person registration: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2bov6ZZWaeduRVk

Zoom registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BdW1vVkCQ9qKXgrHLv-Bdw #/registration

Interested in learning more about natural resource development and legal practice? This panel will discuss the legal aspects of Indigenous relations and partnerships as they pertain to the life cycle of natural resource development projects in Canada. We will discuss what it is like to be a lawyer in this field. Students are invited to attend and will be given the opportunity to ask questions about career and practice.

Lunch will be provided to all registrants. Register here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6r29KZvM4HmILgq

Join us this Friday for a talk by Professor Camden Hutchison presenting one of his latest papers, "Sandbagging in Canadian Law and Practice".

Lunch will be provided for all registrants. If you have any severe dietary restrictions please email [email protected] so that we may accommodate.

In person registration: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bdYK4Ixh4ORTn4G
Zoom registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_XuEHxAmtS3OjfGIBCMJ9iQ #/registration

Join us this Friday!

‘Investment crowdfunding’ is a new and inclusive form of online venture capital market open to all investors, both retail and accredited. It’s like Kickstarter, except the backer gets a share of stock, which would be an illegal public offering of unregistered securities—absent the special exemption adopted as part of the federal JOBS Act of 2012. Since then, many other jurisdictions—including Canada, Australia, and the EU—have enacted analogous legal regimes, each a bit different than the others.

Professor Schwartz recently published the definitive guide to investment crowdfunding, based on ten years of on-the-ground research, including as a Fulbright Scholar in New Zealand. He will address the law and practice of investment crowdfunding in the United States, and compare it with other jurisdictions.

Register here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_71ekHAM3Ew7yVvg

The capabilities of artificial intelligence have increased rapidly in recent years, with OpenAI's ChatGPT and other forms of generative AI capturing the public consciousness. These tools have enormous potential for increasing productivity and facilitating human expression, but also entail risks of manipulation and abuse. The advent of sophisticated AI therefore imposes significant challenges for governments and other actors tasked with protecting the public interest. Informed by their diverse perspectives and expertise, panelists Larry Bridgesmith, Daniel W Linna, and Kristen Thomasen will discuss how AI should (or should not) be regulated.

In person registration: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_78Vpwum6FePUQPY

Zoom registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/webinar/register/4516957083235/WN_QActtwRfSpK4DYgLD-YhCw #/registration

Ever wonder what happens when a company runs out of money or defaults on a loan? Join us at 12:30 pm on January 25 to learn how lawyers are involved in the insolvency of corporations and what a typical day looks like. The event will consist of a brief insolvency 101 presentation by Scott Boucher, Partner and Candace Formosa, Associate at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP, followed by a Q & A session. We will discuss everything from going to court on an urgent motion to life on a day-to-day basis.

In person registration: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_81XrrIIBmTKWhIW
Zoom registration: https://ubc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uzoys3ejTwSBwhPJ7Bi4CA #/registration

Our event scheduled for tomorrow, “The Business of the Workplace: A Day in the Life of an Employement Lawyer” is postponed due to weather conditions.

The new date for this event is to be announced.

Join us Monday, January 22 in Room 106 and on Zoom for this event co-hosted with the UBC Tax Law Club!

Jessica Fabbro and Nicholas Terry from Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP will discuss their experience working in tax law and transactional structuring. Students are invited to join this lunch lecture to learn more about careers in tax law in a business context.

Lunch will be provided for in person registrants.

In person registration - https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_cM8nzG29oz63keW
Zoom registration - https://ubc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_bkpolvRuQnyHMKJan9Fg-A #/registration

Workplace law is a practice area that touches every business, regardless of size. Full-service business law firms typically have an employment and labour practice group, and there are well established workplace law boutiques across Canada. Because workplace law lawyers act both as trusted advisors to, and advocates for, their clients, they tend to have a unique “solicigator” practice that means they are always in demand.

Join us to hear from Katie Comley and Sarina Gill, two experienced workplace law lawyers at Roper Greyell LLP, on the different areas that comprise a workplace law practice (spoiler: it’s more than just employment and labour law!), their day-to-day work, the diverse range of clients they support, their own career paths, and practical tips for students who are curious about pursing workplace law as a practice focus or niche.

Anyone interested in workplace law or better understanding the legal aspects of their own experience as an employee or employer is welcome to attend.

Register in person - https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0xEE2kad7yAIJbo
Register online - https://ubc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BdW1vVkCQ9qKXgrHLv-Bdw #/registration

The Career Services Office is happy to be bringing back An Evening with Women General Counsel, which is co-hosted by the CSO, the Allard Law Women's Caucus and the Allard Centre for Business Law, and sponsored by Women General Counsel Canada.

At this event, you will hear from a panel of some of the most prominent female in-house counsel in the Lower Mainland about their career paths and experience, the benefits and challenges of working in-house, and guidance on how to navigate a successful in-house legal career. Following the panel, students will have an opportunity to join facilitated breakout sessions and connect with women general counsel.

Registration will close on Friday, January 12th, 2024, at 4pm. Student spaces will be allocated in the order registrations are received, with a preference given to upper-year students who are self-identified women or non-binary persons.

To register for your chance to participate:
1. Confirm registration via this event listing: https://law-allard-ubc.12twenty.com/events #/events/1300110115752
AND
2. Complete a short questionnaire or copy this link to a new browser:
https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2o9aZkTR9fxSFGC

The Richards Buell Sutton LLP Business Law Clinic is accepting clients for Winter 2024!

Do you know a small business or non-profit looking for free legal support? We are currently accepting client applications for the Richards Buell Sutton LLP Business Law Clinic. To submit an application or learn about the services the Clinic provides, visit the Clinic's website: https://allard.ubc.ca/research/research-centres-and-programs/centre-business-law/business-law-clinic

The Allard Legal Tech Club is excited to announce our first event of the year! In collaboration with the we are hosting a panel on "Law and Technology: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing the Legal Industry"

The capabilities of artificial intelligence have increased rapidly in recent years, with the release of OpenAI's chatGPT bringing awareness of AI into the public consciousness. The increased capacity and capabilities of AI models has already begun to impact the legal industry and this trend will certainly continue in the years to come. The pace of development of AI and the advent of sophisticated generative AI models make this an exciting and disruptive time for the legal industry. Informed by their diverse perspectives and expertise, panelists Abdi Aidid, Megan Ma, and Javed Qadrud-Din will discuss how artificial intelligence is changing the legal industry.

This panel will take place on Friday, November 24th from 12:30-1:30pm in Room 104. There will be food provided for those who RSVP. Click the link in our bio to RSVP!

Wondering what it's like to work in the video game industry? Join Veda Cruz, Esq. (Corporate Counsel, Gearbox Entertainment) for an exciting discussion about the day to day life of in-house counsel.

Veda Cruz, a graduate of the University of Miami's business and law schools, serves as Corporate Counsel at the Gearbox Entertainment Company, a major video game developer. Veda will be discussing (1) her career development as a junior lawyer, (2) her experience working as in-house counsel, and (3) the legal aspects of the game industry, a field that encompasses entertainment, intellectual property, and traditional business law. Anyone interested in video games, the business world, or creative legal careers is welcome to attend!

Registration for this event is required. Lunch will be provided.

Register in person here:
https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a05nLFuugPatpDE
Register virtually here: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5wvd-yuqj4pHNwU7osYKHDUEIm5yIEAcabu #/registration

Join us Tuesday, October 31st!

Securities law is a big part of the practice of law in Vancouver but unless you choose to take an upper year course on the subject, you may never learn what it really involves. Come listen to Steven McKoen, K.C. and Susan Tomaine talk about their securities law practices at Blakes. The information they impart will be relevant for any downtown firm and any other major market in North America. If you have ever been curious about this fast-paced area of corporate law, come get the straight goods on what it means to be a securities lawyer in Vancouver.

Registration for this event is required. Lunch will be provided.

Register for in person attendance here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3mxOoOYHlObeilE

Thank you for attending this year’s Norton Rose Fulbright Corporate Counsel Externship Reception!

We had a great turnout from students, lawyers, participating organizations, and faculty with close to 120 attendees. We are grateful to our supporters and the speakers at the Reception, including Pam Cyr at NRF, Externship Adjunct Karim Amlani for his dedication to our Externship students, former Externship student Gabrielle Kalla for sharing her experiences and learnings from the program, and principal Karen Liong of FortisBC for sharing her experience working with our students and how it has benefitted her organization. Another special thank you to Norton Rose Fulbright for hosting the reception in the beautiful NRF Vancouver office, Sky Garden.

📷 You can view some of the stunning photos from the event on the Allard School of Law Flickr Page here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/allard_law_alumni/sets/72177720312050561/

Thank you for attending this year’s Richards Buell Sutton LLP Business Law Clinic Reception!

We would like to extend a special thanks to Sze-Mei Yeung at Richards Buell Sutton for the firm’s generous, impactful sponsorship, Clinic Adjuncts Tyson Gratton, Becky Rock, and John Alsbergas for their dedication to the Business Law Clinic students, former student clinicians Alexa Redford and Anica Vilamayor for sharing their Externship experiences, Student Ambassador Alirod Ameri for leading the Allard Hall tour, and all the attending RBS lawyers and staff for taking the time to come out to the Allard campus.

📷 You can view some of the wonderful photos from the event on the Allard School of Law Flickr Page here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/allard_law_alumni/sets/72177720312049711/

Thank you for attending this year’s Centre for Business Law and Allard Law & Business Society Welcome Reception! We hope that you were able to catch up with old friends and make new connections.

Thank you to our sponsors and individual donors for making the CBL Welcome Reception possible. Thank you as well to our co-host of this event, the Allard Law and Business Society and to co-presidents Asia Clarke and Claire Lee for their words of welcome.

📷 You can view some fantastic photos from the event on the Allard School of Law Flickr Page here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/allard_law_alumni/sets/72177720312068419/

We all depend heavily on nonprofits—for education, health care, social services, spiritual fulfillment, and much more. But unfortunately, too many nonprofits let us down, hobbled by inefficiency, infighting, and inertia. So what should we do? In his new book, How to Save the World in Six (Not So Easy) Steps: Bringing Out the Best in Nonprofits, David Schizer exposes the root causes of these problems and explains how to solve them.

Complimentary copies of the book will be provided by the Ranieri Fund for Nonprofit Education at Columbia Law School.

More information and registration for this event can be found here: https://allard.ubc.ca/about-us/events-calendar/how-save-world-six-not-so-easy-steps-bringing-out-best-nonprofits

Join us this Friday, September 22nd!

Lécia Vicente will be presenting her latest publication entitled "State Competition and Knowledge Spillover: What is There in a Market?" The article looks at how companies create monopolies that coat toxic corporate environments and prevent market access to employees. It explores a few solutions that nudge legislators to protect market freedoms (e.g., freedoms of movement and establishment) and boards to embrace competition and facilitate market access by comparing the US and EU market structures.

This event qualifies for 1 CPD credit.

Registration for this event is required. Lunch will be provided. If you have any severe dietary restrictions please email [email protected] so that we may accommodate.

Register for in person attendance here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5hkPuC9C9THHkyi
Register on Zoom here: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5YucO2qpj4jEtbCqolwG4d3xlTEGd9TkRh2 #/registration

Ensuring a workforce that has the capacity to transition Canada’s economy to net-zero is crucial. 28% of global leaders believe that difficulty in hiring talent with climate change skills Is one of their biggest external obstacles.

A new program, starting in October, has been developed by the Canada Climate Law Initiative and the University of British Columbia, in order to help professionals upskill in the area of climate risk and ESG. The 8-week long course is all online.

Learn more: https://ccli.ubc.ca/online-micro-certificate-course-climate-governance/

We are excited to be welcoming Michael Hershfield to speak with us next week! Michael is a graduate of the University of British Columbia and an entrepreneur in New York, NY. He will be discussing his career and providing students with an opportunity to learn about pursuing alternative careers with a Juris Doctorate.

This event will be hosted virtually. Register for the event here: https://ubc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5YscuGrqzsrGtKFdjGPmWGDtSANo545thb4 #/registration

Join us Wednesday, September 13th! Andrew Bernstein, Yael Bienenstock, and Jeremy Opolsky, Partners at Torys LLP will discuss their experience litigating private law cases before the Supreme Court of Canada. Students are invited to join this lunch lecture to learn more about careers in litigation in a business law context.

Registration for this event is required. Lunch will be provided. If you have any severe dietary restrictions please email [email protected] so that we may accommodate.

Register here: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0MMBRGLVAIIiW90

The Centre for Business Law welcomed Camden Hutchison as the new Director on July 1st.

Camden Hutchison is an Associate Professor at the Peter A. Allard School of Law. His research and teaching focus on corporate transactions, comparative corporate governance, and the historical development of corporate law.

Read Camden's profile here: https://allard.ubc.ca/about-us/our-people/camden-hutchison

Join online on Thurs June 8 9:00PT for Session 1 of a three-part webinar series presented by the Anti-Corruption Law Program:
"Preventing Corruption in the Post War Reconstruction of Ukraine."

Session 1 will provide foundational information to help familiarize webinar participants with the issues and challenges, the current state of thinking, early organizational planning, and efforts already underway that are aimed at ensuring the integrity of the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine.

Register here: http://ow.ly/tPho50OG8Tn

This event will qualify for 2 CPD credits.

This webinar series is being presented by the Anti-Corruption Law Program which is a joint continuing professional educational initiative of the Centre for Business Law at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, Transparency International Canada, and the Vancouver Anti-Corruption Institute at the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, also at The University of British Columbia

Our second speaker spotlight for the panel discussion on April 27 on the legal community’s role in addressing the climate crises is Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, KC.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__X7-35lVTRWytYlaD_Rx0Q

A citizen of, and General Counsel, to the Haida Nation, Terri-Lynn has practised in Indigenous-environmental law since 1995 when she began representing the Haida Nation at all levels of court, including the Supreme Court of Canada. She was lead counsel in litigation to protect the old growth forests of Haida Gwaii in the Haida case, the leading case on consultation and accommodation of Indigenous rights.

Terri-Lynn serves on the Law Society of British Columbia Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee, the Federation of Law Societies of Canada’s Indigenous Advisory Council, the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Centre for Business Law at Allard School of Law, and she is Co-Chair of the Indigenous Engagement in Regulatory Matters Task Force. She is a co-principal investigator with the Canada Climate Law Initiative. Terri-Lynn has been honoured with the Peoples’ Choice Andrew Thompson Award for lifetime contributions to environmental protection and sustainability (2014) and recognized as one of 500 most influential business leaders in BC in the General Counsel category (2022). In 2021 she was appointed as King’s Counsel.

The devastating impacts of the climate crisis in British Columbia and around the world have highlighted the urgent need for action across all sectors of society, including the legal profession. Lawyers and legal organizations have a critical role to play in dealing with climate change by providing legal expertise to respond to climate-related risks and opportunities, develop policies, regulations, and laws that address climate change, and advocate for climate action within their own organizations and the broader community.

Join FACL BC's Advocacy Committee on April 27, 2023 for an informative and thought-provoking discussion on the intersection of the legal profession and climate justice. The panel features lawyers, academics, and community leaders who will share their perspectives and insights on how the legal profession can contribute to addressing the urgent challenges of climate change.

As part of this discussion, we will also be seeking input on a climate resolution that will be submitted at the upcoming Law Society of BC's Annual General Meeting. The resolution calls on the Law Society to take a leadership role in addressing the climate crisis by developing policies and initiatives to reduce the legal profession's climate impacts, promoting sustainability and climate literacy in legal education, and supporting lawyers in advocating for climate action.

** Please note that the start time of this event has changed to 5:30PM. Register here: https://faclbc.ca/event-5246617

Speakers:
Dr. Carol Liao, Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Business Law at the UBC Allard School of Law
Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, Gid7ahl Gudsllaay, K.C. Citizen and General Counsel of the Haida Nation
Bruno Caron, Partner at Miller Thomson LLP

Moderators:
Hasan Alam, FACL BC Advisory Director and Staff Lawyer at the BCGEU
David How, FACL BC Advocacy Committee Chair and Articling Student at Cassels

This event qualifies for 1.5 CPD credits in Professional Responsibility and Ethics.

We are excited to announce our speakers for our upcoming panel discussion on April 27 on the the legal community's role is in addressing the climate crises. Our first speaker spotlight is on Dr. Carol Liao.

Dr. Liao is Associate Professor and Director of the Centre for Business Law at UBC Allard School of Law. She is also the UBC Sauder Distinguished Scholar of the Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics at the UBC Sauder School of Business. Her research focuses on corporate law and sustainability, climate governance, and gender and racial justice. In 2021, she received the Influential Women in Business Award from Business in Vancouver and was named as one of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women's Executive Network.

Dr. Liao is the Principal Investigator of a SSHRC IG project studying the evolution of Canadian and international corporate legal principles from an environmental, social and economic sustainability lens. She is a Principal co-Investigator of the Canada Climate Law Initiative advancing knowledge on fiduciary obligation and climate governance. She is the editor of two new 2022 books, Corporate Law and Sustainability from the Next Generation of Lawyers (McGill-Queen's University Press) and Innovating Business for Sustainability: Regulatory Approaches in the Anthropocene (with Beate Sjåfjell and Aikaterini Argyrou, Edward Elgar). She has delivered over 100 invited talks around the world on sustainable business and has been quoted over 60 times in news media on corporate governance and equity issues.

Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN__X7-35lVTRWytYlaD_Rx0Q #/registration

This event qualifies for 1.5 CPD credits in Professional Responsibility and Ethics.

Tune in to this webinar on Wednesday Mar 29 for a fantastic panel of experts discussing Canada's Indo-Pacific Strategy. The strategy, released in November 2022, is important for Canadian businesses because the region encompasses 40 economies, over 4 billion people, and $47 trillion in economic activity.

This event qualifies for CPD/CLE credits that can be claimed in Alberta, BC, Ontario, and Québec during event registration.

RSVP https://allard.ubc.ca/about-us/events-calendar/canadas-indo-pacific-strategy-there-pathway-forward-trade-investment-and-academic-cooperation

Hosted by McMillan LLP with the support of the Centre for Business Law at the
Peter A. Allard School of Law, Invest Alberta, Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives & the University of British Columbia.

Join us on Thursday, March 9th at 4pm for a Centre for Business Law information session! The Centre's Director, Dr. Carol Liao, will speak about what the Centre for Business Law has to offer and how students can get involved. This info session will talk about what students can expect in the Corporate Counsel Externship, Business Law Clinic, and the Business Law Concentration. Following the event, there will be a Q&A period with Dr. Carol Liao and students who have participated in the above programs.

This event will be held in-person in Room 106 at Allard and via Zoom. For more information: https://allard.ubc.ca/about-us/events-calendar/centre-business-law-information-session-0