Peter A. Allard School of Law

In an often adversarial legal world, in which lawyers battle to assign fault, Commissions of Inquiry can contrast as unusually collaborative processes — dedicated to fact-finding and clearing the air, but also committed to resolution and reform.

Allard Law alum Dr. Kim Stanton sat as one of three commissioners on the Mass Casualty Commission, the public inquiry into the April 2020 shooting deaths of 22 people in Nova Scotia. “Commissions are more than just the reports they produce,” Stanton says. First, they are by definition inquisitorial, providing a broad legal mechanism by which to investigate and illuminate issues of critical public concern.

Allard Law alum the Honourable Austin Cullen, KC was appointed Commissioner to the Commission of Inquiry into Money Laundering in British Columbia in 2019. “A concern about corruption is a good reason to have a commission,” says Cullen."[It] was enormously useful to have a thorough and transparent airing. It triggered a lot of useful discussions.”

Getting matters of national interest onto the public record was also a crucial function of the Public Order Emergency Commission. Paul Champ, an Allard alum and Ottawa litigator focused on human rights, employment, labour and constitutional law, won standing before the Commission to represent a coalition of Ottawa residents and businesses, all of whom were “looking to get on the record the degree to which the convoy protest was anarchic — a breakdown at all levels," says Champ.

Learn more:

Nurturing justice with sunlight and time | Peter A. Allard School of Law Peter A. Allard School of Law alumni and faculty discuss their efforts to get the best from Canada’s Commissions of Inquiry.

Congratulations to Professor Régine Tremblay for being awarded the Christine-Tourigny Award of Merit in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the advancement of women in law and in society.

Professor Régine Tremblay awarded Christine-Tourigny Award of Merit | Peter A. Allard School of Law Allard Law Professor Régine Tremblay has been awarded the Christine-Tourigny Award of Merit in recognition of her outstanding contributions to the advancement of women in law and in society.

Located in the heart of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, the Indigenous Community Legal Clinic (ICLC) is dedicated to helping meet the needs of everyone who steps through its doors, says ICLC Legal Services Director Salima Samnani.

It’s that ethos that inspired the ICLC team to begin working with Indigenous families who had lost a loved one, to help them navigate the complexities of estate administration.

The Clinic’s new Grant of Probate Applications Project, funded by the Law Foundation of British Columbia, is making it easier for Indigenous families to gain access to funds that are owed to them, including class action settlements that were awarded to now-deceased survivors of residential schools.

Samnani took the time to discuss the ICLC’s new project and the Clinic’s broader impact:

New Indigenous Community Legal Clinic Project helps grieving families with estate administration | Peter A. Allard School of Law Legal Services Director Salima Samnani on the Grant of Probate Applications Project and the ICLC’s community impact.

Join us at Allard Hall for the Canadian Prison Law Conference: Rights, Remedies & Decarceration on October 4-6, 2024. The conference brings together lawyers, scholars, students, community advocates and people with lived experience of incarceration to share knowledge and discuss legal strategies for promoting decarceration and prisoners’ rights.

Registration is open now. An early bird rate for in-person attendance is available until July 19th. Student and online rates are also available. Learn more and register:

Canadian Prison Law Conference: Rights, Remedies and Decarceration | Peter A. Allard School of Law The Canadian Prison Law Association is partnering with the Peter A. Allard School of Law to bring the Canadian Prison Law Conference: Rights, Remedies and Decarceration to the Vancouver campus on October 4-6, 2024.

Reconciliation begins with truth. This is the impetus behind a new project sharing the stories of Indigenous law school alumni, along with former faculty and staff, who studied and worked at Allard Law over the past 50 years.

Titled "The Law School Experience: Indigenous Alumni Tell Their Stories," the goal for the project was to provide a space for Indigenous alumni to reflect and share the unvarnished truth of their experiences as law students.

The project also includes a timeline highlighting important milestones sketching out the development of Indigenous legal education at Allard Law, beginning in 1973.

Thank you to each of the contributors who have generously shared their stories.

Indigenous alumni share their law school experiences over the last 50 years | Peter A. Allard School of Law Reconciliation begins with truth. This is the impetus behind a new project sharing the stories of Indigenous law school alumni, along with former faculty and staff, who studied and worked at Allard Law over the past 50 years.

Premiering today, lawyers from across Vancouver are taking the stage for The Lawyer Show. Allard Law alum Mandana Namazi and law student James Blackwood took the time to discuss their upcoming performance of Into the Woods. https://allard.ubc.ca/about-us/blog/2024/allard-law-students-and-alumni-set-take-stage-lawyer-show

Congratulations to all the Allard Law students who participated in our upper-year moots this year! We spoke with three of our students and recent grads to find out what they took away from the experience.

Experiences and insights from Allard law students’ upper-year moots | Peter A. Allard School of Law Congratulations to all Allard Law students who participated in our upper-year moots! We spoke with three of our students and recent grads to find out what they took away from the experience.

Congratulations to Allard Law professor Dr. Hoi Kong on being awarded UBC's Killam Teaching Prize and the George Curtis Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence!

Professor Kong is recognized for his extraordinary skills as an educator and for his work ethic, dedication and humility. His student nominators describe him as a highly approachable, respectful and caring professor who inspires them to reach their potential.

In his approach to teaching, Professor Kong aims to be both rigorous and responsive. “I try to be rigorous in what I teach: I aim to help students understand the core concepts, debates and ways of reasoning in the relevant areas of law,” he says. “I also try to be rigorous in how I teach. To that end, I implement pedagogical techniques that reflect what is currently known about how adults learn.”

Professor Kong’s student nominators say he brings a “passion for helping classes engage directly with complexity” into the classroom, and that his collaborative, respectful approach to teaching helps bring out the best in them. “Constitutional law engages with difficult issues,” his students note, stressing that Professor Kong is particularly skilled at facilitating highly productive class discussions on complex topics in which “everyone is heard and gets a chance to participate.”

Allard Law Professor Hoi Kong recognized for teaching excellence | Peter A. Allard School of Law Allard Law professor Dr. Hoi Kong was awarded UBC’s Killam Teaching Prize and the George Curtis Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence.

We're thrilled to announce a new gift of $2.157 million over the next five years from the Law Foundation of British Columbia to establish an equity, diversity and inclusion infrastructure within the law school and support research and teaching related to racial justice.

This gift is the first of its kind given to a Canadian law school and the largest donor investment in EDI infrastructure and research and teaching related to racial justice at UBC.

Allard Law celebrates a historic gift to advance equity, diversity and inclusion and racial justice work | Peter A. Allard School of Law A $2.157 million gift from the Law Foundation of British Columbia will support the advancement of EDI and racial justice work at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC.

Congratulations to Allard Law Professor Supriya Routh on being awarded a Canada Research Chair in Labour Law and Social Justice!

“Labour law has historically only addressed a very selective component of workers’ contributions, where there is a contractual exchange between an employer and an employee,” says Routh. And what counts as “work” under the law fails to account for many types of labour, including unpaid and informal care work and environmental work, despite the social benefits of such work.

Routh's research will examine how the law might recognize and better support workers who are engaged in a wider variety of socially and environmentally valuable work. “The goal of my research is to develop a social justice-based approach to labour law that is able to address labour as a broader socio-political concern.”

It’s time to expand what we think of as "work," says Allard Law’s Supriya Routh | Peter A. Allard School of Law Allard Law Professor Supriya Routh has been awarded a Canada Research Chair in Labour Law and Social Justice to examine how the law can more effectively support workers.

This UBC Giving Day, break down barriers in the BC justice system and support student experiential learning by giving to Rise Women's Legal Centre. When you give today, the first $2500 raised will be matched by a generous anonymous donor.

Rise provides family law assistance to women and gender diverse people across the province who are unable to afford a lawyer and do not qualify for legal aid.

Allard School of Law students work at Rise under the supervision of practicing lawyers, and gain valuable experience serving in a non-profit, social justice environment. Students work with clients on all aspects of their family law files, including interviews and intake, limited retainer services, preparation for court proceedings and in some cases, limited representation.

Your donation will ensure students can access experiential learning opportunities, while providing vital assistance to the women and gender diverse people who rely on these services. Give today and help advance access to justice across British Columbia.

https://givingday.ubc.ca/28330/givingday2024/165550/rise

Matching funds for the Steven Lewis Point Award in Law have been unlocked! Thank you to everyone who donated to support the future of Indigenous law students. Your gifts will help alleviate financial stress for Indigenous students and ensure they get the full law school experience.

The day isn’t over yet. You can still give and help make a difference: https://givingday.ubc.ca/28330/givingday2024/165551/steven-lewis-point-award-for-indigenous-students

Today is UBC Giving Day! Show your support before midnight to provide financial aid to Indigenous law students while celebrating the incredible contributions of the Honourable Steven Point and provide much-needed support to the Rise Women’s Legal Centre.

When you donate to the Rise Women's Legal Centre today, your gift could have a double impact! For the first $2,500 will be matched by an anonymous donor.

The first $500 raised towards the Steven Lewis Point Award Fund will be matched by Linda Hull and Tom Woods. Help us raise that extra $1000!

Allard School of Law - UBC Giving Day 2024 The Peter A. Allard School of Law is recognized as one of Canada’s leading law schools.

In 2023, a new law award was established in honour of the Honourable Steven Lewis Point O.B.C., a double UBC alum and the university’s first Indigenous Chancellor. The Steven Lewis Point Award in Law provides financial assistance to second- and third-year Indigenous JD students at the Peter A. Allard School of Law.

Donate on April 4, UBC Giving Day, to help alleviate financial stress for future Indigenous lawyers. https://givingday.ubc.ca/28330/givingday2024/165551/steven-lewis-point-award-for-indigenous-students

Join Allard Law's Dr. Emma Cunliffe next Thursday, April 4 for her Inaugural Lecture: Adversarialism vs Equality? How Legal Culture Impedes the Equality Project.

Dr. Cunliffe will discuss two fundamental aspects of truth-seeking within common law systems — the concept of adversarialism and the emphasis on cross-examination as the greatest legal tool for uncovering truth. She contends that adversarialism and cross-examination are often misconstrued within legal culture as ends rather than means, and that these misunderstandings can lead to inaccurate fact-finding and cause real harm to substantive equality and dignity.

Learn more and RSVP:

Adversarialism vs Equality? How Legal Culture Impedes the Equality Project | Peter A. Allard School of Law This lecture explores how legal culture contributes to the failings of the equality project in law. It particularly seeks to understand the courts’ unfulfilled promise to reject reasoning based on myths and stereotypes and instantiate a more egalitarian approach to fact determination within legal ...

Join us May 1st, 2024 at the VIFF Centre in downtown Vancouver to celebrate the accomplishments of just a few of the many remarkable members of our alumni community. https://allard.ubc.ca/about-us/events-calendar/2024-allard-law-alumni-achievement-awards

Congratulations to Allard Law Professor Bethany Hastie on being awarded a UBC Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship!

Professor Hastie is a leading Canadian labour law expert. Through this new fellowship, she aims to shed light on the challenges that new technologies are raising for workers – and the gaps in current labour law and policy in Canada.

Professor Bethany Hastie awarded UBC Killam Accelerator Research Fellowship | Peter A. Allard School of Law Professor Hastie hopes to shed light on the challenges that new technologies are raising for workers – and the gaps in current labour law and policy in Canada.

Are you an Allard Law alum?

Enter to win two tickets to see the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, March 31. The contest is open until 11:59 PM on Friday, March 22, 2024. Enter now: https://ubc.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aWC5zSPyORd3baC?eid=3e3c423fa8c3e9c5af34f854a3e5ad3d

On this International Women’s Day, we're excited to share that for UBC Giving Day (April 4th), you can help us break down barriers in BC's justice system and support student experiential learning by giving to Rise Women's Legal Centre.

Your donation will ensure that students can access meaningful experiential learning opportunities while touching the lives of the many women and children who benefit from Rise’s vital serviceshttps://givingday.ubc.ca/28330/givingday2024/165550/rise

Rise Women's Legal Centre - UBC Giving Day 2024 Break down barriers in the BC justice system and support student experiential learning by giving to the Rise Women’s Legal Centre.

In a new op-ed, Professor Benjamin Perrin wrote that federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre’s proposed mandatory minimum penalties (MMP) are ineffective at reducing crime.

MMPs may actually increase recidivism, are highly vulnerable to being struck down by the courts as unconstitutional, can increase delays in an overburdened system, and perpetuate systemic racism.

"As a criminal law professor and advocate for victims of crime, including a time advising former Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper, I used to be a proponent of MMPs. But as I’ve learned more about the unintended consequences of MMPs and harshness of imprisonment in my research, including interviews with people who were incarcerated, I’ve become convinced that MMPs are a grave policy failure and cheap politics.

Pierre Poilievre’s proposed mandatory minimum penalties will not reduce crime Pierre Poilievre’s “tough-on-crime” rhetoric relies on discredited ideas that can lead to overly harsh penalties and actually increase crime.

This year’s Black Law Students' Association of Canada conference in Toronto saw the highest attendance from UBC Black Law Students' Association students to date, with 25 JD students and two LLM students from Allard Law taking part.

In a new blog post, Allard Law student and UBC BLSA Director of Communications Farhia Mohamed shared highlights from this year’s national conference.

“My favourite panel was the ‘Sister to Sister panel,’ which offered a more intimate setting, where Black female lawyers shared their experiences working in law, the challenges they faced, and how they overcame them,” says Farhia.

“One student in the audience posed a particularly memorable question about navigating situations where someone makes an inappropriate or offensive comment — particularly in the workplace. A lawyer on the panel advised the student to remain kind, yet feel assured to address any remark made, stressing that everyone deserves to feel comfortable at work.”

Reflections on the 2024 Black Law Students' Association of Canada Conference | Peter A. Allard School of Law Allard Law student Farhia Mohamed shares highlights from this year's Black Law Students' Association of Canada national conference in Toronto.

Studying is hard work. Make it easier and enter alumni UBC's contest to win $1,000 towards tuition. Open to all currently registered UBC students!

Student Tuition Contest - alumni UBC Hey UBC students! Studying is hard work but entering this contest is easy. Win $1,000 towards your UBC tuition to make your academic life a little easier. Open to all currently registered UBC students. Contest is open from February 26th to March 31st, 2024.

We're delighted to share that Professor Christie has been awarded the Jim Taylor, QC Faculty Scholar Award.

The award recognizes faculty members who consistently go above and beyond, contributing far more than their fair share to the law school. Professor Christie, who is Inupiat/Inuvialuit, is recognized as a leader who has played a critical role in helping the law school respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and as a mentor to other faculty.

His nominators describe him as “a quiet but mighty member of the faculty, over decades" and note that he has been a “longtime, loyal mentor to junior Indigenous faculty,” in addition to being a strong and effective advocate for Indigenous faculty hiring, tenure and promotion.

Within the university more broadly, Professor Christie has given generously of his time, serving as an advisor on numerous issues. His nominators also point to the impact he has had “as a calm, yet powerful voice for antiracism and justice.”

The law school is deeply grateful to Professor Christie for his many exceptional contributions over the years and for his dedicated service.

Professor Gordon Christie named Jim Taylor, QC Faculty Scholar | Peter A. Allard School of Law Professor Christie is recognized as a leader who has played a critical role in helping the law school respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action and as a mentor to other faculty.

British Columbia’s largest-ever trust law conference is happening this spring in Vancouver and registration is now open. Professor Adam Hofri-Winogradow shares what attendees can look forward to.

Allard Law professor Adam Hofri-Winogradow on BC’s largest-ever trust law conference – and why you should attend | Peter A. Allard School of Law The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Trust Laws: The Conference will bring together speakers from more than 10 legal jurisdictions around the world.

Professor Ben Perrin commented that the "tough on crime" approach is ineffective and calls for a 24/7 non-police mobile crisis response team.

“It’s actually heartbreaking that we continue to treat folks who are really struggling in very harsh and punitive ways.”

"It's disgraceful": Critic calls out tough-on-crime approach in Vancouver | News Is the Vancouver tough-on-crime approach ushered in by the ABC party the right one? One critic says it isn't.

Due to forecasted weather, UBC is cancelling all in-person learning activities on the Vancouver campus for Jan. 18. Classes may move online. Students are asked to look for communication from instructors. Necessary services will be maintained. Read more: www.ubc.ca

Due to forecasted weather, UBC is cancelling all in-person learning activities on Vancouver campus for all of Jan. 17. Classes may move online. Students are asked to look for communication from instructors. Necessary services will be maintained. Read more: www.ubc.ca

Youth are suing governments for contributing to the .

On January 24, 2024, join the Centre for Law and the Environment for the first of a four-part series where you can hear directly from youth plaintiffs and their lawyers about their cases.

This first event will look at Mathur et. Al. v. His Majesty the King in Right of Ontario.

In November 2019, seven young climate leaders launched a legal challenge against the Ontario government’s decision to significantly weaken the province’s 2030 climate target, arguing that Ontario’s decision violates youth and future generations’ rights to life, security of the person, and equality protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Register online to attend in person or via Zoom.

In Their Own Words: Plaintiffs & Their Lawyers Speak About Youth Climate Cases, Part 1 – Mathur v Ontario | Peter A. Allard School of Law The Centre for Law and the Environment’s four-part series, In Their Own Words: Plaintiffs and Their Lawyers Speak About Leading Youth Climate Cases, covers four leading cases from Canada and the US in which youth are demanding climate accountability and action from their government. Each session i...

A new report by the UBC Innocence Project argues that wrongfully convicted individuals are languishing in Canada’s prisons – and explains how timely access to police and court records could help remedy these miscarriages of justice.

Report co-author Tamara Levy, KC, Director of the UBC Innocence Project, says that denied requests and delays in gaining access to complete court records and police files present one of the biggest barriers that innocence organizations face in their efforts to advocate for the wrongfully convicted. These files can include information that was available but never shared with the defence at trial, such as the names of witnesses who spoke with police but who never provided a formal statement or potential evidence found at the crime scene that was never tested for DNA.

Funded by the The Canadian Bar Association's Law for the Future Fund, the report calls for a series of changes that would make it easier to access these files and could potentially cut years off the time that wrongfully convicted individuals sit in prison before their cases are formally reviewed.

New report aims to remove roadblocks to freedom for the wrongfully convicted | Peter A. Allard School of Law A new report by the UBC Innocence Project argues that wrongfully convicted individuals are languishing in Canada’s prisons – and explains how timely access to police and court records could help remedy these miscarriages of justice.

On Thursday January 25, join us in welcoming Dr. Elifuraha Laltaika, Senior Law Lecturer at Tumaini University Makumira, Tanzania, for our annual Douglas McK. Brown Lecture. Dr. Laltaika will examine the legal protection of Africa’s hunter-gatherers’ collective land rights, in particular, the Akie community of Kiteto District, Northern Tanzania.

Register to attend in person or via Zoom.

Douglas McK. Brown Lecture 2023-24: Legal Protection of Africa’s Hunter-Gatherers’ Collective Land Rights: A Study of the Akie Community of Kiteto District, Northern Tanzania | Peter A. Allard School of Law Focusing on the Akiye community of Kiteto District, Northern Tanzania, this lecture unveils impacts of legal gaps, and proposes appropriate solutions.