Women in Law: Navigating Identity: The Asian Woman's Experience in Law

  • 13 Mar 2025
  • 12:30 PM - 1:30 PM
  • University of Victoria - Fraser Building, Room 265 and Zoom

Registration

In celebration of International Women's Day this March, we will host a hybrid panel discussion on Women in Law. Three trailblazing women of colour will share their journeys, the challenges they’ve overcome, and how they balance career success with well-being. 

This discussion seeks to provide valuable insights on resilience, inclusion, and growth in the legal field. 

Register through the button on the left of this page. (Note: in order to complete registration, you must be signed into your account on the FACL BC website).

Meet our Panelists 

Jenny Huang is an associate at Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, where she advises private companies and represents clients across industries such as life sciences, clean technology, and artificial intelligence. Before law school, she worked as a life sciences researcher at the Centre for Blood Research at the University of British Columbia and holds a master's degree in genetics. 

Jenny obtained her law degree from Western University, where she was actively involved in community work as the Student Coordinator for the Pro Bono Students Canada Western Chapter and Chair of the Western Intellectual Property Association. In her third year, she received the Torkin Manes LLP Award for academic excellence and meaningful community engagement. In addition to her legal practice, Jenny has been a board member of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (BC) Society (FACL BC) since 2021 and currently serves as its President.

Pinder K. Cheema, KC is a trailblazer in the legal profession. She was the first Sikh female to graduate from a Canadian law school , UVIC Law, in 1983. In 2002, she became the first Sikh female in BC to be awarded Queen’s Counsel. From 1989 to 2023, she practised with the BC Prosecution Service and was a member of the Bilingual Prosecution Team. During this period, she also chaired the Legal Services Society of BC. 

Pinder was one of the first women of South Asian descent to serve as a Bencher of the Law Society of BC and is now a Life Bencher.  She has served on several committees including the Credentials Committee, the Governance Committee, Anti-Money Laundering Working Group, South Asian Bar, and Ethics and Canadian Bar Association Women Rainmakers.

Since 1999, Pinder has also served on numerous adjudicative boards, including the Mental Health Review Board, the Community Care Assistance Appeal Board, the Safety Standards Appeal Board, and currently serves on the Patient Care Quality Review Board. Pinder is now a private practitioner in Victoria and continues her public service by sitting on the BC College of Nurses, and the BC Council of Administrative Tribunals.

Sana Fatima practices in the areas of human rights and employment law at Cook Roberts. Prior to joining Cook Roberts, Sana articled at the Vancouver office of a national employment law firm She also summered with the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada and a labour union based in British Columbia. Sana graduated law school at the University of Victoria where she was heavily involved with researching comparative labour law and received the Stacey Reginald Ball Prize in 2023 for her work in employment law research. Sana was also a part of the Environmental Law Centre Clinic and completed an exchange term at the University of Limerick in Ireland. Outside of academia, she served as the Co-President of the Pan-Asian Law Society, the Vice-President of the Law Students’ Society, the Student Representative to the Canadian Bar Association BC Branch, and the Events Coordinator of the South Asian Law Students’ Association.

Final Note

While this event is complimentary, we kindly request that you inform us of any changes to your RSVP as a courtesy to both our panelists and other potential attendees. Timely notification of any changes ensures efficient planning and helps us maintain the quality of our events. Please note that unexplained absences or repeated no-shows to FACL BC events may affect your ability to attend future complimentary events.

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By attending this event, you agree to abide by the FACL BC Event Code of Conduct.

If you have any questions about the Code of Conduct, please email info@faclbc.ca. 

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