The Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society is a diverse coalition of Asian Canadian legal professionals working to promote equity, justice, and opportunity for Asian Canadian legal professionals and the wider community.

Founded in 2011, FACL BC is the largest equity-seeking bar association in British Columbia with over 620 members ranging from judges, partners, associates, in-house counsel, academics and law students and is affiliated with other FACL chapters across Canada and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) in the United States, which represents over 60,000 lawyers.

FACL BC was also the winner of the 2022 Clawbies award for Best Podcast and the 2021 Clawbies award for Best Innovative Project for our ground-breaking documentary, “But I Look Like a Lawyer”, which captures stories of the discrimination, stereotyping and bias experienced by members of the Pan-Asian legal community. Allies are welcome, and can support our mission by joining as a Supporting Member. Supporting Members do not need to identify as pan-Asian or as a legal professional. Learn more here. 


    • 20 Mar 2024
    • 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
    • Keg Steakhouse + Bar (1121 Alberni St)
    • 0
    Join waitlist



    Join us for the FACL BC Associates’ Mixer, tailored for associates with over two years of experience in their respective fields. The event is geared towards facilitating networking, fostering business development, and providing opportunities for peer mentorship. 


    Event Details:

    • Date: Wednesday, March 20, 2023
    • Time: 5:30PM – 8:00PM
    • Location: Keg Steakhouse + Bar (1121 Alberni St.)


    Ticket Prices:

    • FACL BC Members: $10
    • Non FACL BC Members: $15


    Your ticket includes a complimentary drink, appetizers, and refreshments throughout the evening. Space is limited, so don't miss out - register now to secure your spot!


    We extend our gratitude to KSW Lawyers for their generous sponsorship of this event.

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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.

    • 21 Mar 2024
    • 5:30 PM - 8:00 PM
    • TD Tower (29th Floor, 700 W Georgia St)
    Join waitlist



    TD is our Exclusive Financial Partner for 2023-2024. We are pleased to introduce the second installment of our Financial Series with TD: an engaging panel discussion designed to empower female lawyers in advancing their careers.


    Our panel features Serene Chow, partner at Boughton Law; Nerissa Yan, co-founding partner at Yan Muirhead LLP; Tammy Rea, Regional Manager for Women in Enterprise at TD; Snow Zhao, Senior Investment Advisor at TD Wealth Private Investment Advice; and our moderator, Niki Hadizadeh, Regional Manager for Professional Banking at TD. Together, they offer a unique opportunity for candid dialogue and invaluable insights into advancing your legal career, mastering strategic financial planning for professional growth, and navigating important considerations such as investment and family planning.

    • Date: Thursday, March 21, 2024
    • Time: 5:30pm – 8:00pm
    • Location: TD Tower, 29th Floor, 700 W Georgia Street

    Agenda:

    • 5:30pm: Registration
    • 6:00pm: Opening Remarks/Panel Discussion
    • 7:00pm: Networking Session

    Complimentary food and refreshments will be provided.

    Meet our Panelists

    Niki Hadizadeh is the Regional Manager for Professional Banking and has been with TD for over 18 years. She previously held roles in Retail Banking, Management, Small Business, and Commercial Banking. Niki works with a designated team of Small Business Account Managers, Commercial Account Managers and Health Care Private Bankers, and builds and maintains key relationships with clients.

    Tammy Rea is the Regional Manager for Women in Enterprise at TD and has over 30 years of banking experience, specializing in personal and business solutions. In her current role, she supports women-owned, women-led businesses in British Columbia and Yukon, drawing on her diverse background in retail banking and management. A dedicated community advocate, Tammy volunteers with various organizations, including the Surrey Food Bank and the Fraser Valley Health Care Foundation, and has notably served as Vice-Chair for the Fraser Valley Group of the Urban Development Institute for over 11 years and as a Director of the Surrey Board of Trade for over 4 years.

    Snow Zhao is a Senior Investment Advisor at TD Wealth Private Investment Advice and has been in the industry since 2015. She holds the Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) designation and is fluent in Mandarin with an intermediate proficiency in French. Snow provides personalized wealth planning services for high-net-worth individuals, prioritizing capital preservation and consistent returns. Beyond her advisory role, Snow is an active contributor to the business community, serving on the board of the Shandong Business Association and as president of the Schulich School of Business Alumni Vancouver chapter.

    Serene Chow is a partner at Boughton Law, specializing in commercial real estate with a keen focus on acquisitions, sales, financing, and commercial leasing. With expertise in negotiating lease transactions for various project types, she adeptly serves the interests of both landlords and tenants. Serene's commitment extends beyond her legal practice; she is the founder of FACL BC, where she has played a pivotal role in reshaping the Asian Canadian legal landscape in BC. Her dedication to advancing diversity and inclusion is evident through her active engagement in the legal community.

    Nerissa Yan is the co-founder of Yan Muirhead LLP, distinguished as one of the few Mandarin-speaking civil/commercial litigation lawyers in Vancouver, serving both domestic and international clients. With extensive courtroom experience, she adeptly handles complex disputes, including contractual, shareholders', and real estate matters. Nerissa also represents clients in administrative and regulatory proceedings. Recognized for her influence, she was named one of the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada in the Young Influencer Category in 2020 and acknowledged by Best Lawyers as Ones to Watch in 2024. Nerissa has also been featured on FACL BC's podcast (please tune in to her episode on Apple Podcast and Spotify Podcast).

    ___________________________________________________

    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.

    • 4 Apr 2024
    • 5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
    • Zoom
    Register


    Are you currently in, or considering, the NCA process for internationally trained lawyers looking to requalify in Canada? Do you have immigration or employment-related questions pertaining to building a legal career in British Columbia? Don’t miss our upcoming panel dedicated to addressing these questions. We are thrilled to have Daniel Lee (Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP), Amandeep S. Hayer (Hayer Law), and Jennifer Lau (Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP) join us on this panel with their expertise on the subject. Jennifer will provide an employer’s perspective with respect to employment issues for NCA and LLMCL candidates, while Daniel and Amandeep will draw from their daily immigration law practice and share immigration considerations that individuals who are considering the NCA accreditation process should be mindful of as they consider working in the legal profession in British Columbia. 


    In the event registration form, please feel free to tell us what you would like us to address during the panel. While our panelists will provide invaluable information as they speak from their experience, they will not provide legal advice, and participants are encouraged to seek independent legal advice with respect to any specific immigration or employment law questions that they have.


    This event is eligible for 1.5 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits. 


    Meet our Panelists 


    Daniel Lee practices immigration law at Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP. He advises and represents clients in numerous areas related to immigration that involve work permits, such as corporate immigration law, employer immigration compliance and global mobility for employees. Daniel has extensive experience in providing immigration services to Canadian and foreign-based companies in a wide range of industry sectors. He works closely with employers in developing workplace policies to ensure their workplaces are in compliance with Canadian immigration laws and policies. Daniel is also the Immigration Supervisor Lawyer at LSLAP in the UBC.

    Amandeep Hayer is an active member of the legal community and currently serves as an executive member of the British Columbia Bar Association’s Immigration Law Section. Amandeep is currently a solo practitioner practicing in Langley, British Columbia (Hayer Law). He practices exclusively in Canadian Immigration and Citizenship Law. Amandeep's work includes a mix of complex Canadian citizenship claims, international students, assisting US clients in overcoming criminal inadmissibility, permanent residence applications through the economic class and the family class streams, and federal court litigation.

    Jennifer Lau (BA’03, LLB’08) is the Director of Professional Resources (Vancouver) at Cassels Brock & Blackwell LLP, where she is responsible for the recruitment and management of the law firm’s Vancouver summer and articling students and associates. Before Cassels, she spent 11 years at UBC’s Peter A. Allard School of Law, where she was a career coach to law students and lawyers, including NCA candidates. She led Allard’s Career Services Office in shifting to a strengths-based approach. In 2020, she was Allard’s Acting Assistant Dean of Students, where she led student academic support during the pandemic transition to online learning. She previously practiced as a lawyer and is a former president of FACL BC. Jennifer also recently moderated our annual NCA/LLM Q&A Panel on February 21, 2024, in conjunction with the South Asian Bar Association of BC.

    ___________________________________________________

    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.

    • 11 Apr 2024
    • 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
    • Barristers' Lounge, Victoria Courthouse
    Register


    Join FACL BC's Victoria Committee for a lunchtime screening and discussion of FACL's documentary, But I Look Like a Lawyer!

    But I Look Like a Lawyer shares stories of the discrimination, stereotyping and bias experienced by members of the Pan-Asian legal community. It aims to increase intercultural awareness and competency, and to surface the complexity of the historical, socio-economic and colonial aspects of these real lived experiences.

    • When: 12:00 pm – 1:00pm on April 11, 2024
    • Where: Barrister's Lounge, Victoria Courthouse Library
    • CPD Credits: 1.0

    A complimentary lunch will be provided. Space is limited and will prioritize members of the bar. Please email victoria@faclbc.ca with any dietary restrictions. 

    ___________________________________________________

    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.

    • 22 May 2024
    • 5:30 PM - 7:00 PM
    • Law Society of BC Atrium (845 Cambie St)
    Register



    In light of Asian Heritage Month in May, FACL BC and the Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC) will be screening FACL BC's documentary, "But I Look Like a Lawyer" on Wednesday, May 22, 2024.


    "But I Look Like a Lawyer" premiered in November 2021 and shares stories of the discrimination, stereotyping and bias experienced by members of the Pan-Asian legal community. It aims to increase intercultural awareness and competency, and to surface the complexity of the historical, socio-economic and colonial aspects of these real lived experiences. Since its premiere, the documentary has screened across dozens of law firms across Canada and the US, including other provincial Law Societies, won the 2021 Clawbies Award for Best Innovative Project, and screened at the 2022 Vancouver Asian Film Festival.


    FACL BC wishes to highlight and bring renewed attention to the original "But I Was Wearing a Suit" documentary (and its Part II), spearheaded by a group of leaders in the Indigenous legal community, including Justice Ardith (Walpetko We’dalx) Walkem, who has generously provided guidance for our initiative.


    Agenda:

    • 5:30 pm to 6:00 pm - Doors open, registration and refreshments
    • 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm - Documentary screening, discussion and Q&A


    FACL BC will provide light refreshments featuring Indigenous cuisine, catered by Tawnshi Charcuterie. Please email info@faclbc.ca if you have any dietary restrictions.


    This screening is free and approved for 1.5 hours of CPD credits. We thank the LSBC for offering their space for this screening.

    ___________________________________________________

    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.


Statements


Our Podcast

    


Documentary



President's Message

Welcome home!

It is a great privilege to serve as FACL BC’s President for the 2023 to 2024 year. Like many of you, I am an immigrant (from Hong Kong), a first-generation Canadian, a first-generation university graduate, and a first-generation lawyer.

The diversity of our profession is slowly changing, but lots of work remains to be done. As we enter our 12th year, I hope to focus my presidential term on advocating more, enhancing accessibility, and building more alliances for the Asian-Canadian legal community. Asian-Canadians were not permitted to practice law in BC until the late 1940’s. Only 100 years ago, the Chinese Immigration Act, 1923 was enacted with the objective of banning all immigration of Chinese peoples to Canada.

I joined FACL BC as a Student Member. The first time I ran for a board position at the annual general meeting (AGM), I was extremely nervous as I had never participated in a contested election. I was not elected and thought I would never show my face at FACL BC again out of humiliation and embarrassment.

But little did I know my journey at FACL BC actually began that day. The person who was elected for the role I ran for ended up becoming one of my closest friends in law. I went to my first FACL BC event following the AGM. Everyone – strangers – welcomed me with open arms because they all had the same intention of empowering other Asian-Canadian legal professionals, and “sending the elevator down” to junior lawyers. There was an incredible outpour of support from people I have never met, and this is still the case years later.

Not everyone’s experience at FACL BC is the same, but I think we all can safely say that the energy at FACL BC – both at the board and member level – is unparalleled. We are an incorporated non-profit society that is entirely volunteer driven other than two part-time student contractors. You or your firm’s support of our initiatives and mandate of promoting equity, justice, and opportunity can make a significant difference in our legal profession.

Because of FACL BC, I have been fortunate to meet and interact with very distinguished members of our bar, all of whom have carved the path for future generations of Asian-Canadians: from interviewing Justice Randall Wong, producing a documentary on discrimination and bias that screened at the Vancouver Asian Film Festival, learning from some of the few King’s Counsel of Asian descent in this province (including Winston Sayson, KC on our Advisory Committee, and Louisa Winn, KC, who recently graced the cover of The Advocate), to sharing a meal with BC’s Attorney General, the Honourable Niki Sharma, KC. FACL BC has also supported me professionally by connecting me to job interviews and client referrals through our incredible network of 620+ members. Most importantly, this professional network has become a community of lifelong friends and mentors - some of which have been recognized individually for the work they do for FACL BC, including through the CBABC Equality & Diversity Award as well as the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada.

These opportunities are, similarly, open to anyone who wishes to join FACL BC. I hope that you can benefit from the same through attending our exciting roster of events, or joining our future board, or one of our committees – advocacy, mentorship, membership, or gala.

I invite you and your friends to join us at http://faclbc.ca/join. Allies are welcome, and we offer a Supporting Membership for those who do not fall under the Full and Student Membership categories.

If you have any comments or feedback about FACL BC, please contact me anytime at president@faclbc.ca. Let’s get started!

Fiona Wong

President, Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC

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The FACL BC registered office is situated on the unceded, traditional territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓ə (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We acknowledge the significance of the land for the Indigenous peoples who have lived here and acted as stewards since time immemorial, as well as the historical and ongoing injustices they still face. We are committed to working towards decolonial solidarity and the full realization of Indigenous rights.   Read our full land acknowledgement here.

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