Future Partners Program |
About A brand new initiative and the first of its kind in Canada, the FACL BC Future Partners Program aims to empower senior associates between 6 to 8 years of call at their firm in preparation for partnership. The Future Partners Program will demystify the partnership application process for those considering this career avenue and wanting to make an informed decision. In addition to a structured curriculum, the volunteer faculty will be matched with participants of the Future Partners Program so that participants will receive individual support outside of the structured curriculum, on an as-needed basis. The program will be chaired by the FACL BC Advisory Committee, with Past President, Fiona Wong as the Program Coordinator. To FACL BC’s knowledge, while there are no current statistics on Asian Canadian legal professionals rising to the ranks of partnerships at major law firms, the American Bar Association and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association released a joint report in 2022 titled, “A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law 2.0” analyzing similar statistics for Asian American legal professionals in the United States. The joint report was published as a follow up to the original Report from 2017, and we encourage our membership to review both publications in detail. As of 2022, Asian Americans make up 4.3% of equity partners at major law firms, whereas nearly 90% of equity partners are non-racialized (white). Asian women in particular only make up 1.8% of partners at major law firms. |
Curriculum
Sessions marked with an (*) will be accompanied by a catered lunch following the session. |
Application Process Applications for the 2026 inaugural cohort are now open. Please find the application form here. Please check back on this webpage regularly and follow FACL BC social media channels to stay updated on the Future Partners Program. Deadline: November 21, 2025, 11:59 PM PT. Eligibility: current FACL BC full members who practice at a law firm in BC and are called between 2018 and 2020. Program fee: $350.00 once admitted (non-refundable). The applications will be blind reviewed by members of the FACL BC Advisory Committee and the volunteer faculty of the Future Partners Program. FACL BC will accept up to 2 optional reference letters (up to 2 pages each maximum) to support each application to the Future Partners Program. References should be from a member of the legal community but do not have to be provided by a member at the same law firm. All selected participants will be notified and invited to the Future Partners Program by December 2025. FACL BC will not publish the identities and participation of participants to encourage a safe and supportive environment. |
Volunteer Faculty FACL BC is pleased to share that the following partners will be serving as instructors, or volunteer faculty for the 2026 Future Partners Program: |
Alex J. Chang’s primary areas of practice are strata, tenancy, construction and real property law. He is a co-leaders of Lesperance Mendes’ strata practice and the leader of the tenancy practice. Alex has successfully represented clients at all levels of court in British Columbia, before various tribunals and in private arbitration. Alex also maintains a solicitor practice focused on strata and tenancy matters. Alex regularly writes articles and presents educational seminars about strata and tenancy issues. Alex is also the author of the CLE BC Strata Property Practice Manual – Chapter 14 Recourse to the Courts. |
Brian Cheng is a shareholder at Owen Bird Law Corporation, where he is a co-chair of the Associates and Articling Committee. In that role, he oversees recruitment and mentorship, ensuring that associates get coaching and support on the path to becoming shareholders at the firm. In his practice, Brian is a civil litigator, handling commercial matters, professional negligence claims, shareholder disputes, insurance issues, and administrative reviews. In his spare time, Brian volunteers with search and rescue, specializing in swiftwater and marine rescue, and he is a qualified search and rescue manager for the Province of British Columbia. |
Brian Duong is counsel (and a shareholder) at Hunter Litigation Chambers, where he maintains a generalist litigation practice. He has been recognized by his peers in the publication The Best Lawyers in Canada for his work Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Administrative and Public Law, and Gaming Law. Brian has also been named a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation. Brian is currently the chair of the BC Committee for The Advocates’ Society and the vice-chair of the CBABC Advisory Committee to Judicial Council. Brian holds law degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Cambridge, and clerked for Justices Newbury and Groberman of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. He has been a member of the Massachusetts and British Columbia bars since 2009. |
Cheryl D’Sa, KC was called to the bar in 2008, currently the managing partner of Narwal Litigation LLP, a firm devoted to criminal defence, personal injury, professional regulation and securities litigation. Cheryl is in her second term as one of two Bencher representatives on the Board of the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC (CLEBC) and in her second year as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL BC). In recent years, Cheryl has received several awards, including the CBABC Women Lawyers Forum Debra Van Ginkel, QC Mentoring Award, an Excellence Award in the Category of Female Trailblazer of the Year by Canadian Lawyer Magazine’s Canadian Law Awards and Business in Vancouver’s Top Forty Under 40. She was appointed King’s Counsel in 2023. |
Cindy Cheuk was born and raised in Vancouver. She was called to the Bar in 2006 and began her career as an associate at Lang Michener LLP (now McMillan LLP). Later, She joined Dentons LLP in 2009, specializing in insolvency litigation and restructuring, and she became an income partner at the firm in 2016. At the end of 2020, Cindy accepted a role as legal counsel with the Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General of British Columbia in Victoria. At the Legal Services Branch, Cindy continued to practice in the area of insolvency litigation and also served for several years as a deputy supervising counsel. From 2020 to 2025, Cindy was a member of the Law Society of BC Tribunal. Outside of work, Cindy has guest taught law students at UBC, UVic and TRU. |
Daniel Lee is a Partner at Fasken. He is an experienced Canadian corporate immigration lawyer and recognized thought leader with a background in human resources. He is actively involved in the legal community and is often called upon to render legal opinions and provide his viewpoints on a broad range of complex immigration policy issues. He works closely with employers in developing human resource policies and immigration training to ensure their workplace practices are compliant with immigration laws and regulations. Moreover, Daniel provides strategic and practical advice to clients with respect to immigration matters and has successfully led large-scale labour mobility projects for internationally recognized events, including the 2023 Laver Cup in Vancouver. |
Doug Chiu is a Partner at Hammerco Lawyers LLP and leads the Commercial Litigation Department. Doug is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society (FACL BC), and is part of the Executive Committee of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC. He was appointed onto the Law Society of British Columbia Tribunal where he chairs and sits on discipline and credential hearings. Doug is regularly featured on Chinese media including television radio and print. He co-hosts a program where he discusses legal issues and fields live questions solely in Cantonese. |
Gaynor Yeung, KC has been a partner at Whitelaw Twining since 2009. She was appointed lead of the firm's insurance vertical given her years of managing key firm clients, including one global and two national insurance clients as well as various national retailers. Gaynor has been recognized by her peers as one of the Best Lawyers™ in Canada for her work both in Insurance Law and Personal Injury Litigation. She now works predominantly as a mediator. Gaynor is currently serving her third term as an elected Bencher of the Law Society of BC. |
