January Spotlight #1: Hasan Alam 

Hasan, our past President and current Advisory Director, is a staff representative and lawyer at the BC General Employees' Union (BCGEU).  

1. What is something that not many people know about you?

I wasn’t planning on articling after finishing law school and was thinking about leaving the legal profession altogether. I submitted one articling application during my last semester of 3L because of the encouragement of a friend, got the position, and decided to give it a try.

2. How did you first get involved with FACL BC?

I was having coffee with Dave Namkung back in 2017, a past President of FACL BC, and he encouraged me to put my name forward for a Director position on the board. I decided to run for a board position without ever having attended a FACL BC event or volunteering on a committee. I was elected and here I am five years later serving as the Advisory Director! Reflecting back, what drew me towards FACL BC was that I was seeking a sense of belonging within the legal community. I also wanted to help further the organization's mandate of promoting equity, justice and opportunity for the pan Asian community. 

3. What has been your favourite FACL event or initiative so far?

It’s hard to choose one, but our panel discussion on the legal community’s role in addressing the climate crises stands out to me. This is because it was the first time that FACL BC engaged the issue of the climate crises, the panelists were excellent, and it ultimately motivated one of the attendees to put forward a resolution to the Law Society which in a nutshell encouraged lawyers in BC to engage with climate change and its effects. The fact that this event resulted in one of our members taking a concrete action drove home to me why the work that we do matters.

4. What advice would you give yourself if you were to go back in time?

Practicing self-love and compassion is the greatest gift that you can give to not only yourself, but also to the people around you.