Our second spotlight of this month is Scott Morishita. Scott is a current FACL BC member and is an Associate Counsel at Rice Harbut Elliott LLP. 

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

I first got involved with FACL BC in 2019. Margaret Mereigh, who was the President of the CBA (BC branch) at the time, encouraged me to join and get involved in some capacity. Shortly thereafter, I joined FACL BC, attended my first AGM, and then joined the Mentorship Program as a mentor.

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

This is a tough question, as there are so many to choose from. But if I had to choose one, it would be the "But I Look Like a Lawyer" documentary. The experiences and stories of other lawyers really resonated with me, and the academics did a phenomenal job of explaining the background and causes of systemic racism against Asians in Canada. After watching it for the first time I felt like I had to take the afternoon off to process it.

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

Early in my career I almost left the legal profession on two occasions. On the second occasion I came very close to accepting an offer for a non-law job. Ultimately, I decided to give law another year and reassess. Almost 15 years have passed and I'm very glad I didn't accept that offer.

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

Get involved in the legal community early in your career. For the first five years or so of my career, I was 100% focused on work and I struggled as a result. Being involved in organizations like FACL BC and the CBA has made me a better lawyer and has been very enriching on a personal level.