Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC

An Asian Perspective on Being a Minority in the Workplace: An Online Discussion When: Friday, September 25 from 2 to 3 pm ET Who: Members and Non-Members RSVP to [email protected] for Zoom link... Asian Americans at McKinsey & Company (AAM) and our friends at Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers - Ontario Chapter will be having a joint discussion to explore what it means to be a minority in the workplace, told from the perspective of Asian professionals. The need for this discussion arises in light of growing public awareness of systemic discrimination and racism, particularly anti-Black racism. The discussion will focus on advocacy, and teach participants how to be an effective advocate for yourself and others when faced with discrimination and racism in both professional and societal contexts. FACL and AAM will invite four speakers to share their thoughts on their own professional journey, challenges they've faced, and learnings along the way.

Today, the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers - CARL L'ACAADR submitted a letter to Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, David Lametti calling for greater racial representation in judicial appointments to Canadas federal courts. The letter also called for a revision of the assessment criteria for judicial appointments to recognize systemic barriers that prevent the appointment of BIPOC judges. We are one of the 36 bar associations and legal org...anizations that signed on to this letter which calls for these important changes. Please help to spread the word. Online version (English): https://www.pressreader.com//toro/20200914/281487868766929 English: https://carl-acaadr.ca//EN-Letter-to-the-Min-of-Justice-1. French: https://carl-acaadr.ca///FR-Lettre-au-Min-de-a-Justice.pdf

Abigail Cheung, President of FACL BC shares her story about why she got involved with FACL BC.

Meet our newest 2020/2021 Board of Directors (not pictured: Chris Yan and James Hsu)! President: Abigail Cheung VP External: Hasan Alam VP Internal: Oliver Leung ... VP Marketing: Steven Ngo Treasurer: Jia Guo Advisory Director/Past President: Samson Chan National Representative: Chris Yan Secretary: Brian Cheng Gala Chair: Karen Chow Directors-at-Large: Alex Chang Afifa Hashimi James Hsu Khalil Jessa Audrey Jun Rasmeet Mohar Sarah Pedlow Fiona Wong Student Directors: UBC - Lily Le UVic - Jacqueline Louie TRU - Sandy Lun Area Representatives: Kamloops - Ruby Dhand Victoria - Sarah Sohn Executive Coordinator: Crystal Szeto/Daniel Szeto -- Thank you to everyone who attended our AGM this evening and to those who put their names forward for the election. We would also like to use this opportunity to thank our departing Board members for their service and dedication to FACL BC over the years: Jeffrey Hernaez, Victoria Wu, Jessica Lo, Jayde Wood, Victor Ramraj, Kayla Siu, and Angelina Sung. We hope everyone will continue to stay involved with FACL and hope to see you at our next AGM! Looking forward to a challenging but great year ahead.

The last executive meeting before our AGM this Thursday. Also wanted to introduce the youngest member of @faclbc! Congrats to our past president Chris Yan and his family!

Voting proxy forms are due by 5 pm today to [email protected]. If you are able to attend the AGM, please RSVP through the Zoom registration link in the event. See you on Thursday at the AGM!

FACL BC AGM - registration link: https://bit.ly/30jdL24 In accordance with the Bylaws of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society (FACL BC), notice is hereby given to all Members of FACL BC that a General Meeting of the Members ("AGM") will be held as follows: Location: Zoom... Date: Thursday, July 30, 2020 Time: 5:00pm to 6:30pm This AGM is open to all FACL BC members. Please register to RSVP by July 29, 2020 at 5pm. If you are not a current FACL BC member or have yet to register for the 2020-2021 year, you can join/renew through our website: faclbc.ca/join-us The Agenda for the AGM of the Members is as follows: 5:00-5:05 Members join the meeting 5:05 President Call for meeting to order and approval of previous meeting minutes 5:05-5:20 Treasurer/Secretary remarks financial statements and membership details 5:20-5:30 Outgoing Presidents remarks 5:30-5:40 Incoming Presidents remarks 5:40-5:50 Incoming VPs remarks 5:55-6:00 Acknowledgement of departing and remaining board members 6:00-6:25 Election and appointment of new board members 6:25-6:30 Closing Remarks and Adjournment See our website event page for more details: faclbc.ca/event-3900443 Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/270370917514933/

Canadian Bar Association - BC Branch (CBABC) is hosting an online meeting "Doing Business in Asia" Speaker(s): Guoxun (Kevin) Zhang, Counsel, Zhong Lun Beijing Michael Green, Director, Government Relations and Strategic Development, Sannam S4... Daniel Lo, Legal Counsel, UBS Bank Singapore Time: Thursday, July 16 2020, 4:00pm - 6:00pm (PT) CPD Hours: 1.50 hour More details and registration link: https://www.cbapd.org/details_en.aspx?id=BC_BC20ITL03R

As we wrap up our last board meeting for 2019-2020, we presented our inaugural FACL BC Appreciation Awards to cap off what has been a fantastic, record-breaking year. Congratulations to the following people. Unsung Hero Award - Crystal Szeto Committee Member of the Year - Afifa Hashimi Rookie Director of the Year - Steven Ngo... Director (Non-Executive) of the Year - Hasan Alam We also threw in a fun award being "best beard" which goes to Khalil Jessa Thanks to all of our volunteers, committee members and directors who have put in countless hours to support our mission. See you all at the AGM (July 30)!

Anti-Asian hate crimes and discrimination have significantly increased across Canada. A recent Angus Reid Poll showed that a majority of Chinese Canadians surveyed had been targets of anti-Asian racism. In light of this, FACL BC invites you to participate in a community discussion webinar on the alarming rise in anti-Asian racism on Tuesday, June 30, at 5:00 pm. This webinar will be aimed at discussing how and why this disturbing trend is manifesting, and the actions the prov...incial government, independent bodies, and community stakeholders are taking to combat it. This event will feature a discussion on this topic with three knowledgeable panelists, followed by an interactive question and answer session. Our panelists will be: - Kasari Govender, Human Rights Commissioner of B.C. - Bowinn Ma, NDP MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale - Kevin Huang, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Hua Foundation We acknowledge that these incidents of anti-Asian racism are taking place within a larger context of systemic racism in North America, where Black and Indigenous communities are the most targeted and historically marginalized. Our statement against anti-Black racism and commitment to building interracial solidarity can be found here: https://faclbc.ca/Recent-News/9013747 . *Pre-registration is required: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_6RDy7l0AS0WNNXnbSCWLoA

#faclfridays #careerplanning We will be chatting with Jayne Rossworn (Acting Director, Career Services at Peter A. Allard School of Law) and Mark Fenwick (VP, Corporate Services at Impact Recruitment) this Friday, June 26 at 12:30 PM on the topic of career planning and advancement amidst COVID-19. Register at the link below! Please share widely - open to all.... https://us02web.zoom.us//tZUodumgqjwqHtFMKe2kBxOj1P9BQ7eXF See more

One month left in our @faclbc calendar year. Stay tuned for details on our upcoming AGM and call for nominations.

Further to our statement released yesterday on anti-Black racism and recent events in Canada and the US, FACL BC has compiled a resource list for individuals who wish to support Black communities moving forward. https://faclbc.ca/Recent-News/9013755 Full statement: https://faclbc.ca/Recent-News/9013747

FACL BCs Statement on Anti-Black Racism and Recent Events in Canada and the US Full statement: https://faclbc.ca/Recent-News/9013747 Resource list: https://faclbc.ca/Recent-News/9013755... FACL BC has always advocated for equity and justice, and, in doing so, stands against racism and discrimination aimed at Asian communities in Canada. As members of the legal profession, it is our duty to advocate for the rights and freedoms of all persons and to oppose oppression. This duty does not stop with the Asian community or at our borders. We believe that it is important to speak out against racism that impacts any community. This activism is a reflection of our values and mission as an organization. Black lives matter, at all times and in all places. As historically marginalized communities, we must stand together with Black communities in condemning violence, oppression, and racism. We also recognize the historical ties between Asian and Black communities, the fact that there are members of our communities with both Asian and Black heritage, and the importance of solidarity against white supremacy. Please visit our website (linked above) to read our full statement and resource list.

Thank you to our special guests, Jeremy Hessing-Lewis (Founder of Small Law) and Matthew Peters (National Innovation Leader, Partner at McCarthy Tétrault), for speaking at today's session of Fridays with FACL on the topic of legal technology. We really appreciate Jeremy and Matthew for sharing their valuable insights on the impact of the development of Legal Tech on the legal profession! #faclfridays #legaltech #innovation

#faclfridays We will be chatting with Jeremy Hessing-Lewis (Founder of Small Law) and Matthew Peters (National Innovation Leader, Partner at McCarthy Tétrault) tomorrow at 12:30 PM on the topic of legal tech and the future of our practice. We hope to see you there! Please share widely - open to all.... http://bit.ly/faclbc2020 See more

In light of the alarming rise in anti-Asian hate crimes/incidents in British Columbia and across Canada, the FACL BC Advocacy Committee has put together this resource guide for those who have been victimized or impacted by these unfortunate incidents. You can take a look at the resource list here: https://faclbc.ca/Recent-News/8994651 Please share widely.

The annual Kim-Bautista Award in Law will be offered to incoming and returning law students at the Peter A. Allard School of Law beginning from the 2020/2021 school year. Our very own Maria Kim-Bautista, a founding member and past president of FACL BC, and Nicco Bautista, a longtime supporter of our organization, have generously created an endowment to offer awards totalling $1,200 to support visible minority students who are the first in their families to attend law school. ...Maria and Nicco established this award to support students with similar backgrounds to their own, recognizing that visible minority law students and lawyers are met with unique challenges in the legal profession. We encourage all eligible Allard Law students to apply! Applications will be due on June 18, 2020 at 4 PM PST for incoming law students and June 17, 2020 at 4 PM PST for continuing law students. Please use the following links to learn more about the Kim-Bautista Award in Law: Incoming law students: http://www.allard.ubc.ca/awards-and-scholarships-students-e Continuing law students: http://www.allard.ubc.ca/awards-and-scholarships-students-c

Thank you to our special guests, Yin Liang, B.Sc., CFP (Regional Sales Manager at BMO Wealth Management), and Daniel L. (Managing Director at LM Asset Management), for speaking today at Fridays with FACL on the topic of the economic impact of COVID-19. We really appreciate Yin and Daniel for sharing their valuable insights into the COVID-19 economic landscape from both legal and financial standpoints. The session was very well-received and welcomed nearly 40 participants! Our next event, Legal Tech: The future of our practice, will take place next Friday, May 29, featuring special guests Jeremy Hessing-Lewis (Founder of Small Law) and Matthew Peters (National Innovation Leader, Partner at McCarthy Tétrault). Please click here to RSVP: http://bit.ly/faclbc2020

#faclfridays This Friday, we will be chatting with Yin Liang (Regional Sales Manager at BMO Wealth Management) and Daniel Lau (Managing Director at LM Asset Management) on the economic impact of COVID-19. We hope to see you there! Please share widely - open to all. ... http://bit.ly/faclbc2020 See more

Thank you to Laura Pringle (Law Careers Officer, University of Victoria Faculty of Law), Laura Millman (Director of Professional Resources, Alberta and British Columbia at McCarthy Tétrault LLP), and Anna Kline (Counsellor and Manager, Student Wellbeing, Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC) for speaking at our student-led webinar on the impact of COVID-19 on law students and recent graduates. Today's event marked the highest attended FACL BC webinar with nearly 150 participa...nts from multiple provinces. Registrants will receive a follow-up email shortly with a recording of the webinar, a list of the resources discussed, and an informal resources document compiled by FACL BC student volunteers from every BC law school. In the meantime, we encourage all students to reach out to their respective law schools, career service offices, and firms for the most up-to-date information. Our next event is on Friday, May 22, titled Economy/Business: What is on the horizon? The economic impact of COVID-19 featuring Yin Liang (BMO) and Daniel Lau (LM Asset Management). RSVP: https://us02web.zoom.us//tZctc-qgrT4vHNSO6a3S6uimR6gOCUCIv

The numbers speak for themselves. We are heading into the long weekend grateful for your support of @faclbc. Since the COVID outbreak, our committees stayed proactive and shifted gears at record speed. In a span of a month, this resulted in 8 different events, 650+ registrations and counting. This is unreal. ... Thank you!

Another incredible event in the books. Today, we talked about navigating uncertainty in the legal profession and went deep into each of our panellists personal stories. Stories of adversity and real tactical wisdom on how to pivot during these times. Thank you, Enoch Chang (@faskenlaw), Sena Byun (@telus), Dave Namkung (Leaders International, past FACL president) for being on the panel and Steven Ngo (@visierlife) for moderating. We had over 80+ registrations and this event 5/8 of our COVID-19 event series. Check out faclbc.ca to join our upcoming events!

Thank you for attending our event, Diversity on the Bench, featuring the Honourable Attorney General, David Eby, QC and Charley Beresford where we had over 100 participants join us on a Monday evening! Lots of pertinent questions asked from our members and some insights on the judicial process. Recording will be shared to those who have registered. ... Upcoming events: May 14 (How to Navigate Through Uncertainty) and May 22/29 (Fridays with FACL BC). Register at http://faclbc.ca. #nonstop #faclbc #diversity #whatcovid

Thank you for attending Fridays with FACL (Anxiety/Mental Health: Navigating through change and breaking the stigma). We sincerely hope you enjoyed our event yesterday. In the session, Winston Sayson Q.C. emphasized that our mental health and degree of anxiety will impact our ability to practice law, and to practice law with efficiency, effectiveness, and excellence. Join us for our next event on May 11, Diversity on the Bench featuring the Honourable Attorney General, David ...Eby. Link to register: https://us02web.zoom.us//register/WN_dyf0qlN4SY2yRZUt2Fg0vg

We welcome everyone to take a look at the COVID-19 Resource Page that our Advocacy Committee has put together. We hope that these resources will be helpful to you. Please share widely.

#faclfridays This Friday, we're chatting with Winston L. Sayson, Q.C. on the topic of anxiety and mental health. These are intended to be compact, succinct 30-minute chats starting at 12:30pm (PT) sharp. Winston L. Sayson, Q.C. has served as Crown Counsel (Trial Prosecutor) for the B.C. Prosecution Service of the Ministry of Attorney General for 30 years and recently retired in September 2019. Throughout his career, he specialized in the prosecution of sexual or violent crime...s against vulnerable persons and children and the prosecution of vehicular fatalities. Winston was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2011 and has been recognized with a multitude of awards over the years for his contributions to the legal profession. Please share widely - open to all! http://bit.ly/faclbc2020

As you may be aware, online voting for the County of Vancouver (District No. 1) Bencher by-election will begin tomorrow, May 5, 2020 until Tuesday, May 19, 2020 at 5:00 PM. FACL BC contacted all candidates to offer them an opportunity to answer questions about how they have and will continue to address diversity. Many of the candidates offered responses. The questions we posed are as follows: 1. Why is diversity important to you? 2.If elected, what steps will you take to im...prove diversity within the BC Bar? 3. If applicable, what actions have you taken in the past to improve diversity within the BC Bar? You can view the statements here: https://faclbc.ca//FACL%20BC%20Candidate%20Statements%20on

To improve the diversity in our professions and communities at large, we must first acknowledge and learn about our own heritage. Since 2002, the month of May has been designated and celebrated as the Asian Heritage Month in Canada. These recent times have shown us how our society can still be quite divided. It is more important than ever that we work together and support each other. ... Join us to learn, celebrate, and connect different societies, to understand and learn from one another. - Samson Chan