Be a Hero Representing the Evil: How to Fulfil your Duties as a Lawyer when Advocating for Unpopular Positions

Event Description

Veteran trial lawyer Martin Finch, K.C. — Life Bencher of the Law Society of British Columbia, partner at Baker Newby LLP, and long-time lecturer — joins the Runnymede Society at UBC Allard for a candid discussion on the lawyer’s duty to advocate for clients and causes that may be unpopular. Drawing on decades of criminal and civil practice, Mr. Finch will address why legal ethics require that even unsympathetic clients receive a full and fair defence (including outside the criminal context), how counsel should conduct themselves when advocacy conflicts with personal morals, and practical ways to manage media and community pressure. The session aims to equip students with a clear framework for principled advocacy and concrete tools — on file selection, client communication, courtroom decorum, and reputational risk — useful across practice areas, followed by audience Q&A. Target audience: Allard 1Ls–3Ls, mooters, clinic students, and aspiring litigators; faculty and staff are welcome. Hosted by the Runnymede Society, a non-partisan forum for thoughtful debate on constitutionalism and the rule of law.

Lunch will be provided to all attendees. RSVP is appreciated: 

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Speaker

Martin Finch, K.C. earned a Bachelor of Arts with Honors from Simon Fraser University in 1976 and followed this with a Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of British Columbia in 1980. In 1991, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia awarded Mr. Finch a Master of Laws Degree.

Mr. Finch has practiced as a trial lawyer since being called to the Bar of British Columbia in 1981. He is also admitted as a barrister and solicitor in Australia. Mr. Finch practices in the fields of criminal and civil litigation. He articled with the Vancouver law firm of Zlotnik, DuMoulin in 1981. From there, he assumed a position as Crown Counsel in Vancouver, and subsequently in the interior of British Columbia with a base in Williams Lake. Following a three-year period lecturing in law in Melbourne and Brisbane, Australia, he joined Baker Newby LLP in 1991.