The Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia is delighted to announce that Karim Amlani has been appointed Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Centre for Business Law.
The Allard School of Law’s Centre for Business Law is a vibrant intellectual hub for the scholarship and practice of business law and financial policy within Canada and internationally. The Centre provides a dynamic, interdisciplinary environment that fosters intellectual exchange within the legal community and supports students’ learning.
Amlani is the Senior Director, Legal at Hootsuite, where he leads a team supporting Hootsuite’s corporate, product and marketing functions.
At Allard Law, Amlani has given generously of his time, serving on the Dean’s Advisory Committee for the Centre for Business Law since 2022, after learning about the Centre’s work from an Allard Law student who approached him about speaking on a Centre for Business Law panel.
“Since then, I’ve been continually impressed by the Centre’s ability to bring together so many different stakeholders within the legal profession, and I think that’s ultimately the most meaningful impact that the Centre has on the community,” says Amlani. “I’ve seen students benefit from the knowledge and mentorship of practising lawyers, lawyers benefit from innovation at the law school and the energy that students bring, and scholars sharpen their positions with the benefit of the business community’s practical experience. None of that would be possible at the same scale without the Centre for Business Law.”
In addition to his role on the Dean’s Advisory Committee, Amlani shares his knowledge and expertise with students through his position as an adjunct professor, leading the law school’s Corporate Counsel Externship program. Each year, the Corporate Counsel Externship places 16 students at leading in-house legal teams, providing students with an opportunity to learn directly from experienced corporate counsel in a supportive environment.
Amlani has been an active contributor to the legal community in many other capacities. He has served on the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC’s bi-annual Corporate Governance Conference since 2020 and guest lectured on business law topics at Allard Law and at the University of Calgary law school. Previously, Amlani served on the Board of the BC Association of Corporate Counsel, which has a membership of over 125 in-house lawyers, as well as the Law Alumni Association Council of the University of Toronto, where he served as Treasurer in his final year.
“I’m excited to get more involved and contribute to the many vibrant activities of the Centre for Business Law, which is such a unique hub that brings together so many different people and ideas,” says Amlani. “I’m particularly looking forward to working with Dean Pindell and Professor Hutchison to bring the business community’s perspective to the Centre, and also see how the Dean’s Advisory Committee can best be of service to the Centre and the law school more generally.”
Dean Ngai Pindell, Centre for Business Law Director Professor Camden Hutchison, and the members of the Dean’s Advisory Committee look forward to continuing to work closely with Amlani and benefitting from his leadership over the coming years. Professor Hutchison had this to say: “Having worked closely with Karim in his role as director of the Corporate Counsel Externship program, I am confident that he will provide energy and vision as the Centre for Business Law moves forward with ongoing initiatives and exciting new projects.”
We would also like to sincerely thank the outgoing Chair of the Dean’s Advisory Committee, Mitchell H. Gropper, KC, who has served as Chair since 2020, for his guidance and service to the law school over the past five years.
