The Peter A. Allard School of Law Alumni Association Board of Directors is comprised of a diverse group of visionary and committed alumni who have chosen to continue their commitment to the Faculty after graduating. These alumni leaders provide the Allard School of Law with invaluable insight and guidance on alumni initiatives and programs, helping to connect alumni to each other and to foster connections between the Allard School of Law and the wider community.
Executive Members
- President - Kinji Bourchier, KC
- Vice President - Phebe Chan
- Treasurer - Emily MacKinnon
- Secretary - Nic Tsoi
Board of Directors
- Nassim Baharian
- Daniel Barber
- JoAnne Barnum
- Connor Bildfell
- Alexander Bjornson
- Martin Ferreira Pinho
- Claire Haaf
- Katrina Harry, KC
- Claire Hildebrand
- Richard Johnson
- Derek Lacroix, KC
- The Honourable Madam Justice Miriam Maisonville
- Margaret Mereigh
- Arun Mohan
- Associate Professor Nikos Harris, KC
- Richard Pearce
- The Honourable Justice Jon Sigurdson
- Rod Urquhart
- Susan Van der Flier
Board Bios
Kinji Bourchier, KC (LLB '99) - President
Kinji graduated from the Allard School of Law in 1999 and has practised law since he was called to the bar in 2000. He was elected President of the Allard School of Law Alumni Association in January 2015. Kinji is a partner with Fasken. He has a general commercial and business litigation practice with a diverse mixture of practice areas and a broad range of experience. Kinji's primary practice areas include complex commercial and civil litigation with a focus on contractual disputes, securities, shareholder and transactional claims, environmental remediation claims, insurance recovery, construction and engineering law. Kinji is a past elected executive member of the Vancouver Bar Association, and a former director and member of The Hoop-Law Society.
Visit the History Project's profile on Kinji.
Phebe Chan (LLB '04) - Vice President
Phebe is a lawyer at PCLC Law Corporation. Prior to establishing her own firm in 2015, Phebe worked at national and international law firms for over 10 years. She provides corporate legal work and immigration services for various industries and individuals.
Emily MacKinnon (JD '12) - Treasurer
Emily graduated from the Allard School of Law in 2012 as a gold medallist and Wesbrook Scholar and clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada for Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin from 2012-2013. While at law school, she was the recipient of a number of awards inclduing the Richard R. Sugden Prize in Trial Advocacy, the UBC Research Abroad Award, and the David Roberts Prize in Legal Writing. Emily is a partner at Osler in the litigation group where her practice includes high-level commercial disputes as well as constitutional and public law matters. In 2014, she was selected by UBC to receive the Young Alumnus Award which recognizes "a young alumnus whose accomplishments are of such excellence that they provide inspiration and leadership to students and other young alumni."
Visit alumni UBC's profile on Emily.
Nic Tsoi (LLB '08) - Secretary
Nic is a lawyer at Slater Vecchio. He has represented clients in the Provincial and Supreme Courts of British Columbia and the British Columbia Court of Appeal. He is an active member of the legal community, serving as an Executive Member (Member-At-Large) of the Vancouver Bar Association and a volunteer instructor for the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program, among others. Nic graduated from the Allard School of Law in 2008.
Visit the History Project's profile on Nic.
Nassim is a civil-law trained lawyer from Iran who graduated from the LLM Common Law program in 2015. She is currently an associate lawyer at the law firm of Grant Kovacs Norell in Vancouver, British Columbia and maintains a commercial litigation practice.
Daniel is a partner in the Insurance, Construction, and Commercial Litigation Law Groups at Singleton Urquhart Reynolds Vogel LLP. Dan is a practical litigator specializing in the areas of insurance defense, professional liability, construction, and civil fraud. Dan has appeared as counsel in both the Provincial and Supreme Court of British Columbia and regularly represents clients at chambers, trials, mediations and arbitrations. Dan graduated from the Allard School of Law in 2009, and has remained an active member of the legal community, serving as the Vice-Chair of the Insurance Law Subsection of the B.C. Branch of the Canadian Bar Association and as a member of Vancouver Regional Construction Association U40 Network. Dan furthermore gives his time as a volunteer lawyer with the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program and as the Captain of Singleton Urquhart’s softball and ski teams.
JoAnne is an associate with the Health Law and Insurance Law Groups at Harper Grey. She graduated from the Allard School of Law in 2013, receiving the Raymond G. Herbert Award as the best all-round graduating law student as adjudged by a committee of fellow law students. JoAnne is active in the legal community as duty counsel with Access Pro Bono and as a supervising lawyer for the Law Students Legal Advice Program.
Connor graduated from the Allard School of Law in 2016 as gold medallist. During law school, Connor served as Editor-in-Chief (Editorial) of the UBC Law Review, was a member of the winning team in the 2016 B.C. Law Schools Moot, and participated in the Law Students’ Legal Advice Program. After graduating, Connor clerked at the B.C. Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. Connor is now an associate in the litigation group at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, where he maintains a general litigation practice with an emphasis on corporate/commercial, class action, and public law disputes. Connor is also copy editor of the Advocate and a member of the CBABC’s Access to Justice Committee.
Alexander Bjornson is a litigator with the Ministry of Attorney General. His practice includes complex commercial and civil disputes, as well as administrative and constitutional law. Alex has been lead counsel in proceedings in all levels of court in the province. After graduating from the Allard School of Law, Alex practised at a national firm and then transitioned to a top-tier litigation boutique in Vancouver. Prior to law school, Alex obtained his degree from the University of Victoria. He previously sat on the board of directors for the Vancouver Opera and the Icelandic Canadian Club of British Columbia.
Martin Ferreira Pinho (JD '13)
Martin is a partner at Fasken Martineau, practicing in the areas of global mining and energy. He graduated from the Allard School of Law in 2013 and was called to the bar the following year. Prior to attending law school, Martin obtained a Bachelor of Applied Science in Integrated Engineering and worked on the Athletes’ Village project for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.
Claire is an associate in the Plaintiff Personal Injury Group at Whitelaw Twining. She graduated from the Allard School of Law in 2013. Claire is also the co-chair of the CBABC Young Lawyers – Lower Mainland section and volunteers with Access Pro Bono’s summary advice clinic at Atira Women’s Resource Society.
Katrina works in the areas of child protection and family law. She is the Manager of Indigenous Services at Legal Aid BC and oversees ten Parents Legal Centres across British Columbia. She created the first Parents Legal Centre in 2014 as a way for parents to resolve their child protection matters early and collaboratively. First elected a Bencher for 2022, Katrina is co-chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Advisory Committee and a member of the Discipline Committee and Lawyer Development Task Force.
Claire is an associate at Blakes. She has a broad corporate and commercial litigation practice, with a focus on corporate disputes, transactional claims, product liability, and arbitration proceedings. Claire also practices in restructuring and insolvency and has experience representing a variety of stakeholders in insolvency proceedings. After graduating from Allard School of Law in 2015, she clerked for six Justices of the Supreme Court of British Columbia. While at law school, Claire received a number of awards and scholarships, including the Law Foundation Scholarship and the Panvini Scholarship in Law. Claire frequently provides pro bono legal advice through Access Pro Bono and is a member of the Executive Committee for the Canadian Bar Association Insolvency Subsection. In addition to her law degree, Claire holds a Bachelor of Arts (honours) from Queen’s University and a Master of Arts from the University of Toronto.
Richard is a partner at Dentons (Vancouver) where he practices in their Intellectual Property Group. He practices in all areas of IP law, with a focus on the drafting and prosecution of patent applications, providing patentability opinions, and advising on patent protection strategies and intellectual property management. After graduating from the Allard School of Law in 2000, Richard practiced at a leading IP boutique for over 10 years, worked for a top tier national firm also in their IP group, before joining Dentons. He is also a volunteer band member for the CBA’s annual “Battle of the Bands” fundraiser.
Derek is the Executive Director of the Lawyers Assistance Program of B.C. Derek practiced law in B.C. from 1975 to 1993 and was also called to the bar in Oregon in 1995. Since 1987 Derek has made personal development, spiritual growth, and working with others his avocation and he obtained a Diploma in Counseling in 1996 and a Ph.D. in 2003. He began work with the LAP in 1997. Derek was appointed a QC in 2004 for his work in the legal profession.
He has published articles on the health problems facing lawyers, helping others, stress and depression. He has spoken at conferences on the role of volunteers, reaching out to others, stress, and addictions. He also leads workshops on many topics concerned with Healthy Living. He is active on several non-profit boards and is a Commissioner of the ABA Commission on Lawyers Assistance Programs.
The Honourable Madam Justice Miriam Maisonville (LLB '85)
The Honourable Miriam A. Maisonville completed her undergraduate studies in Political Science in 1982 and received a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of British Columbia in 1985. She was called to the British Columbia Bar in 1986 and to the Alberta Bar in 1991. Prior to her appointment, Madam Justice Maisonville had been Crown Counsel with the Ministry of Attorney General since 1994. She started practice with Howard Rubin, Q.C. in 1985, and went on to become partner with the firm from 1986 to 1994. Madam Justice Maisonville is a past member of the Judicial Council for the Provincial Court of British Columbia, as well as member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Bar Association. She served as President of the Canadian Bar Association’s B.C. Branch (2008-2009), the Conférence des juristes d’expression française de common law (2006-2008) and the Association des juristes d’expression française in British Columbia (2008-2009). She was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2009. At present she is on the Board of Directors of the Sopinka Cup Society and an ongoing lecturer and contributor to legal publications and a member of the B.C. Supreme Court’s Criminal committee. She also sits in the Yukon having been appointed as a Deputy Judge to the Supreme Court of the Yukon in 2011.
Visit the History Project for a profile on Madame Justice Maisonville from The Advocate, 66 (2008).
Margaret Mereigh (LLB '90) (on-leave)
Margaret is a senior appellate Crown Counsel with the BC Prosecution Service and prosecutes criminal appeals in the BC Court of Appeal and Supreme Court of Canada. She served as the CBABC President in 2018-19.
Arun is a Correctional Adjudicator with BC Corrections, Ministry of Public Safety & Solicitor General. Arun graduated from the Allard School of Law at UBC, with an LLB (2006) and LLM (2010), and acted as a mediator and adjudicator with the BC Employment Standards Branch, Ministry of Labour, and practiced as a lawyer in various fields, including aboriginal law, administrative law, employment law, family law, and personal injury law. Arun has presented at various forums and volunteered with a variety of organizations.
Richard is a partner at Webster Hudson & Coombe. His practice areas include commercial and insurance litigation, bankruptcy and insolvency, personal injury and real estate. He graduated from the Allard School of Law in 2000 and clerked at the Supreme Court of British Columbia.
The Honourable Justice Jon Sigurdson (LLB '73)
The Honourable Justice Jon Sigurdson completed his undergraduate studies in Economics in 1969 and received a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of British Columbia in 1973. Prior to his appointment to the BC Supreme Court, Justice Sigurdson began his legal career articling at Bull Housser. He remained connected to UBC post-graduation by being instrumental in the establishment of the Allard School of Law Alumni Association where he has served as President. He remains connected to the school through the association.
Visit the History Project's profile on Justice Sigurdson.
Associate Professor Nikos Harris, KC
Nikos Harris is an award-winning professor who also has extensive experience as appellate counsel. He has authored numerous articles on issues in criminal law and evidence, and his writing has been cited in a number of trial and appellate judgments. Nikos has served as a guest speaker for a number of organizations including Continuing Legal Education, the Trial Lawyers Association, and Crown Counsel of British Columbia. He is also is an advocacy advisor for the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute which assists counsel in preparing submissions for the Supreme Court of Canada. Nikos served as a judicial clerk at the British Columbia Court of Appeal and was a Raymond Herbert Award recipient.
Rod served as President of the Allard School of Law Alumni Association from 2009 to 2015. He graduated from the Allard School of Law in 1985 and has practised law since he was called to the bar in 1986. He also serves on the Allard School of Law Dean's Advisory Council. He is the managing partner at Edwards, Kenny, Bray LLP and his areas of practice include commercial, real estate, insurance, estates, employment, administrative, personal injury, torts and construction litigation. He has represented clients in all levels of court in BC as well as in the Federal Court. In addition to his courtroom experience, Rod has represented clients before various administrative tribunals, including the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists, the College of Dental Surgeons and the Workers' Compensation Board. He has also acted as an independent appeals officer, hearing appeals related to victim of crime compensation. Rod is a member of a number of subsections of the Canadian Bar Association as well as a longstanding member of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC, the American Association for Justice and the Vancouver Bar Association. Rod also serves as a volunteer for the Western Canada Society to Access Justice, providing pro bono legal services for individuals.
Susan is a lawyer with Fiddes Van der Flier Law Corporation.