The Allard School of Law is home to a lively and diverse intellectual community. Each year, the Faculty invites many people to participate in and contribute to that community with their presence and ideas. Some visitors stay for an academic year, others for a term or a few weeks, and others for a single presentation. All of them enrich the institution, providing students and faculty with new ways of thinking about law and legal institutions.
Annual Lectures
Douglas McK. Brown Lecture
The Douglas McK. Brown Chair in Law was established in 1986 in honour of one of Canada's most distinguished counsel and one of British Columbia's most eminent citizens. Douglas McK. Brown was born in Vancouver in 1912 and educated at the University of British Columbia and in Cambridge, England. For many years he taught at the law school, in addition to his busy practice in the firm of Russell & DuMoulin and his many public interests.
Douglas McK. Brown died in 1982 and soon thereafter a campaign was initiated to establish a Chair of Law in his name. Distinguished Visitors are appointed to the Faculty to participate in the intellectual life of the law school and to contribute to its program of legal education, including delivering the Douglas McK. Brown Lecture.
The Lecture is a public expression of the Faculty's wish to commemorate Mr. Brown and to thank those whose contributions enabled the Chair to be endowed. It is open to the profession, students and the public.
The Marlee Kline Lecture in Social Justice
This lecture honours the memory of Marlee Gayle Kline, a member of the Faculty from 1989. Professor Kline died in 2001 after a lengthy and determined struggle with leukemia. Her work on feminist legal theory and critical race theory, child welfare law and policy, law's continued colonialism, and restructuring of the social welfare state is internationally acclaimed. This lectureship not only recognizes Marlee's rich contribution to the law school community but also reflects her belief in the central role social justice concerns must play in legal education and law.
J. Donald Mawhinney Lectureship in Professional Ethics
The J. Donald Mawhinney Lectureship in Professional Ethics was established in honour of J. Donald Mawhinney to recognize his outstanding contributions to British Columbia's legal community, his commitment to legal education and his dedication to practicing with the very highest standard of professional ethics. 2006 was the inaugural J. Donald Mawhinney Lectureship in Professional Ethics. Each year the law school hosts an individual from the judiciary, the practice of law or academia to come to UBC as the J. Donald Mawhinney Lecturer. During the visit, the lecturer presents two lectures, one to students and one to members of the bar, the judiciary and the general public.
This lecture commemorates Mr. Mawhinney's dedication to professional ethics and legal education, and recognizes those whose contributions enabled the Lectureship in Professional Ethics. A special thank you to family, friends and colleagues whose generous contributions have made this lecture possible.
The Walter S. Owen Lecture
The Walter S. Owen Chair in Law, the first endowed chair at the law school, was established in honour of The Hon. Walter S. Owen, O.C., Q.C., LL.D., K. St., one of Vancouver's most prominent lawyers, businessmen and philanthropists. Among his many services to the legal profession and the public, he was President of the Canadian Bar Association (1958-59), Treasurer of the Law Society of British Columbia (1964-65), and Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia (1973-78). He died in 1980, and the campaign to fund the Walter S. Owen Chair, which was already underway at that time, culminated in the formal establishment of the Chair in 1982.
The Walter S. Owen Lecture is a public expression by the Visiting Professor who holds the Chair, of the Faculty's wish to commemorate Mr. Owen, and to thank those whose contributions enabled the Chair to be endowed.
Madam Justice Mary Southin Lecture
The annual Madam Justice Mary Southin Lecture focuses on the law of equity or British Columbia legal history and is held alternately at the Allard School of Law and the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria.
Madam Justice Southin graduated from the law school in 1952 and was called to the bar in 1953. Over the years, she earned a tremendous reputation with the Bench, her colleagues and litigants for her representation of a wide range of clients in a very broad litigation practice. Madam Justice Southin was appointed Queen's Counsel in 1969, was elected a Bencher in 1971, and became the Treasurer of the Law Society in 1977. She was the Editor in Chief of the British Columbia Law Reports from 1979 until her appointment to the Supreme Court of British Columbia in 1985. She was appointed to the Court of Appeal in 1998 and retired in 2006.
This important lecture pays tribute to her legacy by reminding others to pay heed to these two important influences - law of equity and legal history - on the legal profession.
Faculty Colloquia
The Allard School of Law Faculty Colloquium Series features research talks and discussions by invited speakers and faculty members. This series is divided into a faculty-only series of discussions of faculty works-in-progress and a series of public talks. All are welcome to join in the public talks detailed below.
Continuing Professional Development Credit
In 2009, the Law Society of British Columbia launched a Continuing Professional Development (CPD) program. This new initiative requires all members of the Law Society with a practising certificate to complete at least 12 hours of continuing professional development in accredited educational activities every year.
The Allard School of Law is pleased to be a pre-approved provider of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) hours and each year offers a variety of lectures and CPD eligible events. In past years, CPD events have included the J.Donald Mawhinney Lecture in Professional Ethics and the Annual Farris Lecture. In addition, many of the Centre for Business Law's events are also pre-approved for CPD hours.
Legal professionals participating in CPD events will be required to sign in and record their attendance. Often pre-registration is mandatory, but some events allow for drop-in attendance.
Regardless of registration status, individual attendees are responsible for reporting their own CPD activities. After completing a UBC pre-approved course or other accredited learning activity, lawyers can make an addition to their member record on-line. For more information about the Law Society's CPD program, visit www.lawsociety.bc.ca.
By providing professional development opportunities, the Allard School of Law is able to keep the legal community informed about the research activities taking place at the school. CPD events are also opportunities to engage lawyers in learning opportunities and discussions relevant and intrinsic to the practice of law.
We look forward welcoming the legal community to our events in the coming months.
For more information about CPD events at the Allard School of Law, email communications@allard.ubc.ca.
Learn more about Continuing Professional Development on the Law Society of British Columbia website.