This month’s spotlight shines on Kaitlyn Chewka of Lovett Westmacott.
How did you first get involved with CLEBC?
I first became involved as an articled student with the Ministry of Attorney General when two senior counsel asked me to assist in researching and drafting separate CLEBC papers. Since then, I have enjoyed a steady diet of CLEBC involvement – attending, presenting at, and, most recently, co-chairing conferences.
What are you currently working on (or have most recently worked on) with CLEBC?
This year, I presented at the Fundamentals of Judicial Review as well as the Self-Governing Professions conference. I am also a co-chair of the Administrative Law Conference, which will be held on November 21, 2024.
Your practice isn’t restricted to administrative law, but it is a major focus. What made you decide to practice in this area of law?
My administrative law practice is more of a happy accident than the result of a well-thought-out plan.
In law school, I had a clear sense that I wanted to be a litigator but was less clear on what area of litigation I wanted to practice.
As an articled student, I completed a rotation with the Victoria Crown Counsel office as well as a lengthy combined rotation with what was then the civil litigation group and the constitutional and administrative law group. In those rotations, I was fortunate to work with excellent counsel who told me the best way to learn and improve was to “get into court early and often.” I took their advice to heart.
At the time, the constitutional and administrative law group was inundated with petitions for judicial review in the context of the immediate roadside prohibition scheme. I successfully applied for a position to assist with that work and never looked back. I spent the next five years in the litigation trenches with a small handful of colleagues (who became close friends), living, breathing, and learning administrative law. When I was asked to join Lovett Westmacott in 2019, I jumped at the opportunity to learn from leading administrative law practitioners and deepen my understanding of administrative law.
You are very active in the legal community. Your contributions are varied and include being a contributing author to publications, teaching, and serving as a coach to a moot team. Is there a particular type of volunteer activity that you prefer the most?
I don’t really have a preference. I enjoy each of them for what they have in common – they allow me to connect with individuals in our profession on a more personal level and to provide them with the same support that I received from mentors, colleagues, and friends over the years.
I am genuinely delighted to learn that someone better understands a legal issue after attending a conference or reading a paper I wrote. It is truly rewarding when a former student reaches out to share how they applied the advocacy skills they learned through UVIC’s moot program during a recent court appearance. I’m also encouraged by and eager to encourage those law students and younger lawyers who are interested in pursuing a litigation career, and who have questions about how to do that while balancing family responsibilities.
To be honest, I’m pretty sure I get just as much, if not more, out of each of these activities than the participants.
What advice would you pass on to a newly-called lawyer?
Always be respectful and kind.
Our profession can be incredibly difficult but it is infinitely more enjoyable when you approach everyone – support staff, self-represented individuals, opposing counsel, registry staff, sheriffs, and everyone in between – with kindness and respect.
If you find it difficult to approach a particular relationship with that mindset, it is likely all the more important that you do so.
Other than law, what are you passionate about?
My family. If our paths have crossed in the past ten years, I am sure you have heard one story or another about my children, my husband, or our high-maintenance golden retriever.