We are pleased to welcome five new CLEBC Board Directors beginning September 1, 2019.
Several of these new members are current CLEBC contributors and we greatly appreciate their continued support in this new capacity.
[Read more about CLEBC’s Board of Directors]
Professor Cristie Ford
Peter A. Allard School of Law
University of British Columbia
Vancouver, BC
Dr. Cristie Ford is a Professor of Law at UBC Allard School of Law and Director of the Centre for Business Law at UBC Allard School of Law. Dr. Ford’s research focuses primarily on regulatory theory as it relates to international, US and Canadian financial and securities regulation.
She has authored multiple articles and two books: Innovation and the State: Finance, Regulation, and Justice (Cambridge University Press, 2017); and, with His Excellency the Right Honourable David Johnston and Kathleen Rockwell, the leading text Canadian Securities Regulation (5th ed., 2014).
Prior to joining UBC, Professor Ford practiced in securities regulation and administrative law, including at Davis Polk and Wardwell LLP in New York. She obtained her graduate degrees from Columbia Law School, where she also taught in a variety of capacities. Professor Ford edited the interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal Regulation & Governance from 2012 through 2015 and now sits on its Executive Board, among other editorial and advisory boards. She has served on several occasions as a consultant to the Canadian Department of Finance. She has lectured in law schools and to academic audiences across North America and in Europe, Australia, and Israel. She was a Killam Faculty Research Fellow in 2012/2013, and in 2015/2016 received the George Curtis Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence.
Scott Morishita
Rice Harbut Elliott LLP
Vancouver, BC
Scott Morishita earned his law degree from the University of Victoria in 2005 and was called to the bar in 2007.
Scott started his legal career at Alexander Holburn Beaudin & Lang LLP, where he was an articled student and then an associate, practising primarily insurance defence. He then spent six years practising plaintiffs personal injury at Slater Vecchio LLP and then Collette Parsons Harris. In 2012, he moved to an in-house role at the Municipal Insurance Association of B.C., defending local governments. In 2019, Scott returned to a plaintiffs personal injury practice at Rice Harbut Elliott LLP, where he is associate counsel.
Scott is an elected member of the CBABC Provincial Council. He was recently appointed to the CBABC Access to Justice Committee. He is a board member of RainCity Housing & Support Society and has been a volunteer with the Lawyers Assistance Program of B.C. for over 10 years.
In his spare time Scott enjoys cooking and baking, travelling, and following U.S. politics.
Mary-Jane Wilson
Wilson Rasmussen LLP
Surrey, BC
Mary-Jane Wilson graduated from the University of Victoria in 1986 and was called to the bar in 1987. She practices in the areas of wills, estates, estate planning, and real estate law.
She received the Surrey Board of Trade “Women in Business” award in the “Professional” category in 2014, recognizing women with proven business acumen, outstanding leadership skills, notable achievements of expertise and exemplary community involvement.
Mary Jane Wilson is a full member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners (STEP) and holds a TEP designation, which is the only widely recognized designation for professionals in the trusts and estate administration industry.
She is a long-standing member of the Surrey Bar Association and a past Director of the Surrey Board of Trade, as well as a Past President of the Fraser Valley Estate Planning Council. She also served as a director of the Surrey Foundation and the Surrey Hospice Society for many years.
For a number of years, she has mentored young women lawyers as part of the formal mentoring program through the CBABC Women Lawyers Forum. She is committed to giving back to the profession and helping to ensure that an increasing numbers of women lawyers continue in the profession.
She is the author of the British Columbia Probate Kit, now in its fourth edition. This publication is of great assistance to those who have lost a friend or loved one with the steps needed to probate and administer an estate in British Columbia if they cannot afford a lawyer. She has also written about wills and estates matters for Retirement Ready Magazine, Easy Living Magazine, Successful Senior Magazine, The Now Newspaper and other publications.
Greg Palm
Hamilton Duncan
Surrey, BC
Greg Palm obtained his law degree from U.B.C. in 2000 and was called to the Bar of British Columbia in 2001. Since that time, he has built a broad civil litigation practice with a focus on commercial litigation, employment and human rights law, collections and foreclosures matters and real estate disputes. In addition, Greg dedicates a significant portion of his practice to disputes between lawyers and their clients over legal fees and related matters as well as disputes over the costs of litigation. In those areas, Greg is acknowledged as a leader in the field and is a well-recognized author and presenter, including multiple publications and presentations for CLEBC.
Greg is an active member of the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association as a two-term member of the Provincial Council (representing Westminster County), the current chair of the Professional Issues Committee, and a member of the BarTalk editorial board. He is also a former president and current executive member of the Surrey Bar Association, is a regular volunteer for Access Pro Bono and regularly volunteers his time for the Law Society of British Columbia, including as a guest instructor at PLTC. He also served three years as managing partner at his current firm, Hamilton Duncan, in Surrey, BC
Amanda Krishan
VK Law Corporation
Kimberley, BC
Amanda Krishan grew up in Saskatchewan, where she attended the University of Saskatchewan for her undergraduate and law degrees. Her practice is primarily focused on immigration law and wills and estates. Amanda completed her articles in Surrey before joining a law firm in Cranbrook. She was called to the bar in 2017.
Amanda is an active member of the Kootenay Bar Association. When not in the office, Amanda enjoys camping, kayaking, cross-country skiing, and going on walks with her dog.