Staff
|
604.822.0142 jemmertonATbcli.org |
Jim Emmerton Jim Emmerton is the Executive Director of the British Columbia Law Institute. He received his LL.B. from the University of Western Ontario in 1973 and was called to the Bar in 1975. Since then he has served in various legal and senior executive capacities with John Labatt and Methanex Corp. Jim has a broad spectrum of knowledge in the fields of law, finance and corporate development. |
|
604.827.5337 gblueATbcli.org |
Gregory G. Blue Gregory Blue completed his B.A. (Hons) from the University of Saskatchewan, then graduated from the University of Victoria Law School. He was called to the Bar in 1981 in Saskatchewan and subsequently called the BC Bar in 1986. Greg holds his LL.M. from the University of Toronto. Greg was a Legal Research Officer to Law Reform Commission of British Columbia from 1989-1997. Greg Blue articled and practised law with MacPherson, Leslie & Tyerman in Regina, Sask. 1980-82. He served in the Constitutional Law Branch, Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice and as departmental solicitor to the Department of Energy and Mines (Sask.) 1982-87. Greg also practised law with Halyk Brent Dovell in Saskatoon, Sask. from 1987-89. He then practised maritime law with McEwen, Schmitt & Co. 1997-2003. Greg was the staff lawyer responsible for the such projects as the Succession Law Reform Project and the Privacy Act report. He served as reporter to the Trustee Act Modernization Committee. Greg was the Chair of the CBA Legislation and Law Reform Committee from 1997 to 1999. Greg is the author of the Annotated British Columbia Mineral Tenure Act (Vancouver; Western Legal Publications, 1998-). |
|
604.822.0564 kjamesATbcli.org |
Krista James Krista James graduated from UBC Law School in 1997 and articled with Legal Services Society. She was called to the BC Bar in 1998. She has worked as an adovcate and has taught legal advocacy skills, legal rights and other workshops through a number of not-for-profit organizations. In 2000-2003 Krista practised labour law at Victory Square Law Office. From 2005-2007, she taught critical writing through the Emily Carr Institute Writing Centre. She is currently working in the area of capability and capacity studies, family caregiving leave and real property. Krista is a filmmaker, visual artist and lifelong student of yoga. She has produced films on various topics including child protection in BC and the narrative of the personal body. |
|
604.822.0633 lwattsATbcli.org |
Laura Watts Laura Watts is the National Director of the Canadian Centre for Elder Law (CCEL), the national organization which focusses on issues of law and aging in that country. She is also a Staff Lawyer at the British Columbia Law Institute and a legislative drafter. Completing her law degree at the University of Victoria Law School in 1998, Laura was called to the Bar in British Columbia in 1999. After practising in the area of health care and fiduciary law, she commenced her LL.M. at UBC Law School in the area of fiduciary obligations. Laura is the Secretary of the National Canadian Bar Association Elder Law Section and active member of a variety of other CBA sections. She is a frequent contributor to Continuing Legal Education programmes on elder law issues. Laura serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Journal on Elder Law and the co-facilitator of the World Study Group on Elder Law. She has published a variety of research reports articles and is the co-editor of and contributing author to an upcoming text on the jurisprudence and theory of elder law. Laura is the past-Chair of the BC Coalition to Eliminate Abuse of Seniors and serves on a large number of advisory boards and Boards of Directors. In her role as National Director of the CCEL she frequently gives talks, workshops, lectures and media interviews to a wide variety of organizations and audiences, nationally and internationally. Annually, she organizes the Canadian Conference on Elder Law, which is an international conference advancing issues of elder law to both legal and interdisciplinary audiences. Laura is currently working towards establishing a civil legal aid clinic for seniors in Western Canada, creating a provincial strategy for adults with capability challenges and modernizing adult abuse and guardianship legislation in Canada. Laura and her husband Roger live in Steveston with their two young children, Alex and Madeleine. She is an avid skiier and is currently recovering from an ACL/ MCL/Meniscus injury because of one afternoon where she was feeling a little too inspired by the World Cup Downhill, which was happening at Whistler that same afternoon. |
|
604.827.5336 kzakreskiATbcli.org |
Kevin Zakreski Kevin Zakreski grew up in Saskatoon and moved to Vancouver to attend law school. He graduated from UBC Law School and was called to the BC Bar in 2001. He articled and practised with Chow and Company in downtown Vancouver in the area of corporate / commercial law. He then joined the BC Law Institute in 2003 as a staff lawyer. Kevin has worked on a number of law reform projects, including revision of the Builders Lien Act, Civil Enforcement of Judgments, Unfair Contract Terms and, drafted the Canadian Centre for Elder Law Studies’ Consultation Paper on Reverse Mortgages and the recent review of s.90 of the BC Family Relations Act regarding issues of filial obligation. He is currently responsible for the ongoing work on the BC Society Act. Kevin sits on the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws working group on unincorporated associations. He is an avid marathon runner. |
