Feminist Legal Studies

The UBC Law Women's Caucus welcomes women law students to our growing and diverse group. We are committed to promoting the discussion of issues and barriers facing women in law, with a view to initiating changes for the future.

What is the role of the Women's Caucus?

The Women's Caucus offers practical support to members as female law students. The Women's Caucus organizes opportunities for women in law to meet casually and comfortably and offers chances for women to speak frankly and helpfully about the position women occupy in the law school and the legal profession.

For more information, email us and we will send you the Women's Caucus Calendar of Events for 2010-2011. Feel free to pick up a copy at the Centre for Feminist Legal Studies.

Women & the Law Dinner

The Caucus organizes the annual Women & the Law Dinner. This event brings together women students, faculty, and legal professionals for an evening of great food, music, art and photography exhibits, and a esteemed keynote speaker. Past keynotes include: Madame Justice Allan, Madame Justice L'Heureux-Dubé, Madam Justice Lynn Smith, former President of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women Judy Rebick, legal advocates Gwen Brodsky and Sharon McIvor, scholars Joan Brockman and Catherine Dauvergne and Chief Justice of the B.C. Provincial Court, Ellen Baird. The Women & the Law Dinner is a valuable way for women studying and working in law to come together as a visible community to celebrate past accomplishments and consider ongoing challenges. Work on the dinner begins in the fall, with a goal of holding the event in conjunction with International Women's Day in March.

The Women's Caucus is also branching out into smaller initiatives. For example, in winter 2003 in response to an attack on a woman student in Kitsilano, the Women's Caucus held a free self-defence workshop, and this important service to the UBC Law community was also held in March 2004.

We would also like to take a more active role in helping women students as they make educational and professional decisions. We are looking forward to reviving two traditional lunchtime sessions with women faculty and students: the first in the fall to discuss research, teaching and community involvement, and the second in the spring to discuss upper year courses that might be of interest to students with a focus on women and the law. Other workshops we want to organize include women lawyers offering advice on practising law, career options, pro bono work, and personal goals; graduate students explaining their choice to further their legal education; and upper year students giving advice on managing study groups, interviews or volunteer work.

This year's executive is :

Veen Aldosky - VP Internal
Patricia Barkaskas - President
Dani Bryant - Secretary / Treasurer
Kate Mulherin - VP External
Bree Makohn - Third Year Rep

Email us at ubcwomenscaucus@yahoo.ca