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Pivot Legal Society and Pivot Legal LLP staff
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Darcie Bennett, Legal Researcher and coordinator of the Jane Doe Legal Network
Darcie came to Pivot in October of 2006 as research coordinator for Pivot’s child welfare campaign. She is also the coordinator of Pivot’s Jane Doe Legal Network, a project that focuses on enhancing access to justice for women who have experienced violence through legal education, advice and advocacy.
Darcie has an extensive background working with community-based women’s organizations as both a researcher and an organizer on issues related to housing, income assistance, labour regulation, child care and the intersection of poverty and violence in women’s lives.
Darcie holds a PhD in sociology from the University of British Columbia. Her doctoral research focused on private security work in Vancouver’s gentrifying neighbourhoods.
She is the co-author of two Pivot reports Broken Promises: Parents Speak about BC’s Child Welfare System and Security Before Justice: As Study of the Impacts of Private Security on Homeless and Underhoused Vancouver Residents.
e-mail dbennett [at] pivotlegal [dot] org |
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Natalie Dunbar, Lawyer
Natalie Dunbar is also an associate of Pivot Legal LLP. She grew up on the west coast, born near the Lillooet reserve, and got a bachelor's degree from UBC. She moved to Manitoba to complete her law degree, where she focused on clinical criminal courses and charter work. By 1st year law school, Natalie was in court regularly working for Legal Aid Manitoba and working for the Legal Aid clinic at the University as well as acting as director of Pro Bono Services in Manitoba. As a Legal Aid staff lawyer, she did extensive criminal and prison law work as well as some mental health law. Natalie has worked in Provincial court as well as B.C. Supreme Court and Manitoba Queen's Bench.
e-mail ndunbar [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Carrie Humchitt, Lawyer
Information about Carrie coming soon!
e-mail chumchitt [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Douglas King, Lawyer
Douglas joined Pivot in June 2008 from the Downtown Eastside Residents’ Association to head the policing campaign for Pivot Legal Society and is also an associate with Pivot Legal LLP. He graduated from UBC Law in 2006 and was called to the bar in January of 2008 after articling with the appeals section of the Legal Services Society.
During law school Douglas worked as a clinician for UBC’s Law Students Legal Advice Program.
e-mail dking [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Christine McDermott, Lawyer
information coming soon!
e-mail cmcdermott [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Katrina
Pacey, Lawyer
Katrina Pacey is a partner with Pivot Legal LLP and a staff lawyer with Pivot Legal Society. She practices in the areas of criminal, prison, mental health and human rights law. She graduated from the University of British Columbia Faculty of Law in 2004 where she founded the UBC Law Students’ Social Justice Action Network. While in law school, Katrina was awarded the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award.
Katrina also received a Master of Arts in Women’s Studies and Gender Relations from the University of British Columbia in 2001. During graduate school, Katrina authored a number of publications including a legal handbook for immigrant and refugee women who are victims of domestic violence.
Katrina is past president of Pivot’s board of directors and has worked on many of Pivot's initiatives, including the sex work law reform project, the addiction campaign, and the policing campaign.
Katrina is a co-author of three Pivot reports, To Serve and Protect: A Report on Policing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, Voices for Dignity: A Call to End the Harms Cause by Canada’s Sex Trade Laws and Beyond Decriminalization: Sex Work, Human Rights and a New Framework for Law Reform.
e-mail kpacey [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Candace Parker, Lawyer
Candace is an associate with Pivot Legal LLP. She articled with Legal Aid in Saskatchewan and practiced criminal and family law there. In British Columbia, she has practiced labour, worker's compensation and other administrative law for nearly 20 years. She welcomes work in labour and employment law, family law, and acting for Indian Residential School survivor claimants through the Independent Assessment Process (IAP).
Candace's dedication to social change was sparked by a year spent doing community development work in a black ghetto in the U.S. when she was 19. Since then she has been involved with the women's movement and with various groups seeking social change. She has a Master's Degree in sociology, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Emily Carr University, a B.A. from the University of California and a law degree from the University of Saskatchewan.
e-mail cparker [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Nina Purewal, Lawyer
Information about Nina is coming soon
e-mail npurewal [at] pivotlegal.com |
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John
Richardson, Executive Director
John founded Pivot Legal Society with Ann Livingston in the fall of 2000, while an articling student at Sierra Legal Defence Fund. When he completed his articles in January of 2002 he began working for Pivot full-time as its executive director, a job that has changed constantly as Pivot has evolved and grown. In November 2005 John was awarded an Ashoka Foundation fellowship for his vision of strategically using the law to advance the rights of the most marginalized members of society.
Before starting Pivot, John attended Lester Pearson College of the Pacific, where he obtained an International Baccalaureate degree. From there, he obtained his B.Sc. (Hon) in Mathematics and Philosophy at the University of Toronto (Trinity College), and his law degree at the University of Victoria. While a member of the Environmental Law Centre at the University of Victoria, he co-authored “Civil Disobedience; a legal handbook for activists.” During his time at law school, he spent two terms as a co-op student at the BC Law Institute.
John is the lead author of To Serve and Protect: A Report on Policing in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, and has played a supporting role in many of its other publications and campaigns.
e-mail jrichardson [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Dave Roberts, Donor Relations Coordinator
Dave studied Anthropology and Psychology at Vancouver Island University. Before coming to Pivot in June 2009, Dave worked as a campaign coordinator at Public Outreach Consultancy where he raised support for over 15 non-profits and charities.
Eventually, Dave had the opportunity to help grow Pivot’s monthly donor program through Public Outreach and has been in love ever since. Now Dave dedicates his time at Pivot towards donor stewardship and new engagement initiatives.
e-mail droberts [at] pivotlegal [dot] com
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Paul
Ryan, Director of Hope in Shadows
Paul has coordinated the Hope in Shadows project since May 2005. The calendar sales part of the project directly results in the self employment of hundreds of local residents of the Downtown Eastside, who collectively earned $130,000 in 2008, creating a huge economic stimulus for the local economy.
Paul is also responsible for communications and development for Hope in Shadows. including the editing and publishing Pivot Legal Society reports, the weekly Pivot podcast and
for managing the Hope in Shadows and Pivot Legal Society websites.
Paul was editor of Montessori International magazine
in London, England for six years before moving to Vancouver
in 2004 and joining Pivot in 2005. Paul's education includes living for a year as an AFS exchange student in Palembang Indonesia when he was 17. Paul has a
B.A. in Political Science from Victoria University of
Wellington, New Zealand, followed by a journalism diploma.
For information about Pivot Legal Society publications call 604 255 9700 x 122
For Hope in Shadows call 604 255 9701
e-mail pryan [at] pivotlegal [dot] org or
pryan [at] hopeinshadows [dot] com
Twitter: @kiwipaul and @hopeinshadows |
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Lobat
Sadrehashemi, Lawyer
Lobat joined Pivot in October of 2006
as a lawyer and legal coordinator of the Child Apprehension
and Mothers in Poverty project.
Lobat graduated from
the University of Toronto’s Joint Law and Master’s
of Social Work program in June 2005, which included
practicum placements at the HIV/AIDS Legal Clinic of
Ontario (HALCO) and the constituency office of Gerard
Kennedy, MPP. Lobat was awarded two fellowships during
law school to pursue social justice work at the Centre
for Equality Rights in Accommodation (CERA), a non-profit
dedicated to issues of human rights and housing, and
the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, a legal and
counseling centre assisting women who have experienced
violence with their family and immigration law matters.
Lobat articled and worked as an associate with Lorne
Waldman, an immigration and refugee lawyer in Toronto,
prior to moving to Vancouver. Lobat’s research
interests include income security rights, anti-discrimination
law, and national security. Lobat currently sits on
the board of directors of CERA.
e-mail
lobat [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Laura Track, Lawyer
Laura joined Pivot as a staff lawyer in May 2008. Before coming to Pivot she articled with the federal Department of Justice and clerked at the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Her interests lie in the areas of human rights, poverty law, and environmental sustainability, and her work at Pivot will focus mainly on housing issues.
Laura graduated from the University of British Columbia law school in 2006, and completed a B.A. (Hons) in Psychology in 2001. While in law school Laura was an active volunteer with Pivot, as well as with the Amnesty International Refugee Network and the Social Justice Action Network, co-authoring Pivot’s report Beyond Decriminalization: Sex Work, Human Rights and a New Framework for Law Reform.
e-mail ltrack [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Tina Tomashiro, Receptionist
Although her hometown is Chilliwack, BC, Tina has made Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside home, since 1997. She is a rollerblading enthusiast and is often seen rollerblading all over the DTES.
She began volunteering for Pivot in February of 2006. Since completing courses and an on-the-job training she has traded her Pivot Legal Society Board community representative position to be Pivot's full-time legal administrative assistant. She considers herself a humanitarian and loves working on the ‘front-lines’, especially when she can tell that she has truly helped someone; either by just listening or by actually helping them meet a need by finding them a lawyer or other more-suitable resource.
Before becoming involved with Pivot she was the Acting Program Assistant of the Forensics Department at BCIT; and was also part of the administrative team that digitized the entire aircraft mechanics program at its Aviation Campus. After BCIT, she spent some time in Calgary before returning to Vancouver to resume her career.
e-mail ttomashiro [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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Peter
Wrinch, Director of Business and Development
Peter Wrinch came to Pivot after a decade studying Russian revolutionary history and art. Peter spends most of his time at Pivot working to bring Pivot's campaign work to new audiences both on and offline. Peter is also a Board Member of Megaphone Magazine.
e-mail
pwrinch [at] pivotlegal [dot] com |
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