Future Partners Program |
About A brand new initiative and the first of its kind in Canada, the FACL BC Future Partners Program aims to empower senior associates between 6 to 8 years of call at their firm in preparation for partnership. The Future Partners Program will demystify the partnership application process for those considering this career avenue and wanting to make an informed decision. In addition to a structured curriculum, the volunteer faculty will be matched with participants of the Future Partners Program so that participants will receive individual support outside of the structured curriculum, on an as-needed basis. The program will be chaired by the FACL BC Advisory Committee, with Past President, Fiona Wong as the Program Coordinator. To FACL BC’s knowledge, while there are no current statistics on Asian Canadian legal professionals rising to the ranks of partnerships at major law firms, the American Bar Association and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association released a joint report in 2022 titled, “A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law 2.0” analyzing similar statistics for Asian American legal professionals in the United States. The joint report was published as a follow up to the original Report from 2017, and we encourage our membership to review both publications in detail. As of 2022, Asian Americans make up 4.3% of equity partners at major law firms, whereas nearly 90% of equity partners are non-racialized (white). Asian women in particular only make up 1.8% of partners at major law firms. |
Curriculum
Sessions marked with an (*) will be accompanied by a catered lunch following the session. |
Application Process Applications for the 2026 inaugural cohort are now open. Please find the application form here. Please check back on this webpage regularly and follow FACL BC social media channels to stay updated on the Future Partners Program. Deadline: November 21, 2025. Eligibility: current FACL BC full members who practice at a law firm in BC and are called between 2018 and 2020. Program fee: $350.00 once admitted (non-refundable). The applications will be blind reviewed by members of the FACL BC Advisory Committee and the volunteer faculty of the Future Partners Program. FACL BC will accept up to 2 optional reference letters (up to 2 pages each maximum) to support each application to the Future Partners Program. References should be from a member of the legal community but does not have to be provided by a member at the same law firm. All selected participants will be notified and invited to the Future Partners Program by December 2025. FACL BC will not publish the identities and participation of participants to encourage a safe and supportive environment. |
Volunteer Faculty FACL BC is pleased to share that the following partners will be serving as instructors, or volunteer faculty for the 2026 Future Partners Program: |
Alex J. Chang’s primary areas of practice are strata, tenancy, construction and real property law. He is a co-leaders of Lesperance Mendes’ strata practice and the leader of the tenancy practice. Alex has successfully represented clients at all levels of court in British Columbia, before various tribunals and in private arbitration. Alex also maintains a solicitor practice focused on strata and tenancy matters. Alex regularly writes articles and presents educational seminars about strata and tenancy issues. Alex is also the author of the CLE BC Strata Property Practice Manual – Chapter 14 Recourse to the Courts. |
Brian Cheng is a shareholder at Owen Bird Law Corporation, where he is a co-chair of the Associates and Articling Committee. In that role, he oversees recruitment and mentorship, ensuring that associates get coaching and support on the path to becoming shareholders at the firm. In his practice, Brian is a civil litigator, handling commercial matters, professional negligence claims, shareholder disputes, insurance issues, and administrative reviews. In his spare time, Brian volunteers with search and rescue, specializing in swiftwater and marine rescue, and he is a qualified search and rescue manager for the Province of British Columbia. |
Brian Duong maintains a generalist litigation practice. He has been recognized by his peers in the publication The Best Lawyers in Canada for his work Corporate and Commercial Litigation, Administrative and Public Law, and Gaming Law. Brian has also been named a “Litigation Star” by Benchmark Litigation. Brian is currently the chair of the BC Committee for The Advocates’ Society and the vice-chair of the CBABC Advisory Committee to Judicial Council. Brian holds law degrees from the University of Toronto and the University of Cambridge, and clerked for Justices Newbury and Groberman of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia. He has been a member of the Massachusetts and British Columbia bars since 2009. |
Cheryl D’Sa, KC was called to the bar in 2008, currently the managing partner of Narwal Litigation LLP, a firm devoted to criminal defence, personal injury, professional regulation and securities litigation. Cheryl is in her second term as one of two Bencher representatives on the Board of the Continuing Legal Education Society of BC (CLEBC) and in her second year as a member of the Advisory Committee for the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (FACL BC). In recent years, Cheryl has received several awards, including the CBABC Women Lawyers Forum Debra Van Ginkel, QC Mentoring Award, an Excellence Award in the Category of Female Trailblazer of the Year by Canadian Lawyer Magazine’s Canadian Law Awards and Business in Vancouver’s Top Forty Under 40. She was appointed King’s Counsel in 2023. |
Cindy Cheuk was born and raised in Vancouver. She was called to the Bar in 2006 and began her career as an associate at Lang Michener LLP (now McMillan LLP). Later, She joined Dentons LLP in 2009, specializing in insolvency litigation and restructuring, and she became an income partner at the firm in 2016. At the end of 2020, Cindy accepted a role as legal counsel with the Legal Services Branch, Ministry of Attorney General of British Columbia in Victoria. At the Legal Services Branch, Cindy continued to practice in the area of insolvency litigation and also served for several years as a deputy supervising counsel. From 2020 to 2025, Cindy was a member of the Law Society of BC Tribunal. Outside of work, Cindy has guest taught law students at UBC, UVic and TRU. |
Daniel Lee is a Partner at Fasken. He is an experienced Canadian corporate immigration lawyer and recognized thought leader with a background in human resources. He is actively involved in the legal community and is often called upon to render legal opinions and provide his viewpoints on a broad range of complex immigration policy issues. He works closely with employers in developing human resource policies and immigration training to ensure their workplace practices are compliant with immigration laws and regulations. Moreover, Daniel provides strategic and practical advice to clients with respect to immigration matters and has successfully led large-scale labour mobility projects for internationally recognized events, including the 2023 Laver Cup in Vancouver. |
Doug Chiu is a Partner at Hammerco Lawyers LLP and leads the Commercial Litigation Department. Doug is a member of the Advisory Committee for the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society (FACL BC), and is part of the Executive Committee of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC. He was appointed onto the Law Society of British Columbia Tribunal where he chairs and sits on discipline and credential hearings. Doug is regularly featured on Chinese media including television radio and print. He co-hosts a program where he discusses legal issues and fields live questions solely in Cantonese. |
Gaynor Yeung, KC has been a partner at Whitelaw Twining since 2009. She was appointed lead of the firm's insurance vertical given her years of managing key firm clients, including one global and two national insurance clients as well as various national retailers. Gaynor has been recognized by her peers as one of the Best Lawyers™ in Canada for her work both in Insurance Law and Personal Injury Litigation. She now works predominantly as a mediator. Gaynor is currently serving her third term as an elected Bencher of the Law Society of BC. |
Gurminder Sandhu, KC, is a senior litigation partner at Hamilton Duncan. Gurminder values contributing to the legal profession and providing mentorship. He is a Law Society Bencher, and has served on the Provincial Judicial Advisory Committee and the BC Federal Judicial Advisory Committee. Gurminder, an appointed advisor to the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers (British Columbia) Society (FACL BC), has been a regular speaker and contributor at FACL BC events, providing mentorship and guidance. In recognition of his contributions to the profession, Gurminder was appointed King's Counsel in 2023 and was awarded the Harry Rankin, QC Pro Bono Award in 2025. |
Haifeng Hu is a Partner at Bennett Jones LLP. Born and raised in China, he moved to Canada at 19 to pursue a liberal arts and sciences degree at Quest University Canada. He later earned his J.D. from the University of Calgary and began his legal career in Calgary before relocating to Vancouver in 2021. His practice focuses on fund formation, mergers and acquisitions, and inbound investments from Asia. As a corporate lawyer, Haifeng values both technical legal expertise and sound commercial judgment, grounded in a deep understanding of the broader market and each client’s unique circumstances. Outside of work, he enjoys cycling and spending time with his young family. |
Jayde Wood is an intellectual property partner at Gowling WLG in Vancouver, recognized by Lexpert and Best Lawyers. She advises clients on IP prosecution, portfolio management, and commercialization, with expertise in biotech, medical devices, and food-tech. Jayde supports organizations of all sizes with strategic IP protection, licensing, and due diligence. She is a contributing author to the CLEBC Due Diligence Deskbook and holds leadership roles in in bar associations, industry organizations, and her community. Jayde holds law degrees from the University of British Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley School of Law. |
Kinji Bourchier, KC, is a leading commercial and business litigator in Fasken’s Vancouver office. Kinji’s primary practice areas include complex commercial and civil litigation with a focus on contractual disputes, environmental remediation claims, product liability claims, shareholder and transactional disputes, and business torts. Kinji has a focused practice in the field of environmental remediation cost-recovery claims and contaminated-site litigation. He has earned national recognition in Environmental Law and Litigation from Lexpert, Chambers, and Benchmark Litigation. Kinji received his King’s Counsel appointment in December 2023. |
Kwang Lim is the Managing Partner of Bennett Jones' Vancouver office. He works with domestic and international clients on complex corporate finance and M&A transactions. In addition to his practice, Kwang is actively involved in Vancouver's business and legal communities. He is an adjunct professor at UBC's Peter Allard School of Law, where he teaches the M&A law course. |
Lucy Schilling is the Vice Office Managing Partner of Cozen O’Connor’s Vancouver office. She specializes in securities, corporate finance, and corporate/commercial law, advising on corporate and securities matters including regulatory compliance, governance, and complex corporate transactions such as public and private offerings and mergers and acquisitions. She is a contributing author of the CLE BC’s Due Diligence Deskbook and is the current chair of the CLE BC Securities Law Fundamentals Course. She serves on the board of directors of Dress for Success Canada Foundation and CFA Society Vancouver. |
Marina Tran is a partner at McMillan LLP and is known for her expertise in capital markets and her practical, business-focused legal advice. Her practice encompasses mergers and acquisitions, public and private securities offerings, and advisory services for startups and emerging growth companies. Drawing on significant experience in cross-border acquisitions, she regularly advises issuers and investment dealers on a broad range of financing transactions. Marina also counsels public companies in the life sciences, technology and mining sectors on securities compliance, continuous disclosure, and corporate governance. She is currently the co-Chair of McMillan’s Asian Affinity group. |
Miranda Lam, KC is the President & Chief Legal Officer at Acuitas Therapeutics, a biotechnology company and global leader in lipid nanoparticle technology for nucleic acid therapeutics. Previously an equity partner at McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Miranda was a trusted business advisor to private and public enterprises across Canada and globally, and was recognized in various independent rankings for her expertise. In 2023, Miranda was named a YWCA Vancouver Woman of Distinction in the “Business & the Professions” category, and was identified in 2025 by Business in Vancouver as one of BC’s 500 most influential business leaders. Miranda currently serves as Chair of the Board of Governors of the University of British Columbia and Chair of the BC Cancer Foundation. |
Vincent Yip is a partner in the Business Law Group and the national Intellectual Property Group. Based in Vancouver, he leads the firm’s Western Canadian intellectual property practice and is co-leader of the national practice group. Vincent’s practice focuses on the global acquisition, commercialization, and enforcement of intellectual property rights, including drafting and prosecuting patent and trademark applications, managing trademark oppositions, rendering patentability, validity, freedom-to-operate, and infringement opinions, and resolving intellectual property rights disputes. As a patent and trademark lawyer with substantial corporate and commercial expertise, Vincent provides intellectual property advice on complex corporate and commercial transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, reorganizations, and financing transactions. |
Program Coordinator and Industry Professionals |
Fiona Wong is an employment associate at WeirFoulds LLP in Toronto, Ontario. A Past President of FACL BC, Fiona received the Emerging Alumni Award from the University of Victoria and was named one of Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada (Changemakers category) by Canadian Lawyer Magazine in 2024. During her term as President, FACL BC received the Canadian Bar Association Touchstone Award for promoting issues of race and gender on a national level. |
Dave Namkung is a Partner with Smith Legal Search and the Founder and Managing Director of Mosaic Executive Search. He draws from over a 15 years of search experience and a track record of distinguished performance. He is a proud alumnus of the University of Victoria’s business school and law school. Upon graduation, he trained as a lawyer with an international law firm and commenced his recruitment career immediately following his call to the bar. Additionally, he obtained his Graduate Certificate in Executive Coaching from Royal Roads University. In the community, Dave champions several non-profits focused on employment, diversity, and inclusion. He was a founding executive member of FACL BC and a long-term Board Member and Fundraising/Gala Chair of Workinggear.ca. Recently, his family has been focused on improving the lives of children on the autism spectrum and their caregivers—he is a proud member and supporter of the Canucks Autism Network. |
Kelly Ho, CFP, CCS, is a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Cash Flow Specialist with two decades of experience serving her community through financial planning and promoting financial literacy to Canadians. As a Partner at DLD Financial Group Ltd. in Vancouver, Kelly specializes in personalized financial strategies for professionals and business owners, earning a reputation for trust, leadership, and a genuine passion for helping others. Most recently, Kelly is now serving as a Director on the Advocis National Board. |
We thank these partners for contributing their time to this important initiative, consisting of managing partners, King’s Counsel, and partners at national full service, mid-size, and boutique firms, as well as partners who have transitioned into other careers in government and corporate governance, and industry specialists in the financial and recruitment industries. We also thank the following law firms for generously providing boardroom space for the Future Partners Program: Fasken, Gowling, Hammerco Lawyers, McCarthy, McMillan, and Owen Bird. If you have any questions about the Future Partners Program, please contact info@faclbc.ca to the attention of Fiona Wong, Program Coordinator. |