Spotlight: Jayde Wood

This month’s second spotlight is Jayde Wood. Jayde is a lawyer at Gowling WLG and a current FACL BC member.

1. What is something not many people know about you?

School can be daunting and stressful. Many people may not know or believe me when I say that I really enjoyed my experience in university. So much so, that after spending a few years in private practice, I happily went back to the classroom to complete an LLM degree from UC Berkeley.

2. How did you first get involved with FACL?

My first encounter with FACL BC was when I attended the 2013 Gala featuring Judge Chen as the keynote speaker. Judge Chen’s speech was engaging, inspirational, and humorous. Later, when I clerked at the Provincial Courts, I had the privilege to work with him and having remembered parts of his keynote speech (especially the part about strollers) helped me to break the ice and form a connection. A few years later, I joined FACL BC in a more formal position as Gala Chair and a board member.

3. What advice would you give yourself if you were to go back in time?

I find that progress through education is largely linear. For example, from kindergarten to 12th grade to university, from 1L to OCI to articling to hire-backs, it seems that everyone is climbing some sort of a (linear) ladder. Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis’ “The Squiggly Career” is a great read and suggests that career progress may not be linear or straightforward. I wholeheartedly agree. If I were to go back in time, I would tell Jayde 1.0 to embrace the journey of self-discovery and that there is more than one path to achieve one’s goals.

4. What has been your favourite FACL event or initiative so far?

FACL BC has had many great events and initiatives. Through these events and initiatives, FACL BC has cultivated a tight-knit community where we lift each other up (e.g. through events organized by the Mentorship Committee) and celebrate our collective accomplishments (e.g. through the Annual Gala). I particularly appreciate that FACL BC has established a platform and gained recognition as an effective advocate to advance equity and diversity issues. One such example is the Advocacy Committee’s “But I Look Like a Lawyer” Documentary Project.