New UBC Law Building Program Passes First Round of Approval by Board of Governors
by Penny Cholmondeley

Pen will soon be put to paper in the design of a planned state-of-the-art UBC Faculty of Law building. First announced in 2006, the proposed project passed a critical milestone this spring when the UBC Board of Governors granted “Board 1” approval in principle to the location, preliminary operating and capital budgets, and schedule for the project. Next on the agenda is the final selection of the architect, made possible by the release of $200,000 from the Board of Governors for conceptual drawings. This was the first opportunity the University’s Board of Governors had to review the Faculty’s new building project, which has been in the planning phases for several years.

The proposed new building will be built on the Faculty’s current site, completely replacing existing facilities in the Curtis Building and annexes. Expanded and enhanced classrooms and research facilities are part of the preliminary plans, which also include modernizing the law library and creating central, prominent and publicly accessible clinical space. The entire province of British Columbia will benefit from these changes.

“The building will provide an enhanced learning environment that will allow us to continue attracting and retaining the best and brightest students, faculty, and staff. It will help ensure future generations of law students receive an unparalleled education in the best possible environment,” says Dean of Law Mary Anne Bobinski. “The support we’ve received from alumni and the profession so far has made an incredible difference in securing approval for this much-needed project.”

Initial support from the legal community has been generous: Farris, Vaughn, Wills & Murphy LLP provided a $1 million leadership gift to kick-off the fundraising effort. One of the new building’s large lecture halls will be named Farris Hall to honour the firm’s long association with UBC. UBC also plans to name a prominent lecture theatre “Ladner Hall” in memory of UBC Alum and renowned B.C. lawyer Thomas E. Ladner, QC, in recognition of a generous $1 million donation made by Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (BLG) and the Ladner family. The Law Foundation of British Columbia generously provided $6 million to create a matching fund for the first round of donations. Other significant gifts will be publicly announced in the coming months. Fundraising efforts will culminate in a broad-based appeal to alumni within the next year.

The preliminary timeline considered and approved by the Board of Governors indicates the project could commence as early as the fall of 2008 and see the Faculty move into its new facilities in the summer of 2010. The Faculty will occupy swing space on the UBC campus during the construction period. The rapid timeline reflects the University’s and Faculty’s commitment to ensuring that the law school remains at the forefront of legal education, in Canada and globally.

“UBC Law’s faculty and students are among the best in North America and the world,” adds Dean Bobinski. “The new building project will ensure that we can continue to prepare the graduates to assume leadership roles in practice and in public service.”

The Faculty is developing a “Building Update” e-mail to update interested alumni and friends of the Faculty on the building project. To subscribe please send an e-mail to: lawdean@law.ubc.ca.

Penny Cholmondeley, UBC Law Communications and Events Coordinator

This article was published in the August 2007 issue of BarTalk and is subject to the copyright by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, 2007, all rights reserved.