Welcome to a very exciting year for the Section!
The CBA Law Students Section is your national connection to the CBA while you’re in law school and during your articling year. We are composed of current law students and articling students and work year-round to be your voice from coast to coast. We strive to advocate on issues unique to law students and articling students inside and outside the CBA.
We recognize that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed numerous challenges to law students – including lost job opportunities, increased financial burdens, social isolation and the challenge of adjusting to remote course delivery (as if law school was not challenging enough)! I want to commend you for your resilience over this period. Through our committee work and other initiatives, we plan to keep these challenges front and center.
I am thrilled to be working this year alongside some incredible law students and young lawyers, and I am excited to introduce you to a few of them below. Moreover, I look forward to continuing to meet many of you in the coming months.
Wishing you success with the remainder of the semester,
Kayla Maria Rolland
Section Chair
Meet This Year’s Officers
Kayla Maria Rolland, Chair – Kayla is a BCL/JD candidate at McGill University. Outside of the CBA, she works as a research assistant and is an active volunteer with multiple initiatives. She will be articling with the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General in the coming year.
Yana Konakh, Vice-Chair – Yana is a JD candidate at the University of Victoria. She is completing her last year of law school at the University of British Columbia. Her interests include innovation and the use of technology for improved access to justice. She will be articling at Harper Grey in the coming year.
Sophie Fu, Outreach Officer – Sophie is a JD candidate at the University of Toronto. At law school, she is an active volunteer with the Indigenous Law Journal and Future of Law Lab.
Phillip Do, Secretary – Phillip is a JD candidate at the University of Alberta. Outside of the CBA, he spearheads various athletic and diversity initiatives along with working at a local law firm. He will be articling with Dentons in the future.
Vincent Li, Past Chair – Originally from Vancouver, Vincent was recently called to the Alberta bar after graduating from Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, British Columbia. He now works in the Litigation Department of HD Law Group. Vincent is ambitious about access to justice and legal training reform.
The Officers serve as part of the Section’s dedicated Executive Committee. Feel free to connect with any member of the Executive to ask questions or provide your suggestions.
We Want You!
Our Section exists to help you! Here are some ways to engage with our Section and the CBA.
Connect with us!
We are now on Facebook and Twitter! Like and follow our pages to stay up to date with news and events from our section!
20 Questions, 5 Minutes
Interested in learning more about different areas of legal practice? The Section has challenged lawyers to answer 20 questions in approximately 5-8 minutes about their careers in a variety of areas of law. Check it out!
Member Articles
Are you passionate about a particular legal issue? Or want to share some advice with fellow law students? We are looking for member articles from all Section members (if you’re receiving this email, that’s you!). These articles are open to the public (build your digital profile!) and featured in the quarterly Section Article Roundup, which goes to all CBA members, and on our Section’s webpage.
Members interested in posting articles are encouraged to send them by email.
Section Committees
Want to network with law students and young lawyers from across Canada? Are you passionate about issues such as mental health or student debt? Join one of our three joint committees with the Young Lawyers Section:
Interested in joining one of our committees? Contact us!
And While We Have Your Attention…
Check out the new Solutions Series (October 1 – December 7, 2021): practical solutions for everyday problems. Student and young lawyer members benefit from great rates, and recordings can be purchased for on-demand viewing!