2009 Law Foundation Staff
The Board of the Foundation is supported by a staff of twelve:
Executive Director:
- Wayne Robertson, Q.C.
Wayne joined the Foundation in 2002. He has degrees in English, Psychology and Community Development. He was called to the Bar in 1983 and was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 2009. Prior to joining the Foundation he was a Client Services Manager at the Legal Services Society’s head office in Vancouver. He has also practiced law in Vancouver and was a partner with Lindsay Kenney LLP where he was a litigator with a focus on child protection law. He has also served as a volunteer in many community and non-profit organizations and is currently on the Board of CUSO-VSO International. He is Chair of the Provincial Child Care Council of B.C. Wayne previously chaired the boards of the Community Legal Assistance Society and Canadian Crossroads International and the North Vancouver Recreation Commission.
Finance Director:
- Jo-Anne Kaulius
Jo-Anne joined the Foundation in 1994. She holds a computer systems management degree and her AAT (Associate Accounting Technologist) designation from the Certified Management Accountants Society of BC. Previously, she worked in provincial resource and service industries in controller and accounting capacities. Jo-Anne also fills the position of systems administrator for the Foundation and has been instrumental in the design and implementation of the Foundation’s local area network, the upgrade to a Windows environment, the GIFTS Grants Management System, and the Access Revenue System.
Program Directors:
- karima budhwani
karima joined the Foundation in 1999. She has a B.A. in International Relations and Political Science from the University of Toronto, a Bachelor of Laws degree from Osgoode Hall Law School and a Master in Environmental Studies from York University. She was called to the Bar in British Columbia in 1998. Before joining the Foundation, she worked as a staff lawyer for the West Coast Domestic Workers’ Association and practiced in the area of immigration and refugee law with Smith Rey Hipolito. Previously, karima had a career in the banking and also the financial industry. karima’s volunteer work includes serving as a board member for Peace it Together, and participating on the Women’s Development Portfolio for the Ismaili Muslim Council for British Columbia and on the Model Policy Revision Working Group of the Law Society of British Columbia.
Her current areas of focus at the Foundation include: public legal education and information and environmental law.
- Janna Cumming
Janna joined the Foundation in 2008. She has a BA (Honours) in Political Science and a Law Degree from the University of Victoria. She was called to the Bar in British Columbia in 2003. She completed articles at the Vancouver law firm of Guild Yule LLP and she went on to practice as a staff lawyer at Legal Aid (Legal Services Society of BC) for 3.5 years. At Legal Aid she provided summary legal advice to low income people across British Columbia through the Law LINE, assisting clients in a wide range of areas including poverty law and family issues.
Her current areas of focus at the Foundation include: the University of British Colulmbia, Legal Aid and Law Libraries.
- Linda Mix
Linda joined the Foundation in 2006. She completed studies in the Social Services Worker program at Langara College and taken courses at the Justice Institute and the University of British Columbia. She has a background in advocacy and social justice issues, having worked at the Tenants Resource and Advisory Centre as a Community Legal Worker for eight years and then as TRAC’s Executive Director for three years. While at TRAC, Linda served on the National Housing and Homeless Network, the Greater Vancouver Regional Steering Committee on Homelessness, and the City of Vancouver Planning Commission. Linda is a recipient of the 2002 Queen’s Jubilee Medal for her contributions to the community in the area of promoting affordable housing to alleviate homelessness. Linda is a dedicated advocate for issues of poverty, homelessness and public legal education.
Her current areas of focus at the Foundation include: poverty law, housing and senior issues.
- Veenu Saini
Veenu joined the Law Foundation in 2002. She holds a B.Sc (Hons) in Biology from University of Delhi and a diploma in Business. Before coming to the Law Foundation, she was the Legal Advocacy Program Coordinator at Battered Women’s Support Services. She remains passionately committed to social justice and women’s issues at the local, provincial, national and international level.
Her current areas of focus are the Foundation include: family law and equality rights.
- Michael Seaborn
Michael joined the Foundation in 2008. He has a BA in Psychology from the University of Waterloo and a Law Degree from the University of Calgary. He was called to the Bar in British Columbia in 1996. He has enjoyed two successive careers prior to working at the Foundation. First, he worked as an outdoor instructor with a variety of Outward Bound schools around the world. He then practiced law as a partner in a small, general practice on northern Vancouver Island, primarily in the areas of family and criminal law (both as prosecution and defense). In 2004 Michael spent a year in Africa, volunteering with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and working in refugee camps in Kenya. Following his return he wrote a book on those experiences.
His current areas of focus at the Foundation include: the University of Victoria Faculty of Law, test-case and systemic advocacy groups.
Legal Advocate Training Manager:
- Lois Shelton
Lois joined the Foundation in 2008. She has a M.A. from the University of Ghana. She was hired to develop training on advocacy skills and legal knowledge for poverty law advocates funded by the Foundation. Working with an advisory committee, she developed a two-week course to provide core training for junior advocates and a process for measuring the credentials of senior advocates. She is also organizes an annual Provincial Training Conference for Legal Advocates and does other work at the Foundation. Before coming to the Foundation, Lois was a Fieldworker at Legal Services Society (LSS) where she was responsible for organizing training for advocates, outreach projects, and for some legal information publications. Lois was called to the Bar in 1990 and worked as staff lawyer for West Coast Domestic Workers for over three years. Before coming to Vancouver, Lois worked on international development issues. She lived for over three years in Ghana, West Africa.
Executive Assistant:
- Leona Stewart
Leona joined the Foundation in 2009. She has her Legal Assistant certificate as well as her Real Estate Licensing and Sub-Mortgage Broker’s diploma from the University of British Columbia. Prior to joining the Foundation she worked for nine years in the finance industry, and for six years in the real estate industry.
Program Assistants:
- Sandra Morgenstern
Sandra joined the Foundation in 2007. She has a legal secretary certificate from Douglas College. Prior to joining the Foundation she worked for over five years as a legal secretary for a partner of a law firm concentrating in the area of family law. She has also spent time working in the area of personal injury law.
- Amy Tam
Amy joined the Foundation in 2000. She has an Office Administration Program Certificate from the Vancouver School Board. Prior to joining the Foundation she worked for three years at a real estate development company in Vancouver and worked in the hospitality industry in Hong Kong.
- Sue Tench
Sue joined the Foundation in 2012. She has a BSc in Computer Science from the University of British Columbia. Prior to joining the Foundation she volunteered with a variety of non-profit organizations and most recently did administrative work for a law firm specializing in real estate law.