2012 FACL Conference Program Book - National Asian Pacific ...

From the Conference Chairs
From the Conference Chairs From the Conference Chairs
November 10, 2012
Message from the Conference Chairs
Dear Colleagues and Guests:
Welcome to the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers
(“FACL”) 6 th Annual Conference! On behalf of the FACL
Board of Directors, we thank you for joining us and
making this Conference another success.
Six years ago, FACL was started with the vision of
bringing together legal professionals of Asian and South Asian descent to discuss issues and strategies
that interest and affect our communities. We are no strangers to planning a FACL Conference:
Lai was a co-Chair of the 2011 FACL Conference, and Carolyn was a co-Chair of the 2010 FACL
Conference. Although it takes months of dedicated planning to organize this Conference, we are
passionate about FACL’s growth and its commitment to advocacy, community involvement, legal
scholarship and professional development, and we were happy to take on a major planning role in
this year’s Conference. Of course, this Conference was made possible by our Conference Planning
Committee’s hard work, and the help of all of our volunteers who have helped make this day a success.
We cannot forget to thank all of our generous sponsors who have helped make this Conference and
the continued growth of FACL possible.
Our theme this year is “Raising the Bar”. We take this time to celebrate the achievements of Asian
lawyers who have broken barriers in the past, and also highlight the progress that still needs be
made in their quest for advancement: first Asian lawyer in Canada, the breakthrough of Asians in
politics, Asians as leaders in public service, Asians in the judiciary. The bar for success was once set at
ensuring recognition of our basic human rights and freedoms. Where to now? The time has come to
raise the bar even higher: Asian lawyers succeeding at the highest levels of law, public service, politics,
and in the business and corporate world. “Raising the bar” is also a reference to the need for good
mentorship to the next generation of Asian lawyers looking for guidance in their quest to excel - and
raise the bar yet higher!
In light of this theme, it gives us great pleasure to welcome our keynote speaker, Mr. Don Liu, Senior
Vice-President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Xerox Corporation, Recipient of the 2011
Trailblazer Award from the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (“NAPABA”), and one of
only about nine general counsel of a Fortune 500 company who is of Asian descent. We are looking
forward to Mr. Liu’s keynote speech “Confessional Ode of a Pussycat Father”.
Enjoy the 2012 FACL Conference, and thank you again for your part in making this Conference a
success.
Carolyn J. Chambers and Lai-King Hum
FACL Conference Chairs
www.facl.ca -5-