Jeanette Ageson - Communications and Donor Relations Officer

Jeanette joined West Coast as the Communications and Donor Relations Officer in 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Simon Fraser University, and is proud to work for an organization which looks after the long-term health of her home province.

For Jeanette's full bio, please click here.

Deborah Carlson - Staff Counsel

Deborah joined West Coast in June 2010 as Staff Counsel, and will work on the Green Communities and Climate Change projects. She holds civil and common law degrees from McGill University and was called to the B.C. Bar in 1997.

For Deborah's full bio, please click here.

Jessica Clogg - Executive Director and Senior Counsel

Jessica Clogg is West Coast’s Executive Director and Senior Counsel and heads up our work on Aboriginal and natural resource law. Jessica first joined West Coast in 1995 as a student, and also served as a board member before becoming staff counsel in 1999. Jessica has said that she does the work she does “because she loves the land, and because she believes in justice.”

For Jessica's full Bio, please click here.

Rachel Forbes - Staff Counsel

Rachel's work at West Coast focuses on environmental assessment law reform, and other law and policy projects related to local government sustainability, natural resources and climate change. She joined the West Coast team in mid 2011.

For Rachel's's full bio, please click here.

 Andrew Gage - Staff Counsel and EDRF Liaison Lawyer

Andrew oversees the Environmental Legal Aid Program and writes the Environmental Law Alert blog. He enjoys playing the violin, gardening and sailing.

For Andrew's full Bio, please click here.

Ceciline Goh

Ceciline is the Office Administrator at West Coast Environmental Law. She is in charge of the organization’s bookkeeping and general administration. As West Coast’s longest serving employee Ceciline is also, unofficially, the organization’s Memory Keeper.

For Ceciline's full Bio, please click here.

Lucy Hough - Director of Development

Lucy was thrilled to join the team at West Coast in 2008 as Director of Development as she aligns closely with West Coast’s vision that environmental protection must be enshrined in law. Lucy is inspired by the supporters of West Coast and honoured to help them take action on their own passion for the environment and to make the world a better place through philanthropy.

For Lucy's full Bio, please click here.

Todd Monge - Project Manager - Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund and Communications Manager

Todd is the Project Manager for the Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund and is West Coast's Communications Manager.  In his dual roles at West Coast Todd works with individuals, communities and environmental groups to develop legal strategies to protect the environment in BC.

For Todd's full Bio, please click here.

Josh Paterson - Staff Counsel

Josh is the Aboriginal and Natural Resources lawyer at West Coast Environmental Law, where he works with First Nations and other communities on issues related to energy, oil and gas, and forests.

For Josh's full Bio, please click here.

Visiting Lawyers, Summer Law Students, Pro Bono Law Students, and Legal Interns

Interns from previous years can be seen here.

Each year, West Coast Environmental Law welcomes a number of Summer Law Students, pro bono law students who volunteer during the school year, as well as legal interns and visiting lawyers who may already have completed law school and are practicing in Canada or in other countries. We couldn’t do our work without them! 

Winter 2012:

Elizabeth (Lyb) Makin: Lyb is a final year law student from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. She has taken numerous environmental law units and has become particularly interested in the points of intersection between the relationship of Indigenous people to their land and waters, and the conservation of biodiversity. In addition to her studies, Lyb has worked with several environmentally focussed non-government organizations, including time as a volunteer for Clean Himalaya in Rishikesh, India and as both a volunteer and researcher for The Wilderness Society, Australia. She is thrilled to be working as an intern for West Coast Environmental Law and looks forward to learning more about their work in protecting the beautiful natural environment of British Columbia and empowering its people to do the same.

Julia Martignoni: Julia is finishing her Law and Social Science degrees from Macquarie University, Australia, with an internship at WCEL. She is passionate about social justice and welcomes the opportunity to work in environmental law. Julia has volunteered and interned at several NGOs in Sydney, including: the Aboriginal Legal Service, the Nature Conservation Council, Macquarie Legal Centre, the Australian Innovation Exchange and NSW Legal Aid, as well as volunteering on organic farms throughout Europe. She loves bushwalking, hiking, gardening and travelling, and one day would like to work on transforming urban spaces into sustainable communities.

Nicole (Nikki) Petersen: Nikki grew up in Vancouver and now lives in Toronto where she is in her second year of law at Osgoode Hall Law School. She is participating in the Osgoode Aboriginal Clinical Intensive Program as a 2012 intern at West Coast Environmental Law. Nikki spent Summer 2011 as a legal volunteer in the Philippines through SALIGAN Alternative Law Centre, where she worked on indigenous peoples’ rights, agriculturalists’ rights and security of tenure for women among the urban poor. Nikki is excited to be representing Team Osgoode in WCEL’s world-premier Twitter Moot.

Fall 2011:

Matthew Kalkman: Matthew was born in Vancouver. He has an LL.B. from Durham University and an MSc. from the London School of Economics and Political Science where his studies in regulation focused on the financial crisis and climate change. He had the opportunity to represent the LSE as a delegate at the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. His writings on the responsibility to protect and the financial crisis have been published in the Cambridge Student Law Review and the Inter Alia Law Journal, respectively. Kalkman spent the last year taking French Language Studies at Laval University in Quebec City, and writing his book New Liberalism.

Summer 2011:

Katrina Andres: Katrina grew up in Victoria, where she completed her undergraduate degree in British Columbia History in 2010. She has just finished her first year of law school at UVic and is excited to spend the summer at WCEL. She is particularly interested in forest policy, having worked for both the Wilderness Committee and the Ancient Forest Alliance. Her commitment to environmental issues began at the 1993 Clayoquot Sound protests at the age of 5. She enjoys hot springs, camping, hiking, running, playing cello and vampire pop culture.

Hannah Askew: Hannah holds two MA degrees in history and anthropology from the University of Toronto and McGill University.  Prior to law school, she taught in the Aboriginal Justice Studies program at the Native Education College, in Vancouver, BC.  She has just completed her first year of law school at Osgoode and is excited to be interning at WCEL this summer learning more about the intersections between Aboriginal and environmental law.

Chris Evans: Chris joins WCEL from the University of Toronto, where he studies law. He graduated from McMaster University with a joint degree in Arts & Science and Political Science, then spent one year in Bangladesh researching access to justice and rural power structures. Chris is particularly interested in Aboriginal law, and is excited to learn more about WCEL’s work in this area.

Rita Farkas: Rita grew up in the Comox Valley on Vancouver Island. She completed her undergraduate degree in environmental geography at UBC and subsequently worked in Compliance Promotion at Environment Canada. She is currently working towards her masters degree at the University of Guelph studying environmental policy. In particular, she is interested in the changing nature of environmental protection efforts, particularly where regulation is concerned. She feels fortunate to have the opportunity to learn from and collaborate with West Coast over the summer. Some of her favorite pastimes involve music, food, radio, friends and walking.

Maia McEachern: Maia graduated from the University of Alberta with a B.A. in English Language and Literature and minor in French before entering McGill's Bachelor of Civil Law/Bachelor of Laws program in 2009. Maia currently sits on the editorial boards of the McGill Journal of International Sustainable Development Law and Policy and the McGill Journal of Law and Health and is particularly interested in the intersection of these subject areas. She looks forward to spending the summer on the West Coast.

Anna Novacek: Anna grew up in Vancouver but has spent much time exploring the forests of BC, as well as travelling between Canada and Europe. She completed an Undergraduate degree with a major in Sociology and a minor in English Literature at the University of British Columbia. She is currently enrolled in an LLB program at the University of Durham in England where she will be doing a dissertation focusing on environmental law this upcoming academic year. She is particularly interested in Canada’s future position in the International community in terms of its economic, social and political environmental policy. She is inspired and excited to be part of the team at West Coast Environmental Law this summer.

Communications Interns: 

Winter 2012:

Celine Lee: During her stint at Queen’s University, Celine (BSCH Biology) learned all about the environment.  She is thrilled to now be finding out how to protect it and is grateful to the West Coast team for taking her on!  When she’s not updating the WCEL Publications Database, Celine works as a waitress, takes art courses, and marvels at how beautiful Vancouver is – even in the rain.

Aurora Zhou: After graduating from Arizona State University, Aurora Zhou worked in BC Hydro as a procurement analyst prior to joining West Coast as a Development Volunteer.  She wishes to serve her community by using her experience in data consolidation and computer skills to further their cause in preserving the environment.

Summer 2011:

Nicholas Guindon: Nick is a bilingual communications intern who comes to us from Toronto where he studied Astrophysics and Philosophy. He's currently working on a masters in International Studies at York University's Glendon campus and spent last summer working at the Campaign for Youth Justice in Washington, D.C. Nick is most interested in science and policy, making environmental law a good fit for him. In his spare time he enjoys hiking and sailing; he looks forward to exploring the west coast this summer.

Sarah Titley: Sarah recently graduated from Queen’s University where she received her B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in International Relations.  Although having lived overseas the majority of her life, she likes to think of Vancouver as her second home and is very excited to be part of a team that aspires to protect its beautiful ecosystem through law. She feels fortunate to have the opportunity to work as the Development and Communications Intern at WCEL this summer.

Pro Bono Students:

Aaron graduated in 2009 from the University of British Columbia with a BA in English Literature. He is currently a second-year JD student at UBC and a volunteer with Pro Bono Students Canada with a general interest in social justice. Although his time with WCEL is limited, he is excited to be working with the wonderful people and on the fascinating issues at the organization.