Creating effective change in the legal system

Leadership and GovernmentProfessional and Corporate
Written By Stuart McNish

Guest: Wally Oppal (lawyer, former Attorney General of British Columbia)

In this edition of Careers That Matter, we sit down with The Honourable Wally Oppal, Q.C., a man who has made an indelible mark on the law on in British Columbia.

Not only was he a lawyer, judge, politician, Attorney General, Cabinet Minister and a Special Prosecutor, but his work has changed the law and the role of police officers.

It’s a job that does not have a clearly defined career path outside of a legal education. As you’ll hear, Wally Oppal cares passionately about his work and the responsibilities that come with it.

Watch more episodes
Helping others navigate and transform their careers
Helping others navigate and transform their careers

Have you ever felt confused about your career or company and not sure where it is going? Ron Bremner’s job is to help you navigate through that. He finds joy in working with his clients to look at work with a new perspective. Over time, he finds that those clients become friends – because seeing their growth gives Ron immense pride.

Read More →
Being the face of a political party
Being the face of a political party

“You’re always the face of the party – that’s just a reality.” As leader of the British Columbia Conservative Party, going to new places and showing up is a large part of John Rustad’s job. That is nothing new to him, as someone who grew up in Prince George and having jobs that took him all over the province with all kinds of different experiences. As someone who takes all kinds of opportunities, this worked perfectly into his journey into business and, eventually, politics.

Read More →
Discovering a career along the waterfront
Discovering a career along the waterfront

As the president of Neptune Terminals, there are no typical days for Megan Owen-Evans, but some days can get long – but it is an element of the job that she loves. This is a job she never considered when she was going to school. In fact, she thought she would be a doctor but didn’t end up finishing that journey. Instead, she worked in various jobs and realized that her dreams lay elsewhere. Finally returning to school, she had a fresh plan and different direction.

Read More →
Carving a new path: Turning challenges into a university career
Carving a new path: Turning challenges into a university career

As a lecturer at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, Adam Pankratz’s job is to communicate the challenges of business to his students, which range from undergraduates to masters-level students – and make it interesting. This was nowhere near what he envisioned for his career when he graduated with a linguistics degree and worked in the hotel industry. As with all careers, it is never a straight line. But his difficulties with finding a job that matched his skills led him to the world of business and an entirely new path.

Read More →
Stuart McNish
Previous

The journalistic passion that saved a TV station
Next

Studying active volcanoes on a daily basis