Meet Summer Research Assistant Gurinder Cheema
May 22, 2018
BY Gurinder Cheema
My name is Gurinder Cheema. In the fall, I will begin my third year at the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Law. During my second year, I was a part of the faculty’s Law Co-op Program. As part of the Law Co-op Program, I completed a work term at Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP. While I enjoyed working as a student at a firm, I decided to diversify my experience and explore positions outside of firms.
I have a strong interest in constitutional law and law reform. As such, my interest was immediately sparked when I learned about the opportunity to work as a Research Assistant at the British Columbia Law Institute (BCLI) and Canadian Centre for Elder Law (CCEL). The BCLI is the parent body of the CCEL and it is British Columbia’s only independent, non-partisan law reform body. As such, the BCLI’s work is significant and has the potential to leave long-term impacts on the law. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute to this type of meaningful work and be a part of a leading law reform organization.
During my first few weeks of work, I had the chance to be involved with varied work. I attended an informative AGE-WELL series webinar dealing with consent and capacity, headed by the National Director of the CCEL, Krista James. In addition, I attended a project committee meeting for the BCLI’s Strata Property Law project, where I had the chance to listen to a highly detailed discussion about reforming the Strata Property Act. I also had the opportunity to continue refining my research skills by completing various legal research tasks.
The past few weeks have been a diverse learning experience, as I began work in the office and also got to step outside of the office to get a feel for the BCLI and CCEL’s consultative work with the community. I look forward to building on this experience as my term progresses. I am confident that my term here will be a worthwhile endeavour, as the first few weeks have already proven to be engaging and insightful. I am excited for the months to come!
