Thanks to Bennett Jones, IPC student Vivian Lao is envisioning a bright future
Learning that she had been awarded the Bennett Jones Investor Protection Clinic Prize was only the first surprise for 2021/22 IPC student caseworker Vivian Lao.
“I applied to the clinic on the recommendation of Jin Lee, the first Bennett Jones award winner,” she exclaims. The two attended an Osgoode civil procedure class together and partnered on a project. Lee told her about his time in the IPC and encouraged her to apply.
Lao took Lee’s advice, but says she worried about keeping up with her high-performing peers. A mature student, she transferred to Osgoode in 2019 from the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. While at Osgoode, she continued to work full-time as a financial consultant while also growing her family.
“Going back to school, I wasn’t sure where I wanted to take my legal career or if I even had what it takes to juggle so many competing demands,” she says. “This [the Bennett Jones Investor Protection Clinic Prize] tells me my work is valued and gives me the confidence to continue my legal journey.”
The Bennett Jones Investor Protection Clinic Prize was created by the law firm last year to recognize outstanding leadership and contributions to the IPC. One top student a year receives the $1,000 prize.
Lao says the award will come in handy this fall when she returns to Osgoode for her third and final year. She recently resigned from her full-time job and is summering at the Ontario Securities Commission.
“I would like to thank Bennett Jones for this honour. I can finally see a bright future for myself in the legal profession.”