Spring was in the air and so was good cheer as west-coast alumni gathered for an evening of camaraderie and celebration on April 24. This season’s alumni reception was held at Warnett Hallen LLP in bustling downtown Vancouver.

“It was important for us to host this alumni reception because we know that these events are the best way for us to keep the Queen’s Law community and spirit alive all the way out here in Vancouver,” says host Manjot Hallen, Law’04, a partner with Warnett Hallen LLP.  

Fellow grad Allan McGavin, Law’12, a member of the Queen’s Law B.C. Alumni Council and an associate with Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP, shares that sentiment. “When living on the west coast, Queen’s can feel distant, both geographically and in memory,” he says. “But those fond feelings, even spread across decades of graduation years, are reinvigorated when Queen’s Law alumni can get together.”

Dean Bill Flanagan brought all the grads up-to-date with the latest developments at Queen’s Law, including the school’s increasingly diverse student body, a 95 per cent career placement rate for JD students, a 30 per cent increase in the number faculty members over the last five years, the increasingly popular undergraduate Certificate in Law program and the new Graduate Diploma in Legal Services Management program. 

This event was also special for another reason. “It was especially significant given it was Bill Flanagan’s last official visit to Vancouver as Dean,” says McGavin. “Dean Flanagan is universally well-liked by the alumni, not just for his affable personality, but for all that he has done in the last 14 years to help the school flourish.”

That fact was not lost on the host. “We were keen on giving Dean Flanagan a proper west-coast send-off and thank you for his 14 years of service to our law school,” says Hallen. “It was a great turnout and a fantastic evening!”

For more photos, check out our gallery on SmugMug!

By Lisa Graham