440 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 79 PART 3 MAY 2021
Peck, Q.C., at Peck Tammen, a small criminal defence firm at the corner of
W Hastings and Howe. From the day after he was called to the bar in May
1999, this became Jeff’s professional home for the next 21 years.
When he joined Peck Tammen, the firm consisted of three lawyers: Peck,
Michael Tammen (later Q.C. and now a Supreme Court judge) and Nikos
Harris (now Q.C.). Jeff was the fourth. Despite some early struggles with
his more “casual” definition of office attire, the fit was seamless.
In the early 2000s, the entire office was occupied with the Air India
mega-trial—except Jeff. Adept beyond his years, he was entrusted with handling
almost every other case. This was when he first honed his skills as a
trial lawyer with a short-but-sweet cross-examination, a calm comportment
and a genuine compassion for his clients. Jeff had always believed that people
should not be defined by their worst day.
Early in his legal career, Jeff made his most important connection in law.
At a friend’s party, he met Dianna Hwang, a young woman who had also
just begun her legal career. After another chance encounter at Oktoberfest
at the Law Courts Inn, the resourceful young lawyer called her firm’s
switchboard, got her e-mail and sent her a message asking her on a date.
This may be the earliest account of online dating.
While Jeff and Dianna were vacationing in Italy in 2003, their relationship
faced a defining moment. With their rental car broken down on the
side of a country road outside Forte dei Marmi, they were far from help and
beginning to stress. This is when Jeff’s trucking instincts kicked in to turn
roadside tension into delight. He pulled out the ring he had been hiding
throughout the trip and with one pivotal moment of genuflection, he and
Dianna were engaged to be wed.
Jeff and Dianna were married on September 3, 2004 at Brock House in
Vancouver. In 2005, they welcomed their first son, Ty, and in 2010, his
younger brother, Jake. While balancing busy and successful legal careers,
Jeff and Dianna have enjoyed countless memories with Ty and Jake, who
have grown to be kind, intelligent and independent boys. Over the years,
Jeff has coached their baseball teams, taken them on camping trips and
taught them how to play euchre, a card game that occupied much of his
youth (and present).
Jeff and Dianna have also benefitted greatly from their family’s help with
raising their sons. For years, Dianna’s mother, Young, has cared for the boys
after school while Jeff and Dianna were both at work. Jeff’s parents, who
followed him out west in 2000, have hosted Ty and Jake at their home in
Victoria and their remote cabin on Mudge Island. The boys are also close
with their Aunt Meg, who lives nearby in Victoria, and Uncle Bobby, who