THE ADVOCATE 15
VOL. 80 PART 1 JANUARY 2022
ON THE
FRONT COVER
LISA J. HAMILTON, Q.C.
By Stephanie Fabbro and Brook Greenberg, Q.C.
Lisa is the kid you hope to sit next to on your first day at a new
school.
Lisa helps you deal with your anxiety, even while experiencing
her own. She stands up to the bullies. She passes notes in
class that make you laugh, resulting in you both having to stay after school.
She leads the charge for getting into mischief and having fun. She becomes
your friend for life.
There is no shortage of professional accolades for Lisa. Her professional
stripes include arbitration, mediation, litigation, volunteering, mentoring
and leading the profession. She is well respected by her colleagues and the
bench. That respect for Lisa is a result of her hard work. However, what sets
Lisa apart in a profession filled with hard workers is her consistent ability
to lift up those around her.
“LISA PIZZA”
Lisa was born in Alert Bay in the small village of Sointula, near Port
McNeill. Her mother, Maureen, was a teacher. Her father, Jim, was a seiner
fisher. Lisa moved to North Vancouver at age five.
Lisa’s sunny disposition and inclusive nature was apparent from a young
age. One grade-school classmate, Deb Jamison, had immigrated from South
Africa and was bullied due to her “funny” accent. The same bullies called
Lisa “Lisa Pizza”. Lisa Pizza, clad in a blue King Tut T-shirt and striped kneehigh
socks, with long blond hair and a band-aid on one knee, was one of two
students in the class that aligned against everyone else and befriended the
little red-haired Deb. Since then, their friendship has been a constant in
Lisa’s life.