244 THE ADVOCATE
VOL. 80 PART 2 MARCH 2022
With their latest gift, the donors aim to continue that pattern and help
manage high tuition fees. Their gift of $50,000 in 2014 was one of the first
personal donations to the law school. In recognition of their contributions,
a seminar room on the third floor at TRU Law was named the McDiarmid
Seminar Room. Their total donations to TRU Law now exceed $105,000.
We are honoured to have the continued support of McDiarmid and Justice
Matthews. Their input, advocacy and support over the years have been
influential in building the identity of TRU Law. This donation is yet another
way they are supporting law students and their future careers.
McDiarmid was a partner at Morelli Chertkow LLP and practised in Kamloops
for more than 35 years. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1996.
He became the Law Society bencher for Kamloops in 1997 and president of
the Law Society in 2006. In 2011, he was appointed Supreme Court master,
based in Kamloops, serving in that capacity until retiring in July 2019.
Justice Matthews was a founding partner of Camp Fiorante Matthews
Mogerman LLP in Vancouver. She served as president of the Canadian Bar
Association, BC Branch in 2011 and in that capacity spoke at the law school’s
opening ceremonies. Justice Matthews was appointed Queen’s Counsel in
2012 and was elected a bencher in 2014. She has been a justice of the
Supreme Court of British Columbia since 2018.
LAW FOUNDATION GRANTS
The Law Foundation of British Columbia has graciously approved grants
enabling ongoing community service and research at TRU Law. The first
grant was to Pro Bono Students Canada – TRU Chapter. Professor Andrew
Pilliar is the current pro bono supervisor. The second grant was for the TRU
Law for Public Interest Work Placement Program, which provides J.D. students
with the exclusive opportunity to work for B.C. public interest organizations
over the summer. For the coming year, TRU students will have
opportunities to work for the Elizabeth Fry Legal Clinic, West Coast LEAF,
the First United Church Community Ministry Society and the Nelson Cares
Society (the Advocacy Centre). The director of career services, Christi
McAuley, manages these placements.
The third grant was to the TRU Community Legal Clinic. The Law Foundation
remains one of our major donors and we appreciate the financial
contribution that enables the clinic to provide legal services to the greater
Kamloops community and clinical legal education to our J.D. students. The
fourth grant was to Professor Brad Morse for his Indigenous–Local Government
Relationships Project. This is the second research grant he has
received for furthering his research on this topic.