This month’s spotlight shines on J. Jeffery Locke of McLellan Herbert Locke LLP.
How did you first get involved with CLEBC?
I was lucky to have law partners and mentors, Hugh McLellan and Deidre Herbert, who were longtime contributors to CLEBC, and they were critical in facilitating my initial involvement. Having attended CLEBC courses from the outset of my law career, I jumped at the chance to assist them with their various writing and speaking engagements.
What are you currently working on (or have most recently worked on) with CLEBC?
Most recently, I co-chaired the Elder Law course with Janis Ko, also of McLellan Herbert Locke LLP, and co-chaired the Interplay Between Aging, Death & Divorce course with Jasmeet Wahid, of Daykin Walker Kaderly Wahid LLP. I also wrote chapters on the validity and interpretation of testamentary instruments for Estate Disputes in British Columbia: A Litigator’s Guide.
What inspired you to become a lawyer?
My mother became a lawyer as a second career and was called to the bar while I was in high school, so I had a lot of exposure to this process during my formative years. I then chose to do it anyway!
How did you decide to focus your practice on wills and estates litigation?
I made a mid-career transition to wills and estates litigation, having practiced primarily construction and personal injury law during my first years as a lawyer. I was always interested in the subject matter, but ultimately decided to make the switch after pinch-hitting for a colleague on an estate dispute hearing in 2016 (serendipitously against my future law partner, Deidre Herbert). As an area of law, I have found that it uniquely mixes ancient legal concepts with relatable factual disputes and everyday people as clients.
You are very active in the legal community as an adjunct professor at Peter A. Allard School of Law, a contributor to publications, and a speaker at continuing legal education courses. What motivates you to give back to the profession?
The short answer is that I like doing it and it feels good to give back, which I think is part of my duty to the profession. In my experience, there is also no better way to learn a subject than by trying to teach it, so contributing to continuing legal education has corresponding professional development benefits.
If you weren’t a lawyer, what career path would you have chosen?
As a dinosaur-obsessed five-year-old, I was quite sure I was destined to be a paleontologist. Sadly, that did not pan out.
Other than law, what are you passionate about?
Most of my limited spare time is spent with my partner and daughters, my dog, and my small herd of chinchillas. Outside of that, I tend to cycle through a variety of hobbies at any given time. Presently, these include building arcade machines, painting miniatures, cultivating sourdough starter, and dungeon mastering—all badly.