Host
Jeffrey A. Rose, KC — Vancouver
About the Host
Jeff Rose, KC was called to the bar in 1984 and shortly thereafter joined M. Edward Mortimer, KC in the practice of family law, which was always Jeff's specialized area of practice.
In 2005, he was appointed Kings's Counsel by the Honourable Wally Oppal, KC, Attorney General of BC. Jeff was later awarded the BC Leaders in Learning Award by CLEBC for exceptional contributions to the profession.
Jeff has co-chaired and contributed to over 70 family law courses and conferences. He has been on the Editorial Board of the BC Family Practice Manual, Financial Issues in Family Law, and the Family Law Sourcebook.
Jeff currently holds a position as a Practice Advisor at the Law Society of BC.
Special Guests
The Honourable Judge Ellen Gordon — Provincial Court of BC, Surrey
The Honourable Judge Rose Raven — Provincial Court of BC, Vancouver
Melanie C.T. Ash — Deputy Chief, Affirmative Litigation Division, New York City Law Department, New York, NY
Jeffrey J. Kay, KC — Managing Partner, Farris LLP, Vancouver
Dinyar Marzban, KC — Jenkins Marzban Logan LLP, Vancouver
Nancy J. Wilhelm-Morden, KC — Race & Company LLP, Whistler
About the Special Guests
Judge Gordon received her LLB from the University of Manitoba in 1983. She began her legal career in Winnipeg in 1984 but after enduring several Manitoba winters, moved to Vancouver in August of 1996 where she was a partner at the Vancouver firm of Gordon and Sutherland Law offices practicing criminal defence work and occasionally acting as an ad hoc prosecutor for the Province.
Judge Gordon was appointed to the Provincial Court of BC in 2004. She "cut her judicial teeth" in Surrey before transferring to Vancouver in December 2017. She's been given a couple of nicknames while on the Bench, including "Auntie Ellen" because of her kind and encouraging ways with young counsel.
Judge Raven was called to the BC bar in 1980. Born in Beausejour, Manitoba to a large Italian immigrant family of very modest means, she learned early on that "anyone can accomplish their goals if they really want to." She practiced law in the Delta/Surrey area for 16 years, specializing in family law. In May of 1996, she was appointed to the Provincial Court of BC.
She sat at the South Fraser Judicial District presiding over family, criminal and small claims cases and during those years received mediation training and presided over numerous case conferences. In Surrey, Judge Raven was given the nickname "the Surrey Optimist," because she believed every person could be redeemed. In 2015, Judge Raven transferred from the Fraser District of the Provincial Court to the Vancouver District. She has sat in all areas of the court, primarily at Robson Square and Richmond. Judge Raven taught the children's rights portion of CLEBC's family law boot camp in 2020 and 2021. In addition, Judge Raven was on the NJI Planning Committee for the conference on Access to Justice for Children held in May 2022. In November of 2022, Judge Raven was part of a panel on child rights presented at the International Conference on Training of the Judiciary ("IOJT").
Kamloops born, Melanie Ash has served as General Counsel to the New York City Racial Justice Commission since 2021, on loan from the New York City Law Department. In 2018, she was awarded the Law Department's Edith J. Spivack Special Recognition Award for dedicated legal service and superior achievement. Melanie has a BA (Hons) from Carleton University, an LLB from UBC, and an LLM from Columbia Law School. She clerked at the Supreme Court of Canada under the Chief Justice of Canada, Beverly McLachlin and is admitted to the bar in both BC and New York.
Originally, Melanie's plan was to study law at Columbia University, then come back to Canada. But New York City had other plans. She stayed, and after four years at a prestigious midtown law firm she became a litigator for the City, where she litigated on behalf of New York City's trees and water supply. As General Counsel for the City's Racial Justice Commission, she oversees the legal aspects of proposals to change the City's 17th-century Charter to advance racial equity.
Jeff Kay was called to the BC bar in 1980 after graduating in 1979 with an LLB. Mr. Kay grew up in Winnipeg and studied law at the University of Manitoba and the California Western School of Law in San Diego, California. He jokes that part of what drew him to study in California was to escape the Winnipeg winter, so it is no surprise he decided to settle in Vancouver. Mr. Kay has been the Managing Partner at the Vancouver firm of Farris LLP since 2017. He practises primarily in the fields of family law and commercial litigation. Jeff was appointed King's Counsel in 2004.
Mr. Kay is ranked by Best Lawyers among the leading lawyers in Canada for Family Law, listed in The Legal Media Group's guide to the World's Leading Product Liability Lawyers, and has been chosen as one of the Who's Who Legal of Product Liability Defence Lawyers. Jeff is also listed by Benchmark Litigation Canada as a "Litigation Star." This list recognizes individuals who are consistently recommended as reputable and effective by both clients and peers.
Called to the BC bar in 1982 and the Bar of Nova Scotia in 1985, Mr. Marzban started his legal career graduating with an LLB from Dalhousie University in 1981. A leading family lawyer in BC, Dinyar Marzban, KC has practiced all aspects of family law, including mediation, trial, and appellate work. Appointed King's Counsel in 2004, he now limits his practice to acting as a family law mediator, most often retained to resolve cases involving high incomes and complex financial issues.
Dinyar has contributed to family law reform, legal education and pro bono work. He is an ongoing volunteer with Access Pro Bono and has volunteered for Rise/Women's Legal Centre. He was named Family Law "Lawyer of the Year" in 2009, 2017 and 2021 by Best Lawyers.
Nancy Wilhelm-Morden was born in Kitchener, Ontario. She first visited Whistler (then known as Alta Lake) in 1973 for a two-week holiday. Like so many others, she caught the Whistler bug and became a permanent resident. She carried on with her studies, however, graduating from UBC with a Bachelor of Laws degree in 1983. In 1987, Ms. Wilhelm-Morden opened her own practice in Whistler and soon after merged with Race & Company.
Nancy served as a municipal councillor in Whistler before being elected as mayor, where, over the course of two terms, she fought for the preservation of the Emerald Forest, formed the Mayor's Task Force on Resident Housing, and welcomed the Audain Art Museum to Whistler—all while continuing to practise as a civil litigator with Race & Co.
After retiring from politics in 2018, Nancy returned to full-time practice, serving as an elected member of ICBC's Defence Counsel Liaison Committee. In 2022, Ms. Wilhelm-Morden retired from practice to focus on family and her new role as a grandma.