He won a bronze medal for doubles boccia at the London 2012 Paralympic Games
Vancouver-based lawyer Josh Vander Vies will be supporting Canadian athletes in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, which will run from Aug. 25 to Sept. 6.
According to a news release dated Jan. 14, Vander Vies is a boccia player who has competed in the paralympic games in Athens in 2004 and in London in 2012. In London, he won a bronze medal for doubles boccia.
Acting as assistant chef de mission, he will be joining the support team, which includes athlete ambassadors Karolina Wisniewska and Shacarra Orr, and which is led by chef de mission Stephanie Dixon. Because he is bilingual, he will also serve as the team’s official spokesperson in French.
Vander Vies holds bachelor’s degrees in political science and French language and literature from the University of Western Ontario and a law degree from the University of British Columbia. Called to the B.C. bar in 2016, he then founded the Versus Law Corporation. He focuses his practice on not-for-profit and estate law.
“An electric wheelchair user born without much of his arms and legs, he has more experience than most in identifying individual and collective issues, and knowing when to engage each,” states his website. “Josh’s leadership, legal, and life experience lead him to better understand the goals of his clients, and find creative paths to success.”
Aside from his law practice, he has an active presence in a number of organizations. He has held leadership positions at AthletesCAN and the Canadian Paralympic Committee. He is a member of the B.C. Minister of Social Development and Social Innovation’s Council on Employment and Accessibility and the Canadian Bar Association.
