Joseph Arvay Legacy Fund created to support law students into public interest legal work

Arvay died at 71, in December of 2020

Joseph Arvay Legacy Fund created to support law students into public interest legal work
Image credit: Arvay Finlay LLP

The University of Victoria Faculty of Law has created a legacy fund to honour and recognize Joseph Arvay’s exceptional accomplishments during his legal career.

“Joe was widely recognized as one of the most brilliant and successful constitutional and civil liberties lawyers of his time, and his passion and commitment to social justice through the practice of public law is unparalleled,” Robin Gage, managing partner at Arvay Finlay LLP, said in a news release. “We still feel his loss deeply but are trying to honour him and his legacy the best way we know how - by continuing this important work and by looking for ways to support others in doing the same.”

The Joseph Arvay Legacy Fund will be used to encourage and support law students who are interested in following the visionary work of Arvay in pursuing public law activities and have showed aptitude and talent for public interest law.

The fund, through the establishment of the Joseph Arvay Public Interest Internship, will give law students the opportunity to work with not-for-profit and public-interest organizations. Sponsoring organizations will be selected on an annual basis, based on their ability to provide meaningful work experience to students, with a preference given to organizations that align with Arvay’s career and passion.

The inaugural internship will take place in summer 2022 with the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA). Arvay represented the BCCLA on a pro bono basis for three decades in many ground-breaking cases that made Canadian legal history. He appeared on behalf of the BCCLA to challenge the constitutionality of prolonged, indefinite solitary confinement in federal prisons.  He also fought to achieve full equality for the LGBTQ+ community and established the constitutional right to physician-assisted dying for the seriously ill.

“Joe is remembered as a hero to the BCCLA. The BCCLA is honored to be chosen to host the inaugural fellowship for the Joseph Arvay Legacy Fund,” BCCLA Litigation Director Grace Pastine said in the release.

“We are proud to continue Joe’s incredible legacy by helping to develop the lawyers who will follow in Joe’s footsteps.”

Recent articles & video

SCC finds company committed abusive tax avoidance in case dealing with general anti-avoidance rule

Medical reporting organisations are not medical experts, court rules

Roundup of law firm hires, promotions, departures: May 29, 2023 update

Critics decry ‘disjointed’ diversity disclosure options from securities administrators

For AI, intellectual property must now reward and incentivize creativity and inventiveness: lawyer

NS Supreme Court rejects unjust enrichment claim over in-law suite renovations

Most Read Articles

SCC notes importance of defending marginalized groups with ‘counter-speech’ in anti-SLAPP ruling

Massive interest in AI comes with significant responsibilities: McCarthy Tétrault’s Charles Morgan

Thomson Reuters upends legal drafting with Microsoft Word AI integration

For AI, intellectual property must now reward and incentivize creativity and inventiveness: lawyer