Sania Chaudhry
Why did you choose your program at UBC and what did you enjoy most about it?
I chose the Arts program at UBC, double majoring in Psychology and Sociology, because I found the research work and faculty at UBC in these areas really interesting. I really enjoyed taking courses that broadened my understandings of intersectionality, mental health and the social constructs at play in all of this, which I was then able to relate to and keep in my mind as I pursued my law degree. I loved taking courses on sociology of race, gender psychology, sociology of gender, sociological theories of power, sociological theories of feminism, health psychology, and social psychology.
What were some of your most meaningful experiences at UBC?
The most meaningful experience for me during my Arts degree was getting to work in the Work Study program at the UBC Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC). It allowed me to be exposed to interdisciplinary research into the policy level determinants of the health and wellbeing of sexual minority youth, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and to foster my passion for intersectionality and the law.
What choices did you make at UBC that contributed to your career success / journey?
Several choices I made at UBC Arts contributed to my success in law school and later in my career. Two of the biggest choices were the UBC SARAVYC program I mentioned above and volunteering at various psychology research labs. It really helped me stand apart in my job applications and even when applying for lawyer positions (after law school) I continued to talk about these foundational experiences in my interviews and in networking. They also instilled my passion for and knowledge of intersectionality, equity, diversity and inclusion which I have focused all my volunteering in to better the legal profession.
Is your current career path as you originally intended? What challenges did you face in launching your career?
I had a passion for equity that I wanted to further through my legal career. Due to volunteering during my Arts degree, I was very focused on family law and immigration law. After my Arts degree, I went straight to law school at the Allard School of Law at UBC where I also worked at the Canadian Journal of Family Law as an Editor and Business Manager throughout and then worked additionally in the summers at WorkSafeBC as a Review Officer Intern.
When I moved to Calgary, I had no connections and had difficulties finding an articling student at law position. I began working as an Administrative Assistant at the University of Calgary while I networked and searched for an articling student at law position. I then worked as an articling student at a small general practice firm where I got a lot of family law experience but nothing in immigration law. Moreover, my articling took longer than that of the average person because I gave birth to my daughter and also my mother passed away in the middle of my articling period. Once I got called to the bar in August 2019, I thankfully was able to get a position practicing family and immigration law at a different small firm where I gained a lot of interesting litigation experience and even had successful appearances at the Federal Court.
However, I faced issues with work-life balance impacting my mental health while working in private law practice and then shifted to my current position as Conduct Counsel at the Real Estate Council of Alberta where I am working in regulatory and administrative prosecutions – still lots of litigation – with a wonderful work-life balance and in the public interest. My Conduct Counsel position gives me the unique task of working to protect the public from fraud, to ensure public confidence in the real estate and mortgage industry, and to focus on preventing harm to the public from breaches of the rules regulating these industries.
What do you like about your current job and what do you find challenging? How does it relate to your degree?
It directly relates to my law degree as I am working as a lawyer and my Arts degree knowledge helps in my skills with relating with people and with crafting my arguments in a manner that people can understand. What I find the most challenging is dealing with negative reactions from licensees that we are prosecuting but my Psychology degree helps me manage the interactions and assist the licensees in understanding the situation, the process, and in bringing their emotions from negative to calm.
From your experience, what has been the value of having an Arts degree?
My Arts degree has been hugely valuable to me both in my law degree and in my legal career. Psychology and sociology play a huge role in explaining the law, in explaining how the law can be reformed, and in explaining how equity, diversity and inclusion can be fostered in the legal profession, which has been the focus of my legal volunteer work, and has led to me being named one of the 2022 Top 30 Under 30 by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation.
What advice would you give to students and alumni interested in breaking into your industry?
Don’t be afraid to reach out to lawyers that you don’t know well to chat about their practice so that you can learn about their areas of law, how their practice is, and gain connections in the profession. I would also advise to always focus on your mental health and maintaining balance – your life, family, and health always come first!
What advice would you give your graduating self?
Don’t be afraid to be your authentic self in the legal profession – people will appreciate you for who you are and will value the unique perspective that you bring to the practice of law and to the legal profession.
Sania Chaudhry
Why did you choose your program at UBC and what did you enjoy most about it?
I chose the Arts program at UBC, double majoring in Psychology and Sociology, because I found the research work and faculty at UBC in these areas really interesting. I really enjoyed taking courses that broadened my understandings of intersectionality, mental health and the social constructs at play in all of this, which I was then able to relate to and keep in my mind as I pursued my law degree. I loved taking courses on sociology of race, gender psychology, sociology of gender, sociological theories of power, sociological theories of feminism, health psychology, and social psychology.
What were some of your most meaningful experiences at UBC?
The most meaningful experience for me during my Arts degree was getting to work in the Work Study program at the UBC Stigma and Resilience Among Vulnerable Youth Centre (SARAVYC). It allowed me to be exposed to interdisciplinary research into the policy level determinants of the health and wellbeing of sexual minority youth, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and to foster my passion for intersectionality and the law.
What choices did you make at UBC that contributed to your career success / journey?
Several choices I made at UBC Arts contributed to my success in law school and later in my career. Two of the biggest choices were the UBC SARAVYC program I mentioned above and volunteering at various psychology research labs. It really helped me stand apart in my job applications and even when applying for lawyer positions (after law school) I continued to talk about these foundational experiences in my interviews and in networking. They also instilled my passion for and knowledge of intersectionality, equity, diversity and inclusion which I have focused all my volunteering in to better the legal profession.
Is your current career path as you originally intended? What challenges did you face in launching your career?
I had a passion for equity that I wanted to further through my legal career. Due to volunteering during my Arts degree, I was very focused on family law and immigration law. After my Arts degree, I went straight to law school at the Allard School of Law at UBC where I also worked at the Canadian Journal of Family Law as an Editor and Business Manager throughout and then worked additionally in the summers at WorkSafeBC as a Review Officer Intern.
When I moved to Calgary, I had no connections and had difficulties finding an articling student at law position. I began working as an Administrative Assistant at the University of Calgary while I networked and searched for an articling student at law position. I then worked as an articling student at a small general practice firm where I got a lot of family law experience but nothing in immigration law. Moreover, my articling took longer than that of the average person because I gave birth to my daughter and also my mother passed away in the middle of my articling period. Once I got called to the bar in August 2019, I thankfully was able to get a position practicing family and immigration law at a different small firm where I gained a lot of interesting litigation experience and even had successful appearances at the Federal Court.
However, I faced issues with work-life balance impacting my mental health while working in private law practice and then shifted to my current position as Conduct Counsel at the Real Estate Council of Alberta where I am working in regulatory and administrative prosecutions – still lots of litigation – with a wonderful work-life balance and in the public interest. My Conduct Counsel position gives me the unique task of working to protect the public from fraud, to ensure public confidence in the real estate and mortgage industry, and to focus on preventing harm to the public from breaches of the rules regulating these industries.
What do you like about your current job and what do you find challenging? How does it relate to your degree?
It directly relates to my law degree as I am working as a lawyer and my Arts degree knowledge helps in my skills with relating with people and with crafting my arguments in a manner that people can understand. What I find the most challenging is dealing with negative reactions from licensees that we are prosecuting but my Psychology degree helps me manage the interactions and assist the licensees in understanding the situation, the process, and in bringing their emotions from negative to calm.
From your experience, what has been the value of having an Arts degree?
My Arts degree has been hugely valuable to me both in my law degree and in my legal career. Psychology and sociology play a huge role in explaining the law, in explaining how the law can be reformed, and in explaining how equity, diversity and inclusion can be fostered in the legal profession, which has been the focus of my legal volunteer work, and has led to me being named one of the 2022 Top 30 Under 30 by the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation.
What advice would you give to students and alumni interested in breaking into your industry?
Don’t be afraid to reach out to lawyers that you don’t know well to chat about their practice so that you can learn about their areas of law, how their practice is, and gain connections in the profession. I would also advise to always focus on your mental health and maintaining balance – your life, family, and health always come first!
What advice would you give your graduating self?
Don’t be afraid to be your authentic self in the legal profession – people will appreciate you for who you are and will value the unique perspective that you bring to the practice of law and to the legal profession.
