Synopsis

For women, leadership comes with its own set of unique challenges that can make the journey even more complex. 

Our esteemed panel features Daria Batkin, Morgan Camley, Emily Clough, and Atoussa Mahmoudpour. Laésha Smith of the WLF Education Committee, will moderate the discussion.

The discussion will cover a wide range of important topics, including:

• effective leadership,
• career strategies for success,
• overcoming challenges and barriers,
• work-life balance and wellbeing, and
• advocating for diversity and inclusion.

The discussion will be followed by a Q&A portion. If you have specific questions you would like addressed, please send them to our Education Committee Co-Chairs, Laésha Smith at lsmith@peslitigation.com and Michelle Wong at michelle.wong@mcmillan.ca.
 

About the Speakers

Daria Batkin – Daria is an experienced litigator with a broad range of practical knowledge when it comes to resolving conflict. She is an excellent strategist and negotiator. She is knowledgeable, effective and deliberate in her approach. Daria is fluent in all aspects of in court and out of court dispute resolution and has successfully negotiated hundreds of settlements for her clients. She has appeared at all levels of British Columbia Courts. Daria is an accredited Family Law Mediator and she is trained in Collaborative Family Law. Daria is very active in her community and served as Chair of Women Lawyers Forum of B.C. Branch of Canadian Bar Association during 2018-2020 and Past Chair during 2020-2022.

Morgan Camley – Morgan is a partner, Lead of Litigation and Dispute Resolution at Dentons Vancouver and Co-Chair leader of the Dentons national Agribusiness sector group. Over the course of her career, she has distinguished herself as a results-driven lawyer who brings extensive experience in complex commercial litigation, agri-business, public and administrative law, appellate practice, and Aboriginal law, as well as criminal and municipal law. Morgan is currently ranked as a leading lawyer by Benchmark Canada, Legal 500 and Best Lawyers in Canada. As a result of her work, Morgan was honoured with the 2009 Salvation Army Volunteer Lawyer of the Year Award, and as a 2014 finalist for the PRIDE Legacy Awards, recognizing her outstanding achievement as a Community Leader for her work as the Board Chair of QMUNITY, BC’s Queer Trans and Two-Spirit Resource Centre.

Emily Clough – As the managing partner, Emily’s leadership and strategic vision ensures that Clark Wilson delivers excellent service to our clients across Canada and around the globe. She is consistently recognized by her peers across the country as a Best Lawyer® in Canada for Trusts and Estates, and is a repeatedly recommended lawyer by Lexpert. She was the elected chair of the British Columbia Law Institute and the Canadian Centre for Elder Law. Emily is the vice president of Health Justice, a human rights-focused non-profit organization working to improve BC laws and policies of coercive health care, particularly under the Mental Health Act. In 2019, Emily was recognized as a nominee for the YWCA Women of Distinction Award, distinguishing her as a leading elder law practitioner. In 2021, Clark Wilson’s Estates & Trusts team was a Contentious Trusts and Estates Team of the Year finalist in the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners’ international Private Client Awards.

Atoussa Mahmoudpour – Atoussa is the Principal and Founder of AMR Law. Previously, she served as the National Chair of Life Sciences and Technology at Cozen O’Connor Canada and as the Chief Legal Officer and Chief Privacy Officer with a multibillion dollar company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Atoussa is a seasoned corporate lawyer specializing in life sciences and technology, with strong focus on M&A and commercial transactions. As the founder of AMR Law, she leverages her extensive global experience to support clients across North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Atoussa is known for her strategic approach, connecting innovators with investors and industry leaders while navigating complex corporate and commercial matters. Her deep industry knowledge and commitment to client success has led her to be recognized by her peers in Legal 500 International and Chambers and Partners and has been awarded the Western Canada General Counsel Tomorrow’s Leader Award, in addition to being a three-time winner of the WXN Canada’s Most Powerful Women: Top 100 Award.

Laésha Smith – Laésha maintains a dispute resolution practice with a focus on securities, administrative law and complex commercial litigation at her firm, Poulus Ensom Smith LLP. Her career path has involved private practice at large, international full-service law firms in New York and London as well as a litigation boutique in Vancouver. She also worked in-house at the British Columbia Securities Commission first as a Senior Compliance Officer in its Corporate Finance division and then as Litigation Counsel in the Enforcement division. Laesha is actively involved in community work as well as multiple professional activities. She is President of the board of directors of Rise Women’s Legal Centre which is a pro bono community legal clinic and teaching facility that provides legal services, primarily in family law, to women and gender diverse people all over BC. Laesha also sits on the Canadian Bar Association’s Access to Justice Committee and is Co-chair of the CBA’s Women Lawyer’s Forum’s Education Committee. She is also Vice President of the BC Chapter of the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers and serves as CABL BC’s liaison to the CBA’s Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Committee and the Anti-Racism/Racial Justice Collective.