Jennifer Lau

Director of Professional Resources – Vancouver

 | Vancouver

Jennifer Lau (she/her/hers) is the Director of Professional Resources – Vancouver at Cassels. In this role, Jenn is involved in all aspects of the recruitment, training, and performance development of the firm’s summer and articling students in its Calgary and Vancouver offices. Jenn is passionate about helping law students and new graduates transition to the professional workforce. Prior to joining Cassels, Jenn spent over a decade at the Peter A. Allard School of Law, where she served as a career coach to thousands of law students and alumni. She led Allard Law’s Career Services Office in shifting its focus to emphasize a strengths-based approach, and finds joy in helping law students and new lawyers secure work that aligns with their strengths and values. Jenn also served as Acting Assistant Dean of Students at Allard Law in the spring and summer of 2020, where she led the delivery of front-line student academic support during the transition to online learning amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prior to transitioning out of legal practice, Jenn articled and practiced as a litigator at a large regional firm in Vancouver and was called to the bar in 2010. She also served as a judicial law clerk to seven justices at the British Columbia Supreme Court.

Jenn is also passionate about equity, diversity, and inclusion. She is a founding board member and a former president of the Federation of Asian Canadian Lawyers BC (FACL BC), and is a former member of the executive of the CBABC’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Community Section (SOGIC). While at Allard Law, Jenn was frequently consulted by legal employers seeking to establish best practices for hiring, recruitment, retention, and the interruption of unconscious bias.

Jenn has been actively involved with the National Association of Legal Professionals (NALP) since 2010. She has served in a number of appointed and elected roles, including as Chair of the National Recruitment Survey Working Group, Chair of the Canadian Section, Vice-Chair of the Summer & Articling Working Group, Member of the Canadian Directory of Legal Employers Working Group, Member of the Data Collection Working Group, and Conference Planning Coordinator. Jenn has also completed the NALP Level 1 & 2 Coaching Programs. She is a regular speaker at NALP events and law schools across the country, and is regularly interviewed by legal periodicals on the job market for new graduates, and best practices for hiring and recruitment.