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  • Working at a law firm in Victoria BC

Working at a law firm in Victoria BC

Working at a law firm in Victoria BC can provide unique opportunities for career specialization for legal professionals. As most Canadians already know, Victoria is a small city located at the tip of Vancouver Island, on the Pacific coast of Canada. More importantly for those considering a legal career, Victoria is the capital of British Columbia, and because of its status as a government town, can offer new law graduates with some interesting choices about what kind of law to practice.

There are nearly 50 law firms located in Victoria, and, any of these firms focus on family law, or estates, wills and trusts, just like legal firms in any other major urban center in Canada.

However, the concentration of government services in the BC capital means there is a lot of demand for very specialized legal practices, including environmental law, municipal law, and administrative law.

Environmental decisions are made in Victoria by government, based on sound legal counsel. Environmental law is a very complex discipline that involves diverse aspects such as land law, government administrative decisions, and decisions from various administrative bodies, and can involve everything from energy and safety regulations to aboriginal land claims issues. Because of its status as the capital

Administrative law is also practiced in Victoria thanks to the city’s status as a government town. This area of public law advances and protects the interests of citizens by ensuring that government agencies operate lawfully, and that the activities of government are in compliance with those authorized by parliament. Hearings are often non-judicial, taking place before administrative tribunals, review panels and regulatory boards. Victoria offers the opportunity to practice administrative law unlike other cities in the province.

Finally, a surprising opportunity for legal professionals in Victoria is provided by the Esquimalt naval base. Because of its status as the home of Canada’s Pacific Fleet, there are about 15,000 naval personal residing in the Capital Regional District, so there are opportunities to practice aspects of military law including military criminal law (courts-martial), courts-martial appeals, discharge reviews, review of military records, security clearance law, military grievances and pension issues.

So, thanks to its position as provincial capital, Victoria offers chance for new legal professionals to practice highly specialized disciplines of law that are usually not found in other parts of the province.

Dinning Hunter is a law firm in Victoria BC.

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