Roper Greyell Sponsors Bursary with the Immigrant Services Society of BC

October 2024

Last week, Roper Greyell Associate Jaime Hoopes attended the Immigrant Services Society of BC’s (ISSofBC) 2024 bursary awards ceremony on behalf of the firm.

For over 50 years, ISSofBC has worked to provide a range of key services, including employment and career ambitions, for immigrants and refugees who arrive and live in British Columbia.

At Roper Greyell, we hold ourselves accountable to being active members of our community with a focus on giving back and making a positive impact. This is one of the reasons why this award sponsorship with ISSofBC is aligned for our firm.

It was our honour to sponsor this bursary to an outstanding individual, Miguel Soria, pursuing a law career here in Canada.

Truth and Reconciliation Week

September 2024

It’s Truth and Reconciliation Week. A time to learn about Indigenous history, engage in meaningful conversations, and contribute to our collective path toward reconciliation.

At Roper Greyell, we take this time as an opportunity to learn more about the history of Canada’s Indigenous peoples and our role as a community in preserving Indigenous culture. As a part of this ongoing commitment, our team will be attending a learning session this week put on by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

Additionally, in observance of Truth and Reconciliation, Roper Greyell is honoured to make donations to two very important organizations—Aboriginal Mother Centre Society and the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.

The Aboriginal Mother Centre Society provides an environment where Aboriginal mothers and their children thrive in an equitable and supportive community that is rich in cultural and holistic values.

The National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation is focused on listening to Survivors, their families, communities, and others affected by the residential school system and to educate Canadians about their experiences.

Roper Greyell Sponsors Pro Bono Going Public by the Access Pro Bono Society of BC

September 2024

Roper Greyell was thrilled to once again sponsor Pro Bono Going Public by the Access Pro Bono Society of BC.

Greg Heywood and Norika Takacs-Rehm also volunteered their time to provide critical legal services to individuals and families of limited means.

Throughout September, 246 lawyers provided free legal advice in British Columbia to raise awareness and funds for BC’s pro bono programs.

Roper Greyell Sponsors the 42nd Annual Chinese Legal Community Banquet

August 2024

Roper Greyell was pleased to sponsor the 42nd Annual Chinese Legal Community Banquet on Friday, August 9th at Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant. A group of RG team members enjoyed a traditional 10-course Chinese banquet and interacted and engaged with UBC law students.

The Honourable Judge Derek Mah and Mr. Daniel Lee were the panel speakers in the evening.

About the Event:

Since 1979, the UBC Chinese Law Students’ Association has hosted an annual banquet for legal professionals and students to socialize over a traditional 10-course Chinese dinner in recognition of the great cultural diversity in the Greater Vancouver legal community.

This event, whose aim is to draw attendance not only from members of the Chinese legal community, but practitioners from all different cultural backgrounds, allows lawyers and law students to connect, share stories, and discuss issues facing the legal profession.

Roper Greyell Contributes $10,000 to QUEST Outreach Society

December 2023

At Roper Greyell, we are dedicated to making a positive difference in our local community. While the year-end holiday season is typically filled with joy and celebration, we recognize that it can pose challenges for some. In the spirit of giving, this December, Roper Greyell is contributing $10,000 to the QUEST Outreach Society to support their impactful efforts within our community.

Their mission resonates deeply with us, as they bridge the gap between food banks and grocery stores, by providing a shopping experience for those in need based on principles of dignity, access, and sustainability for many in our community. With this contribution, we hope to empower QUEST Outreach Society to continue their vital work, ensuring that more individuals and families have access to nutritious food and a dignified shopping experience.

For more information on QUEST Outreach Society and how you can support their work, visit: https://www.questoutreach.org/

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation – September 2023

September 2023

On September 30, Canada will observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day serves as an opportunity for all of us to reflect and pay tribute to the children who were lost and the survivors of residential schools, along with their families and communities. It also acknowledges the historical significance of residential schools in Canada and the enduring impact they have left behind.

At Roper Greyell, in our ongoing commitment to engaging in the reconciliation process, we have embraced this day as an opportunity to learn more about the history, rights, and perspectives of First Nations and Indigenous communities.

As part of our firm’s observances, we have made a contribution of $5,000 to the Indian Residential School Survivors Society (IRSSS). The IRSSS is a provincial organization with a rich history of supporting residential school survivors and families undergoing intergenerational trauma, having provided vital services since 1994. To learn more about their important work, please visit their website: https://www.irsss.ca/.

Roper Greyell Celebrates the 2023 Vancouver Pride Festival

August 2023

Roper Greyell is excited to celebrate the 2023 Vancouver Pride festivities. This year marks the second in-person Pride Parade following the COVID 19 pandemic, with the festival returning with the theme of “Reconnect” signifying the importance of reconnecting with our local communities.

We continue to channel one of the firm’s core values in community contribution and our commitment to making a positive difference in our local communities by making a meaningful donation of $5000 to Rainbow Refugee.

Rainbow Refugee is a Vancouver-based organization that “promotes safe, equitable migration and communities of belonging for people fleeing persecution based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or HIV status.”

You can learn more about the important work that Rainbow Refugee does here.

As part of our Pride celebrations last year, we were thrilled to support an empowering local organization called Qmunity. Qmunity “works to improve queer, trans and Two spirited Lives.”, and our $5000 donation helped increase their programs and services to serve over 6,000+ people in need last year. We were pleased to learn that our donation assisted with establishing essential services that supports a significant number of people. Some of the services include:

• Eliminating waitlist for at-risk youth accessing free counselling services.

• Expanding the free gender affirming wear program to include bottom wear.

• Adding three new weekly programs for seniors and older adults.

• Offering more appointments for free Trans ID legal clinic.

The new services created to accommodate the increased demand also led Qmunity to:

• Triple the number of seniors and adults in their programs.

• Serve 450% more transgender, and gender diverse seniors and older adults.

• Double the number of youths in their programs.

Learn more about the good work that Qmunity does here.

As a firm, we are celebrating Pride all week by deepening our understanding of Pride and looking at the history of Pride and LGBTQIA2S+ rights in Canada. On Wednesday we hosted Norma Lize from Rainbow Refugee who gave incredible insight into the crucial work they carry out daily. Along with delicious treats, craft activities and colourful decorations, RG truly embraced the spirit of Pride, ensuring we continue to promote an authentic workplace that is diverse and inclusive and where everyone is welcome.

Roper Greyell Sponsors the 41st Annual Chinese Legal Community Banquet

June 2023

Roper Greyell was proud to have sponsored the 41st Annual Chinese Legal Community Banquet on Friday, June 16th at Sun Sui Wah Seafood restaurant. A group of RG lawyers enjoyed a traditional 10-course Chinese banquet and interacted and engaged with UBC Chinese law students.

Honourable Judge Kevin Loo of the Supreme Court was the Keynote speaker in the evening.

About the Event:

Since 1979, the UBC Chinese Law Students’ Association has hosted an annual banquet to provide a rare opportunity for lawyers and students to socialize over a traditional 10-course Chinese dinner in recognition of the great cultural diversity in the Greater Vancouver legal community.

This event, whose aim is to draw attendance not only from members of the Chinese legal community, but practitioners from all different cultural backgrounds, allows lawyers and law students to connect, share stories, and discuss issues facing the legal profession.

Lawyers Inn Society’s Smartest Law Firm in Vancouver Trivia

April 2023

Roper Greyell is delighted to congratulate the nine RG lawyers who participated in the Lawyers Inn Society’s Smartest Law Firm in Vancouver Trivia quiz.

Their wisdom of early 2000s pop culture, music, obscure geography and other important general knowledge proved successful, and the triumphant team took home the ‘Smartest Law Firm in Vancouver’ trophy having answered 39/40 questions correctly.

Congratulations to the team consisting of: Teodora Bardas, Danny Bernstein, Gabrielle Berron-Styan, Pamela Costanzo, Janna Crown, Sarina Gill, Jaime Hoopes, James Kondopulos, Justin Wong.

Roper Greyell Supports the Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC

February 2023

The Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC is committed to giving individuals, groups, and communities support and hope. Their distress services provide support to vulnerable individuals across British Columbia on 24/7 basis. They offer training programs for both youth and adults to increase awareness about suicide, strengthen intervention skills, facilitate growth and recovery after a suicide experience and provide empowering tools for resiliency.

We felt it was appropriate to contribute our 2022 holiday donation to the Crisis Centre following the release of the National Study on the Psychological Health Determinants of Legal Professionals in Canada in October 2022.  This was the first comprehensive National study on wellness in the legal profession which was published by Sherbrooke University in Quebec. The study reported that legal professionals suffer, “significantly high levels of psychological distress, depression, anxiety, burnout and suicidal ideation”.

Alarmingly, 66.8% of the study participants who had had suicidal thoughts since the beginning of their practice did not seek help when they felt the need to do so. The report’s findings confirmed the urgency and importance of supporting a charity that offers vital mental health services to not only our colleagues within in the legal profession but to anyone who is feeling vulnerable and struggling with their mental health.

Roper Greyell COO, Adam Garvin, and Partner and head of the firm’s EDI committee, Sandra Guarascio, recently paid visit to The Crisis Intervention and Suicide Prevention Centre of BC where they met with members of the team in presenting them with their $10,000 holiday donation cheque. Sandra Guarascio reflects on her visit to the centre:

“Visiting the offices of the Crisis Centre was inspiring and we at Roper Greyell are honoured to support the important work of this organization that is fueled by passionate staff and volunteers. Their mission is to provide help and hope to individuals and communities through timely access to barrier free confidential support and education and training programs that destigmatize suicide and mental health concerns and increase awareness and skills for mental health.

While visiting, we walked through the hallway of recognition where volunteers who had generously dedicated thousands of hours of time were honoured. What an incredible difference this organization makes at a time when supports for mental health are increasingly in demand”.

For more information on the Crisis Centre of BC and how you can support their work, visit: https://crisiscentre.bc.ca

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