Elisabeth Sadowski

What is your current role or position?

I am a litigation lawyer whose main areas of practice are plaintiff personal injury, civil sexual assault litigation, medical negligence, and estate litigation.

Which organisation do you work for?

Hammerco Lawyers LLP

What were you doing before studying the GE LLB (Hons)?

In the year immediately prior to my GE LLB, I was working as an administrative assistant at Legal Aid BC. I subsequently returned to the organisation after graduating from City and worked as an intake assistant which involved evaluating individuals as to whether they qualified for legal aid alongside taking my accreditation exams to practice law in British Columbia (BC).

Prior to my work at Legal Aid BC and prior to law school, it was my aspiration to become a financial advisor and I had taken various courses in business at BCIT. Additionally, I completed my undergraduate degree (double major) in political science and English literature from the University of British Columbia.

What motivated you to pursue the GE LLB (Hons)?

I wrote an article on my experiences and motivation to become a lawyer in the Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia's legal magazine, The Verdict. I thought it would be helpful to share that here:

In my first year of university, I was involved in a motor vehicle accident on the Lions Gate Bridge. For the next four years, ending in a 10-day trial, I undertook a crash course (pardon the bad pun) in law and medicine. Ultimately, the experience motivated me to practise law, specifically personal injury, and it helped to shape many of my views, as a plaintiff (former client) and now in representing plaintiffs.

As a former plaintiff, I developed a unique insight that later helped me empathise with my clients when I became a personal injury lawyer, as they overcame their own obstacles and difficulties. The legal process, let alone the recovery process, can be overwhelming for even the most knowledgeable of clients.

In my case, despite having a father who was a neurologist for over 40 years and who has been cited in over 300 court and tribunal decisions, I was still at a loss as to how to navigate the legal process as an injured plaintiff. I had no idea what a personal injury lawyer was or how he or she could help me in navigating the process.

Through a series of fortunate events, the lawyers that I hired and eventually, the exponentially more that I came across in the years following, helped to shape my future by giving me a front row seat to the litigation process along with inspiring me to practice law in an area in which I could make a difference.

What are you doing now? How did The City Law School prepare you for your current role?

Professionally, I have appeared as an advocate before all levels of court in British Columbia (the Provincial and Supreme Courts of British Columbia and the British Columbia Court of Appeal). To date in my career, I have settled hundreds of personal injury files. I have acted as co-counsel on multiple trials including Somers v MacLellan, 2023 BCSC 1449. Somers was on one of the biggest personal injury trial awards in BC history, and it was a very challenging and contentious liability case.

Drawing back to my experience at City, I was elected as class representative for both years during my degree. This experience, in part, motivated me to become more active in my own legal community when I arrived home to Canada.

I was one of the youngest presidents and only the 6th women president of the Trial Lawyers Association of BC (“TLABC”). During my term, I provided feedback to the federal government on judicial appointments, championed women lawyers and helped the organisation achieve gender parity amongst its board for the first time in its history.

I also prioritised collaboration with other like-minded legal organisations including building stronger ties with the Federation of Asian Lawyers and South Asian Bar Association.

In addition to my work for TLABC, I have written a number of articles for various legal journals and magazines in BC, along with being appointed to the credentials committee for the Law Society of BC.

In the past, I was appointed as a Committee Member, Young Lawyers Advisory Committee, Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch from 2018 to 2019, and was the Vice-Chair of Marketing & Communications, BC Women Lawyers Forum, Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch from 2017 to 2018. From 2016 to 2018, I was an Executive Member of the Civil Litigation Vancouver Section, Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch.

Throughout my legal career, I have actively volunteered her time with Access Pro Bono in providing advice and counsel to low income and vulnerable populations. Additionally, I am very active and involved in the community at large, I am one of the longest serving active Board Members with the Parkinson Society of BC (since 2017) and I was appointed as a member of the Discipline Committee at the Vancouver Club since 2022.

In the past, I was a Board Member with CLICK: Contributing to Lives of Inner City Kids (2014 – 2021) which is an organisation which helps to raise funds for inner city kids programs in Vancouver.

How has your law degree from The City Law School helped you navigate challenges or seize opportunities in your career?

My law degree is fundamental to what I do as a lawyer. The areas in which I practice allow me to help a cross section of society, and my community work outside of my profession is also tremendously rewarding.

In absence of a law degree, I would not be able to do a fraction of what I do today. A law degree puts you at a great advantage regardless of whether you practice law in private practice or in another industry. I feel very fortunate and privileged to have had the foundation provided to me by The City Law School which helped inform the next stage of my career.

How would you describe the academic and pastoral support you received during your studies with us?

The academic and pastoral support was excellent. Nearly all (if not all) of our professors were either working as lawyers in the academic space or in private practice. They had spoken at conferences, wrote scholarly articles, among other activities. They were all very personable and approachable. The City Law School attracted an excellent and diverse group of professors which was set far and above any of my colleagues locally and internationally. I felt very fortunate to have the level of teaching that I received.

Personally, as class representative, I had to combat a number of issues and I would regular be in touch with Simon Goulding, our Programme Director. Simon was excellent - he was thoughtful, supportive and approachable. My fellow classmates and I knew that he was an excellent advocate for us and we felt very supported.

What knowledge and skills did the LLB Law help you develop? Which one has been the most useful since you graduated and why?

I strongly believe that law school teaches you "how to think". My LLB helped me to think more critically as a lawyer and informed my approach to my work. We were exposed to a number of foundational courses which were important in laying the ground work in some of the areas in which I practice – for example, tort law is fundamental to my personal injury practice.

Without learning about the elements of negligence and some of the authoritative cases (many of which were heard in the UK), I would not be able to fully appreciate Canadian case law. The same is true of contract law - while I don't practice as a solicitor, it is still very important to have a foundational understanding of the subject area.

Did you find our London location to be advantageous during your time with us?

There were countless advantages to the London location. Personally, it allowed me to visit my family who live in the British countryside so I was able to spend more time with them.

Living in London itself was a once in a lifetime opportunity as well - I went to countless plays and musicals (featuring some of the world's best actors - Stephen Fry, Helen Mirren among others), and as students, we were exposed to so much as we were in the epicentre of common law.

Some examples include: we had one of our final dinners with our law school class at the dining hall at Inner Temple (one of the four Inns of Court). We were taken to the Supreme Court at the Royal Courts of Justice to observe a hearing.