Vanessa Werden honoured with an award from the Canadian Bar Association
On Saturday, June 11, 2022, Vanessa Werden was one of six BC lawyers honoured with an award from the Canadian Bar Association, BC Branch. Vanessa received the Community Supporter Award. This Award honours a CBABC member who has demonstrated outstanding dedication and service by contributing the critical behind-the-scenes work for community-building.
Over the past 10 years, Vanessa has dedicated significant time to volunteer and community activities. Following her call to the bar, Vanessa began mentoring law students through the CBABC student mentorship program. She has continued her mentorship efforts, both within JML and in the broader legal community, including through the Women Lawyers Forum mentorship program.
In the early years of her career, Vanessa served as the Co-Chair of the CBABC Young Lawyers Section, where she spearheaded the development of the BC Supreme Court Master Shadowing Program, which ran successfully for several years. She has continued to volunteer with CBABC, sitting as Member at Large, Vice-Chair and the current Chair of the CBABC Construction Law Section. Vanessa has organized and hosted countless successful social and CLE events.
From 2015 to 2021, Vanessa served on the Board of Directors of Canadian Construction Women (CCW), a BC-based volunteer-run non-profit association. Vanessa took great pride in contributing to CCW’s mission of helping women build a meaningful business network of peers and mentors. She served as Secretary, Vice President, and President, each for a two-year term. From 2016 to 2021, Vanessa was on the CCW bursary program selection committee. During that time, CCW gave twenty $1,000.00 bursaries to women pursuing trades or construction-related education and training.
In April 2022, Vanessa became the first woman appointed to the Board of Directors of the BC Roadbuillders & Heavy Construction Association. This is a significant achievement, placing her at the table with industry leaders.
We look forward to her continued service to our profession and the broader community. Congratulations Vanessa!