Administrative Assistant
Gracie Chiu (she/her) was born and raised as a settler on the unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ nations, also known as Victoria, BC. She joined the ELC in 2021, bringing experience as a legal assistant to her role. Gracie is grateful to contribute to the field of public interest environmental law by supporting students, clients, and the overall operations of the ELC.
Contact: elc.adminassistant [at] uvic.ca
Executive Director
Deborah Curran is a Professor at the Faculty of Law and the School of Environmental Studies. A public interest environmental lawyer for over 25 years, Deborah supervises students in cases relating primarily to water law, watershed health, land use, Indigenous legal instruments, new environmental governance arrangements and green bylaws. As Executive Director, Deborah facilitates the connections between the whole ELC Team of staff, students, clients, supporters and UVic. (See Deborah’s UVic Law Biography.)
Contact: dlc [at] uvic.ca
Articling Student
Alice Le Bihan (she/her) was born in France, and raised on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and French from the University of British Columbia (2018) and a Juris Doctor from the University of Victoria (2022). Alice served as a judicial law clerk for the Supreme Court of British Columbia before joining the ELC. She is passionate about watershed protection and the rights of those who steward those spaces. Alice spends her time by the sea.
Contact: alicelebihan [at] uvic.ca
Legal Researcher
Shannon Otruba (they/them) is a Canadian-American settler of European descent who now lives on the unceded territory of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples. Shannon graduated from the University of British Columbia in 2018 with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Conservation, and in 2023 graduated from the University of Victoria, Faculty of Law. Shannon articled at Ecojustice and is grateful to continue working in non-profit environmental legal spaces as a legal researcher with the ELC.
Contact: sotruba [at] uvic.ca
Director of Operations and Communications
Holly Pattison joined the ELC in 2006 after years of working in law firms and working as a freelance writer and photographer. As the hub of the ELC wheel, she teaches file management in the clinic, manages day-to-day operations and communications, maintains the Society’s records, organizes events, and edits and desktops various reports, publications and applications. Part of her role is to share information about public interest environmental law issues with the general public, which she especially likes to do through writing, photography and film.
Contact: elc [at] uvic.ca
Clinic Lawyer
Patricia Weber is a settler originally from Tkaronto, also known as Toronto, which is situated on the traditional territories of the Mississaugas, Haudenosaunee, and Huron-Wendat peoples (among other Nations). Patricia graduated from the University of Victoria’s Faculty of Law, where she also had the opportunity to study at the Environmental Law Clinic. Patricia gained valuable legal experience working as a summer student at a legal aid clinic in Northern BC and articled at Pivot Legal in Vancouver. She has a decade of experience as a civil litigator in Williams Lake, where Patricia honed her skills in navigating complex legal matters. In 2020, Patricia decided to return to graduate school, where she is actively engaged in academic research. Leveraging her multidisciplinary background, she delves into the intricate issues surrounding Canadian democracy and political identities, and her research aims to shed light on Canada’s approach to land governance and sovereignty.