Vancouver, B.C.
Five lawyers in B.C. are being honoured for their achievements on February 22 at Vancouver’s Terminal City Club.
The inaugural awards night is being organized by the Filipino Canadian Lawyers Network (FCLN-RAPC) to recognize the five lawyers.
The five are:
Vicente Asunción,Jr., principal at Asunción & Company. Asunción, both licensed to practice in the Philippines and Canada has been in practice for 32 years, making him one of the pioneer lawyers in BC. He was already a lawyer in the Philippines when he immigrated but has to go back to law school. He is active in the Rotary Club in both countries and has served as President of the Philippines Canada Trade Council.
Retired Crown Counsel Winston Sayson, KC was born and educated in the Philippines. He obtained his law degree at the University of British Columbia and was called to the bar in 1989. He joined the BC Prosecution Service, the first Filipino Canadian lawyer to become a prosecutor and served for 30 years before retiring. He currently volunteers for the Canadian Red Cross and advisor to the Asian Canadian Lawyers of B.C.
Luningning Alcuitas-Imperial is the first Filipino Canadian to serve as Chair of the Worker’s Compensation Appeals Tribunals of B.C. A graduate of the University of Manitoba School of Law, she immigrated to Canada as a young child. She was called to the Manitoba bar in 1994 and the B.C. bar in 1995. She has extensive experience in the province’s worker’s compensation system before being appointed as Chair of the Appeals Tribunal in 2014.
Joseph Cuenca obtained his law degree at the Ateneo de Manila and continued pursuing his law career when he moved to Canada. He obtained his Master of Laws degree at the University of British Columbia. After being called to the bar in B.C, he joined the firm Cohen Buchanan and Edwards as a partner. He is currently a staff lawyer for the B.C. Law Society.
Dulce Amba Cuenca is an alumna of Ateneo de Manila School of Law and was a practicing lawyer in the Philippines before immigrating to Canada. She obtained a Masters in Law at the Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia and has been called to the BC bar. She has worked in the field of human rights and employment and labour law since 2006. She is currently with labour relations in Canada’s largest multi professional labour union representing public service employees.