Meet our team

B.A. (UVic ) 1981, LL.B. (UVic) 1987, is the Director of The Law Centre Clinical Program, teaches the intensive orientation program at the start of each term, and is one of the lawyers in the clinic to whom students may look for assistance in the conduct of their files.  With The Law Centre since 1994, Steve is an experienced clinical law instructor.   His areas of practice include human rights, administrative law, civil litigation, criminal, and family law.  In addition to his work at The Law Centre he has previously taught the Administrative Law, Civil Procedure, and Social Welfare Law courses within the faculty.  Steve taught a term of law school in the faculty’s Akitsiraq program in Iqaluit.  He presently co-coaches UVic Law’s mooting teams entered in the Canadian Client Consultation Competition, provides legal supervision for the law co-op student at the Vancouver Island Human Rights Coalition, and is the site supervisor for UVic Law’s chapter of Pro Bono Students Canada.

Prior to joining The Law Centre, Steve was in private practice in Victoria in the above mentioned areas of practice.  He also served as Crown Counsel in Courtenay, B.C..  Prior to law, Steve was a graduate of the Environmental Studies Program at UVic, and worked for the B.C. Ministry of Forests as the Planning Co-ordinator of the Meares Island Planning Team studying a significant forest land use issue of the time.  Steve was a seasonal park interpreter in Banff and Jasper National Parks delivering programs on natural and human history.

Throughout his career Steve has maintained a level of voluntary community involvement, that has included: Victoria Bar Association (board member), Association for Canadian Clinical Legal Education (board member), UVic Educational Equity Advisory Committee (Professional Employees Association representative), Together Against Poverty Society (board member), Victoria Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils (board member), Bays United Youth Soccer Association (board member), Oak Bay Tennis Club (president), and South Island Tennis Association (president).

Tybring Hemphill is a Clinical Instructor in the Law Centre Student Clinic Program. He obtained his BSc in Psychology and Linguistics from the University of Toronto in 1987. After a few years of real work he again sought refuge and solace in learning, choosing to attend the Law School at UVIC. He graduated in 1992 and was called to the Bar of B.C. the subsequent year. He has practiced, and continues to practice when not working at the Clinic, at the firm of McKimm & Lott in Sidney primarily in the area of Criminal Defence. Tybring joined the faculty in July 2000. He assists students with the preparation of trials, hearings and other matters, regularly attends Court with the students and is happily almost always able to give positive feedback.

Judy Jones is the Program Administrator for the Law Centre Clinical Program. She provides administrative and computer training for students and secretarial support to the Director, Assistant Director and Clinical Instructor.   Judy has worked in an administrative and secretarial capacity for her entire working career.  Her previous experience with the public and most recently, Legal Services Society, enables her to provide knowledgeable and professional assistance to fellow staff members and clients.

Susan Noakes is the staff social worker with the Law Centre.  She graduated from the University of Victoria in 1985 with her BA (Hons.) in Sociology and later returned to UVic to complete her BSW (1990) and MSW (2002). She has been a registered social worker with the British Columbia College of Social Workers since 2004.  She has had many roles with the Law Centre: social work practicum student; board member, paralegal and has been the staff social worker since 2008.

Her professional background includes child protection, legal advocacy with the Together Against Poverty Society (TAPS) and guardianship social work with Ministry of Children and Family Development/CLBC.  Her community work includes 14 years as a board member of TAPS and 4 years as an elected board member to the British Columbia College of Social Workers.  She has been a sessional instructor with the School of Social Work at UVic since 2010.  Susan’s role in The Law Centre is to provide social work services to clients as well as to educate law students about working in an interdisciplinary setting.

Brittany Goud is presently the Family Law Advocate/Lawyer at The Law Centre. Her teaching and research interests focus on applying anti-oppressive and trauma informed skills to the delivery of legal services. Brittany received her BSW from the University of Regina. She practiced as a child protection worker in her hometown of Yellowknife before returning to complete her JD at the University of Victoria. She then practised as a family lawyer before returning to Uvic Law in 2017 where she completed her LLM. Brittany is a recipient of the Law Foundation Graduate Fellowship.

Misty has a calming effect on the office inhabitants and visitors.