Lawyers in the Community

Katherine L. Hough
Katherine L. Hough of Nelson is both a lawyer and a priest. After receiving her Bachelor of Laws from UVic in 1981, she was called to the Bar in 1982. In 1993, she became a priest. Ms. Hough’s legal and religious interests lie parallel. She teaches joint workshops on “Law Ministers of Word & Sacrament”, and also lectures on Criminal Law, Landlord & Tenant Law. Ms. Hough was careful to keep her practice in Trail, away from her ministering in Nelson. “She kept them as separate as possible, so she wasn’t in a trial with members of her parish,” Sue Basek, a friend of Ms. Hough’s says. “She’s a very strong person and seems to be able to take on a tremendous workload.”

Ms. Hough is a past recipient of numerous awards, including the Governor General’s Silver Medal, the McDonald Prize for General Knowledge of the English Bible, and the Fourth Bishop of Toronto Prize in General Proficiency. She is a member of both the BC Electoral Boundaries Commission, and the BC Environmental Appeal Board.

Palbinder K. Shergill
Palbinder K. Shergill is a partner at Shergill & Company of Vancouver. She was called to the Bar in 1991, after graduating from the University of Saskatchewan. Since then Ms. Shergill has been active in the community, particularly through speaking engagements. She has been a guest speaker at: the 1996 Sikh Youth Conference; the 1996 Minority Youth Law Conference, held by the American Bar Association; a Parliamentary Dinner for the world Sikh Organization in Ottawa; and the 1997 UVic Annual Conference of the Dean’s Women’s Advisory Committee.

In 1997, Ms. Shergill campaigned as a federal Liberal Candidate in the Surrey Central Riding. Prem Vinning knows Ms. Shergill through her political campaign and through their common community. He sees her as something of a role model. “She is proud of who she is and what she is. When you get people like that in a position where they are seen by others, it sends a message to women, and especially immigrant women, that they can be different and be equal. That is an asset to the community.”

This article was published in the December 1998 issue of BarTalk. © 1998 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.