Law grad turns passion for outdoors into career

Ramsay Law Society Gold Medal

Paula Ramsay can’t seem to keep still. The recipient of the Law Society Gold Medal recently returned from a two-month sea kayaking and backpacking trip in Patagonia and is already looking forward to her next wilderness adventure. An avid cyclist, runner, hiker, climber and telemark skier, it’s no wonder she found a career in environmental law.

"I’ve always had tremendous enthusiasm for the outdoors, and that led me to environmental science," she says. "When I finished my degree, I knew I wanted to apply that knowledge to make a difference in environmental issues, and law seemed like the perfect pathway."

Ramsay has already put her ambition into action. As a student, she volunteered for two years on the executive of UVic’s Environmental Law Centre. The centre offers pro bono public interest legal aid to community organizations. "I was able to jump right in and witness real change," she says. "That’s something I’d like to continue."

Ramsay also took advantage of UVic’s co-op program, with terms at Vancouver’s ombudsperson’s office, the Arvay Finlay law firm in Victoria, and UVic’s own institute for new economics.

On the academic front, Ramsay has published two articles in the Journal of Environmental Law and Policy and previously received the Law Foundation/David Strong Leadership Award in Legal Studies.

Among the many awards that assisted Ramsay during her studies were: the Bertha Wilson University Women’s Club Scholarship, the Borden Ladner Gervais Prize in Contracts and the Jim Ellis Memorial Prize in International Law.

This summer, she’ll continue articling with Arvy Finlay. She hopes to work for an environmental NGO, but says that a graduate degree in law is not out of the question.

"I can’t say what’s in the future, but you’ll most likely find me outside," she says. "The options are endless."