ALO Clinic Team

The people running the clinic.

The Artists Legal Outreach Clinic is made possible by an incredible group of volunteer lawyers and law students based in BC, and is overseen by our Clinic Legal Supervisor Lucía Reguera Castro. Everyone on the team are dedicated to supporting local artists by offering tools and insights to better navigate the legal system in the arts & culture sector. All of our lawyers are experienced operating at the intersection of art and law, and have expertise in copyright, intellectural property and entertainment law.

Meet the Team

Lucía Reguera Castro | Program Supervisor

Lucía graduated in law in Spain, taking one of the years of her degree in Italy. After some time carrying out a cooperation project in schools in Honduras and working as a lawyer on her return to Spain, she decided to specialise in Intellectual Property. This opened the doors to work first with brands and then to make the leap to musical and audiovisual production, working daily with artists in an independent record label and music agency, doing music consultancy, production and managing intellectual property and image rights for marketing campaigns and audiovisual projects as films, TV series, short films.

She also teaches Intellectual Property in Spain.

During her years at the record label, she also carried out three years of research and analysis on music rights and collection systems in audio branding for a cooperation project (ABC_DJ) funded by an EU innovation programme in collaboration with other European companies.

After ten years of experience in Spain she decided to take a new step and come to Vancouver.Lucía has spent the past two years in Vancouver working in the non-profit sector. She started at PLEO, where she began coordinating the Artist Legal Outreach (ALO) program. When ALO became part of Arts BC last year, she continued supervising the program. ALO offers free online or phone legal advice to low-income artists in BC, focusing on issues like copyright, intellectual property, and entertainment law, with support from volunteer lawyers and law students.

Clinic Volunteers

Vivian Li | Clinic Co-ordinator

Vivian Li (she/they) is currently pursuing her 3L year at Peter A. Allard School of Law, Vivian holds a Honours Bachelors of Science with a double major in Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Toronto, where they studied creative writing under the guidance of esteemed authors. As a freelance digital artist and creative writer, Vivian is passionate about artist protection and copyright law in today’s fast-paced technological landscape, and is excited to apply their skill and passion as a clinic coordinator for ALO. In her freetime, Vivian enjoys indulging in anime, gaming, and exploring the deep waters of fanart and fanfiction.

Barb Choit | Clinic Co-Ordinator

Barb Choit is a second-year JD candidate (2025) at the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia. Before starting law school, she earned: a Bachelor of Fine Art in photography from Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver BC; a Master of Fine Art in photography from the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA; and, a Master of Arts in Critical and Curatorial Studies from Columbia University, New York, NY. After her studies, she worked as a visual artist, photographer, and entrepreneur. She has presented her work in Canada, the United States, and Europe. At ALO, she hopes to do the critically important work of increasing access to legal services for individuals in the creative sector.

R. Nelson Godfrey | Clinic Lawyer

Nelson Godfrey is a partner and the head of the IP Litigation department of Gowling WLG’s Vancouver office.

Nelson is an intellectual property lawyer and strategic adviser for domestic and international clients operating in a wide range of industries, including computer hardware and software, manufacturing and fabrication, clothing and retail consumer products, entertainment, and alcoholic beverages.

Recognized as a leading intellectual property lawyer by Managing Intellectual Property, Legal 500, Lexpert, Euromoney, and Best Lawyers in Canada, Nelson has particular experience in contentious disputes in all areas of IP law, including patents, trademarks, copyright, designs and trade secrets. In the past year, Nelson has advised clients on matters including:
• Patent infringement and invalidity proceedings in the Federal Court of Canada and Federal Court of Appeal;
• Copyright infringement and software license compliance matters in the Federal Court of Canada;
• Breach of confidence and breach of contract matters in the Supreme Court of British Columbia; and
• Contentious trademark matters including trademark expungement proceedings in the Federal Court of Canada, anti-counterfeiting and trademark infringement proceedings in the Federal Court of Canada, trademark opposition and summary expungement proceedings before the Trademarks Opposition Board (TMOB), and domain dispute proceedings through the Canadian International Internent Dispute Resolution Centre (CIIDRC).

Nelson is also an experienced trademark procurement professional, assisting clients with clearing, protecting, and enforcing their brands in the Canadian market, as well as managing trademark portfolios for Canadian and international clients. In that capacity, he has managed the Canadian trademark portfolios for some of the world’s most recognizable brands. He also advises clients on contractual, ownership, and other legal considerations asscoiated with the development, transfer, and commercialization of technology and intellectual property assets in various fields.

Nelson has been involved in several initiatives related to recent changes to Canada’s Trademarks Act and ongoing changes to Trademarks Office practice, including as a member of a recently constituted Advisory Committee that advises the president of the Trademarks Opposition Board on matters related to TMOB practice and procedures.

Nelson regularly volunteers on a pro bono basis with Artists’ Legal Outreach and Access Pro Bono, in ethics roles with the Human Research Ethics Board (HREB) of the University of Victoria and the Clinical Research Ethics Board (CREB) of the Vancouver Health Authority, and in a privacy role with the British Columbia Privacy Research Advisory Group (PRAG).

Nelson spends time sparring outside of the courtroom as well, having many years of experience in several disciplines of fencing.

Want to join the Clinic Team?

The ALO Clinic provides a unique and exciting opportunity for young or experienced lawyers and law students to become involved in the artistic community and contribute meaningfully to the legal profession.

Volunteer Lawyers: As a volunteer lawyer, you will primarily provide legal summary advice to clients and answer questions that our volunteer law students might have when observing a clinic session.
Volunteer Law Students: Law students are invited to volunteer as clinic coordinators where you will act as a liaison between clients and lawyers, review intake forms, initiate conflict checks, research resources, along with opportunities to sit in on clinic sessions.

If you’re a lawyer, law student or someone simply looking to support the clinic, please don’t hesitate to reach out with your interest by sending an email to [email protected].

Have Questions?

Check out our ALO Clinic’s FAQ section for more information about this program. You can also reach out to us with you questions by email at [email protected] and phone at +1-778-410-5104.