Donya Vahidi is a corporate lawyer at Boughton Law specializing in commercial law matters, intellectual property and technology law. Aside from practicing law, Donya is a frequent guest lecturer at Thompson Rivers University Faculty of Law, where she completed her Juris Doctor. Donya often volunteers her time by providing insight into legal issues for entrepreneurs through her involvement with organizations such as Dress for Success and Young Women in Business. At Boughton Law, she also sits on the student recruitment committee where she plays an active role in selecting candidates to join the Boughton team.
What does babes supporting babes mean to you?
Babes supporting babes means taking it one step further than being compassionate towards others. It means taking an active role in your community and going out of your way to make a positive impact in another human’s life, i.e.: taking action.
Being kind and compassionate should be the basic fundamentals we all incorporate into our daily lives. Support, on the other hand, is our duty to mentor, our duty to push one another to greater heights, and our duty to cultivate environments that facilitate deeper relationships with those who need it.
Champagne, wine, or sparkling water?
Sparkling water by day, champagne by night!
What are 3 apps that make your life easier?
Podcasts: Can’t fall asleep without diving into one. These days I’m a big fan of CYG (Call Your Girlfriend) with Ann Friedman and Aminatou Sow. I highly recommend it for women in business or politics or any entrepreneur. It’s the perfect balance of the intricacies of politics, women in business and feminism.
Apple Pay: I don’t remember the last time I left the house with a real wallet.
Google Calendar: I’m one of those people that pencils in every activity, meeting, appointment and phone call into my calendar.
If there’s one woman you would love to meet, who would it be and why?
Amal Alammudin (Clooney). Amal is a Lebanese-British Barrister in the UK and a sessional professor at Columbia Law, specializing in international and human rights law. She’s known for her involvement with some of the most notable international human rights cases, including the current refugee crisis, which hits pretty close to home.
Amal’s connection to fleeing hardship (Amal herself was a refugee from Lebanon) reminds me of my parent’s journey from Iran to Canada during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. I was six months old when my parents packed up their bags and risked losing everything to protect their three daughters from the oppression we would face under the new regime in Iran.
Experiencing this type of struggle first hand has pushed me to raise awareness and spark conversations about this topic whenever I can, as Amal does. Amal’s journey — and so many others who rose up against the odds stacked against them — is inspiring for young women who have to overcome great obstacles to pursue their aspirations and achieve their goals.
Her charitable work with refugees, including the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, is a reminder that you should never forget your roots, and circles back to my definition of “support”.
If you have a platform, use it. Drawing on our own experiences to shed light on important issues, such as the refugee crisis, creates a ripple effect and inspires future leaders to do the same.
What is your must-have beauty product?
Nature’s moisturizer: coconut oil.
What motivates you on a Monday morning?
Few things in life offer you a blank canvas with such consistency. Every Monday we have an opportunity to set the tone for the rest of the week (coffee helps).
What is the best piece of advice you have received in business?
Pick your battles wisely. We are often faced with roadblocks and obstacles, whether it be in our business ventures, our “side hustles” or even our social relationships. Inevitably we will be faced with issues that we want to challenge or push back on. Remember to take a step back and determine whether or not this is the hill you want to die on. Stay focused on the big picture and don’t get distracted by the noise.
What personal characteristic do you have to work on the most?
Learning when to say no. I tend to stretch my self pretty thin because I always want to take on as much as possible, with everything from my work to social commitments. Sometimes I forget to take time for myself.
What do you do when you feel like giving up?
I start by writing down everything that needs to get done, then I exercise triage by prioritizing what needs my attention on an urgent basis. When I look at the list, it’s no longer an intangible concept that makes me feel overwhelmed, instead it’s a list of itemized tasks that I can compartmentalize and tackle individually.
The key is to cross each item off the list when the task is complete. I’ve read studies that have found that setting small goals motivate us to accomplish bigger goals.
When we experience small amounts of success, our brains release dopamine which leads to positive emotions such as pleasure, learning and motivation. The triage list method is addictive, but it works.
What new trends are you noticing in your industry?
Most of my business clients are already using social media, but for those who aren’t, I’m noticing a huge rise in social media marketing. More businesses using social media to market their goods and services means these businesses must be aware of certain consumer protection laws that apply to them.
In an effort to adapt to the current “social media/influencer” heavy climate, the Competition Bureau of Canada has clarified the advertising standards that all businesses, advertisers, and influencers must meet to comply with applicable law.
I’ve discovered that most businesses that are taking advantage of social media platforms to market their goods and services are not aware of the laws that apply to them, which is where I come in.
What book have you read lately that you’ve enjoyed?
Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain. I will always be a Bourdain super-fan. I’m also a self-proclaimed “foodie”. My dream job was to be a chef and write my own cookbook one day.
The book is perfect for anyone who views food and the culture that surrounds it as an art form. It also offers insight into the struggles of an entrepreneur, the resilience that’s required to succeed and sheds light on the underground world of chef culture which fascinates me.
What was your first job?
I grew up watching and playing sports with my dad. This evolved into a love for sneakers, which landed me my first job at Foot Locker when I was 15!
Tell us about a Babe that has supported you?
One of my professors at TRU Law played a crucial role in my development as a law student. She went out of her way to create opportunities for me, including giving me my first opportunity to guest lecture several business law classes at TRU Law. We stay in touch consistently and she’s always my go-to when it comes to career advice. Even though she now lives on the East Coast, she always answers my calls around the clock.
I also connected deeply with one of the senior female partners at Boughton Law. We started to work together about four years ago and immediately clicked. The connection was organic given our similar interests outside of work. Now we work closely together every day. She shares her knowledge and plays an active role in my development as a lawyer. She also goes out of her way to create opportunities for me and draws on her own experiences to guide me in the right direction.
I’m fortunate that I met both of these women and I can’t wait to pay their generosity and mentorship forward.
What is the most fulfilling part of your career?
I’m grateful for the opportunity to help entrepreneurs pursue their dreams, execute their ideas and contribute to the community culture in Vancouver.
I help a wide range of clients and the most fulfilling aspect of it all is getting a front row seat to observe their growth and success. I see their ideas from the point of inception, help them execute, and watch them flourish and directly impact their community. Brunette The Label is a perfect example of this.
Did you always want to be a lawyer?
Like most people, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I was torn between my experience in banking and finance and my dreams of moving to Europe and going to culinary school to eventually write my own cookbook and run my own kitchen.
Somewhere along the way, I realized cooking was my escape from reality, and a career in finance was lacking the personal connection that fuels me. I ended up practicing law and I’ve never looked back.
What are three things in your bag or on your desk that you couldn’t live without?
Phone/laptop, snacks and a picture of my parents and sisters.
What city feels most like home to you?
I have lived in Vancouver since I was six months old, so while I dream of moving to Europe when I retire, this city is home. I feel like I know every street and alleyway like the back of my hand.
What is your ideal day off?
Soaking up the sun with a good book and a crisp beverage, hitting the market in the afternoon for fresh ingredients and preparing a huge feast for my loved ones in the evening.
What is one of the most challenging aspects of being a female working in law?
First, I’ll say that a career in law is rewarding, but it is a challenging and demanding profession, for men and women — period.
Women are making great strides in the legal profession, with women making up half of law school graduates in Canada. We are also seeing more women making partner than ever before. However, there’s one statistic we can’t ignore: the low rates of retention of female lawyers in private practice.
Despite the fact that more women are becoming lawyers or making partner, women are also more likely to leave the profession sooner than men.
It was recently reported that women only represent 34% of all practicing lawyers in BC and only 29% of lawyers in full-time private practice. With women making up half of the law school graduates in law schools in Canada, we have to ask ourselves why the statistics are so disproportionate. Keeping up with the demanding characteristics of the traditional corporate practice, while being subjected to gender bias on a systemic level, and for some women maintaining the flow of their practice through maternity leave, is a unique combination of factors that women in law are faced with.
Having said that, some law firms are more progressive than others. I’m proud that I work at a firm that prides itself on diversity, and has systems in place to mitigate these particular challenges.
Keep up with Donya on Instagram at @donyavee
Photography by Ryan Pugsley.