Erin Brook

While you won't find her quoting Socrates in the courtroom, lawyer Erin Brook calls upon skills and deep lessons learned while attaining her Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies and Philosophy at VIU in 2004. In fact, the logical reasoning, analytical thinking, writing and research skills she gained while attaining her BA at VIU were key to her success in the Law School Admissions Test and for law school entrance at the University of Calgary. With her own successful Vancouver Island law practice today, Erin's confidence in the courtroom harkens back to her days at VIU preparing for presentations, developing arguments, and honing copious research, facts and data into concise, constructive written documents. Her undergraduate days working towards her BA also presented valuable training in public speaking and presentation skills. "Public speaking skills are the cornerstone of my litigation practice today," she says. Erin says her BA taught her to see things in a new way – to always look for an alternative perspective, and to use deft, careful analysis in her litigation work. While her BA has been a solid foundation upon which to build a rewarding, challenging career, Erin says she has applied skills and aptitudes outside her work as well – communication, collaboration and critical analysis among them. "If you're looking for a well-rounded education that will provide the skills to be successful in any career, or to prepare to move on to further education, a BA degree is one of the first places you should look," she says.