Allard Hall

Allard Hall

On July 13, 2011 UBC announced a significant gift from law alumnus Peter A. Allard. Mr. Allard's $11.86 million gift supports the UBC Faculty of Law's new building, establishes an international prize that supports freedom, integrity and human rights, and creates an online historical faculty archive.

Mr. Allard's gift is the single largest donation to UBC's Faculty of Law and one of the largest donations ever to a Canadian law school. In honour of Mr. Allard's generosity, the university named its new law building Allard Hall. Mr. Allard also donated a sculpture by Native American artist Allan Hauser entitled "Legends Begin," which is displayed on the 4th floor Terrace Lounge in Allard Hall.

Inspired by the strong support from the legal community for the Law building campaign, Mr. Allard directed $9.825 million of his gift towards the completion of the Law building. Private fundraising for the building will thus total nearly $35 million, making the campaign the most successful private fundraising effort in history for a Canadian law school building. The University has committed the remaining $21 million toward the new building's $56 million cost.

View Pictures of Allard Hall

Official Opening of Allard Hall

On September 23rd, 2011, UBC welcomed close to 300 students, staff, faculty, alumni and friends to the official opening ceremony of Allard Hall. (watch the webcast on the UBC Law YouTube channel)

The program included remarks from the Chief Justice of Canada, the Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin (McLachlin's speech); the Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia, the Honourable Steven Point (Point's Speech); UBC President Stephen Toope (Toope's speech); and the two major donors to the building project, Allard and the Law Foundation of British Columbia(LFBC Sasges' speech). ( Allard's speech is available in English, French, Spanish and Chinese. You can also read his interview on ethics with the Legal Eye)

View pictures from the official opening ceremony at Allard Hall.

About Peter A. Allard

Peter A. Allard graduated from UBC with a B.A. in History in 1968, and a LL.B. Degree in 1971. After graduation, Allard practiced law and participated in various business enterprises. In 1993, he established the Highbury Foundation , which has assisted medical communities in B.C. and Alberta with support for research and the purchase of medical equipment. The Highbury Foundation has also made significant donations to colleges and universities across Western Canada for scholarships and building needs.

Allard has focused his philanthropy on biomedical research and the development of vaccines for cancer, hepatitis B and C, and HIV/AIDS. Internationally, Allard has worked to protect wildlife habitats, biodiversity and human rights while promoting stronger environmental standards and education. Peter Allard's gift also serves to recognize the Allard family's close connection with UBC Law. Allard's brother Chuck and his niece Wendy King are also graduates of UBC Law. Furthermore, Allard notes that his application for law school was inspired by his father, Dr. Charles A. Allard. Learn more about Dr. Charles A. Allard. (Also availbale in French)

Photos of Dr. Charles A. Allard

About UBC Law at Allard Hall

In its new building, UBC Law at Allard Hall will be one of the world's leading centres for legal education and research. Its faculty engages in research with national and global reach and provides students with some of the most extensive and innovative curricular opportunities of any Canadian law school. The law school offers strengths in many fields, including business law, international law, environmental and natural resources law, and Aboriginal legal issues, to name a few. Graduates have gone on to leadership positions in a broad range of spheres, from the legal profession, to government, public interest organizations, business and academia.

About Allard Hall

UBC's new law building is the first purpose-built, all-new law building for a Canadian law school in 30 years. The Faculty has been working to secure the funds for a new facility since the mid-1990s. The Law Foundation of BC laid the foundation for the project by committing two separate matching fund grants totalling $12 million for the building campaign. Major gifts by leading law firms and graduates along with hundreds of contributions from alumni and friends of the law school drove the fundraising campaign toward meeting and then surpassing the Faculty's initial $24 million private fundraising goal.

Allard Hall creates space for the Faculty's 45 full-time faculty members, 540 J.D. and nearly 100 LL.M. and Ph.D. students. The 141,000 square-feet facility will include a mix of classrooms and large lecture halls along with a new, state-of-the-art UBC Law Library serving as a vital academic hub for students and the legal community.