Executive Bios
President
Clare Asquith Finegan, Courthouse Libraries BC
Clare Asquith Finegan brings seven years of experience at a publicly accessible law library—an uncommon resource in Canada and beyond. As an Outreach and Reference Librarian with Courthouse Libraries BC, she has supported both the public and legal professionals in accessing and navigating legal information. Her diverse background spans the arts, the service industry, and many things in-between, but a consistent theme in her work has been a deep commitment to reducing barriers to information access. In her role, she has delivered training on legal and legislative research to lawyers, law students, public librarians, and new staff, helping to build research skills across a wide range of users. In her spare time she loves to take her dog hiking, sew clothes, and read and watch all the things!
Past President
Nancy Li, Counsel, Research & Knowledge Services Blakes
Vice President
Natalie Rocheleau, Librarian, Information Services, Courthouse Libraries
Membership Secretary
Alise Nelson, Courthouse Libraries BC
Alise has worked in libraries since 2014. She started out in children and youth services before joining the team at Courthouse Libraries in the Spring of 2020, where she manages the Prince George branch. When not providing community outreach and research assistance to in-person clients, Alise is also part of the Courthouse Libraries email reference team, assisting both the legal community and members of the public with their legal information questions. Outside of work, she has decidedly Jane Austen hobbies and enjoys knitting, crocheting, reading, gardening, and practicing piano. Alise is the first long distance VALL secretary!
Treasurer
Kurtis Kolthammer, Knowledge Services Technician Fasken
Kurtis (he/him) is a Knowledge Services Specialist at Fasken, where he spends his time polishing his skills in the library field. This is his fifth year in the VALL Executive, now taking on the role as Treasurer. During his personal time, he is an avid runner currently training for his first marathon (ask him about it. He loves talking about it). When he is not training, you can find him either solo or with friends, as he walks one of his favourite paths. Rocky Point, the Arbutus Greenway, and the Downtown Seawall are among his most travelled. He also enjoys finding new trails, parks, and hikes to explore, as well as new brunch or sushi places to eat. A nerd at heart, Kurtis loves board games, fantasy novels, and RPGs.
Program Committee
Kate LeBere, Research Coordinator, Research & Knowledge Services Blakes
Kate joined Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP as a Research Coordinator after completing her MLIS at the University of British Columbia in 2023. Before entering the field of law librarianship, she worked for various Digital Humanities projects at the University of Victoria, University of Guelph, and City University of New York. Outside of work, she likes to dance, go on long walks by the ocean, read classic novels, and visit cute coffee shops and art galleries.
Chelsea Merkl, Legal Research Analyst Borden Ladner Gervais
Chelsea joined Borden Ladner Gervais in 2022, starting as a Library Collections and Procurement Technician and moving into the Legal Research Analyst role shortly after. Prior to BLG, Chelsea worked for 7 years as a Library Technician at Capilano University, where she also earned her Legal Administrative Assistant diploma. Outside of work she spends as much time in the mountains as possible; camping, hiking, kayaking, backpacking, fishing, anything!
Emma Cornelius, Lawson Lundell
Emma is new to law librarianship, having joined Lawson Lundell as the Reference Librarian in February 2025. She graduated from UBC’s MLIS program in 2023, after which she completed a one-year contract at UBC Library as Learning Services Librarian in the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre. While a student, she worked at Xwi7xwa Library, University Canada West, and West Vancouver Memorial Library. Emma enjoys swimming, cooking, and has recently started her librarian-to-knitter journey by completing a sweater vest!
VALL Review Editors
Peyton Biswas, Gowling WLG
Peyton joined Gowling WLG’s Vancouver office as a solo Library Technician in October 2024. Previously, she studied Library & Information Technology at Langara College, where she discovered a passion for special libraries. Outside of work, Peyton likes to go for long walks around the city, try out new recipes, and read books of all genres (her favourite being historical fiction).
Patricia Lim, Courthouse Libraries BC
Patricia joined Courthouse Libraries as a law librarian at the beginning of 2024. Prior to working at CLBC, she worked as a publishing coordinator at Legal Aid BC, an archives assistant at the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and an underpaid managing editor at an arts and culture magazine. When she’s not librarian-ing, Patricia spends time with her family, frequently looks at baby photos of her kids, and thinks about how fast they’re growing. She also enjoys reading, listening to podcasts, and learning new languages.
Web Editor
Sarah Bastillo, Library Technician and Records Clerk, Harris & Company
Sarah joined Harris in 2022 after completing her LibTech diploma at Langara. Outside of work you will find her playing volleyball, watching anime, or being a social butterfly with friends and family. Other fun facts about her are that she’s an avid fantasy book reader (always open to other genres and recommendations) and she has a cute tuxy cat named Nori.
