Meet our Alumni: Brandon Rasula, JD'14

Currently, Brandon works as a Prosperity Officer for the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office at the British Consulate-General Calgary.  Brandon’s role with the Consulate is interdisciplinary, approaching his work with a Canadian legal perspective in order to help the UK government achieve its diplomatic and economic objectives across Canada.  Reflecting on how law relates to his new role, Brandon states that, “having a legal education has been invaluable. In addition to providing an excellent background and understanding of how government and business operate, it has given me the confidence to be able to research and find answers to questions I’ve never encountered before.”

There are two main components to Brandon’s role. The first involves supporting the development of science and innovation collaboration between Canada and the UK, by building awareness between the two countries with regards to their respective science and technology strengths.  Essentially, this involves knowing the areas of interest and strengths of academia and industry, and finding opportunities to collaborate or leverage off each other. One area in particular that Brandon has been working on is low carbon and renewable technology. This has involved liaising with academic, industry, regulatory and government stakeholders in each country, understanding their work, and facilitating introductions among them to help find a solution to a current topic or challenge they are encountering.  Part of what Brandon enjoys most about this role is the diversity in the projects.

“I’ve been involved in projects ranging from shale gas regulation, to carbon capture and storage implementation, to the use and promotion of green finance as a mechanism to fund new projects, says Brandon. “It’s an exciting area to be involved in and I really enjoy getting to work in so many different areas.”

The second aspect of Brandon’s work focuses on Brexit’s impact in Canada.  This broad role involves understanding how Brexit will proceed and how this will affect UK interests in Canada and vice versa.  This involves staying up to date on the most recent developments in London, relaying specific information to interested parties both domestically and in the UK, and responding to enquiries from a range of stakeholders. Brandon is also involved in helping transition the Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement, the recent Canada-EU free-trade agreement, into a post-Brexit bilateral agreement between Canada and the UK. Developing expertise on these rapidly-evolving issues is an incredibly challenging and exciting part of Brandon’s position. 

As a law student, Brandon’s ability to complete advanced research and advocate for his position was reflected through his mooting experience.  Mooting involves a significant amount of preparation but also challenges students to think on their feet when asked questions by judges who are knowledgeable on the legal principles.  In his third year, Brandon participated in the Bennett Jones Health Law Moot and was recognized as the Top Oralist.  Alongside this accomplishment, another highlight of Brandon’s law school experience was his international exchange at the University of Graz in Austria.  This experience helped spark Brandon’s interest in international legal issues.