WALKING THE WALK

Halfway across the country, Nathaniel Marshall (’13) is also living out a childhood dream. Growing up in Amherst, N.S., Marshall, who works at his own Toronto practice Marshall Workplace Law, was exposed to the legal profession at a young age. He met Rocky Jones in high school and Shawna Paris-Hoyte was a family friend. He was attracted to the intellectual challenge of the law, and the opportunity to give back to his community as a Black man growing up in Nova Scotia.

Marshall recalled overcoming obstacles during and after his time at law school and empathized with the large debt loads many students carry. Even with some funding support, the cost of living and moving to a new place can be financially burdensome. This is part of what led him to create the Keith & Gail Marshall IB&M Award in honour of his parents (both Dalhousie alumni themselves) – to provide the tools and information graduates need to make sound financial decisions and offer a strong foundation to build on.

“Growing up I didn’t have much awareness about financial literacy,” he explained. “I used to have a joke – I would say ‘that’s future Nathaniel’s problem.’ But at some point, I became future Nathaniel! So financial literacy is really the point of the bursary. But it’s also to show Black and Indigenous students that this isn’t some esoteric idea. I want someone to see this, and have it put some gas in their tank, and think, ‘I’m going to do even better than that guy.’” This year marks the first year of his award as well, which gives new graduates a leg up with financial support as they transition into their articling.

Bursaries and scholarships can have a transformative effect on a student’s academic experience. Student awards can be started with an annual pledge. If you are interested in joining Peggy and Nathaniel in developing your scholarship or bursary within the Schulich School of Law, please contact Nick at n.flynn@dal.ca.

Patterson Law creates Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) Internship and Award for Schulich Law students.

BY SARAH MACDONALD

The Schulich School of Law will be offering a new internship and award in 2023 – one of the first of its kind from a Nova Scotia firm. Created over the course of the last academic year, the Patterson Law Internship and Award supports law students from equity deserving groups. It has a special focus on those looking to further their careers within the province.

The internship and award were developed through a specific interest in seeing an increase in diverse practitioners in Nova Scotia, and particularly in urban and rural settings. Work experience and financial support are key to ensuring that equity deserving students are included in the legal sector. It is often the connections and support networks at work and school that make students feel like they belong. With this in mind, the internship also offers a mentorship component from a Patterson Law lawyer to help guide the recipient in their legal education.

With many offices across the province, the firm believes that this is a great opportunity to provide options that will allow students to discover rural spaces in the province to work and live. According to Jane Gourley-Davis (’07), Partner and Chair of Patterson Law’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, it is rural practice that sets them apart from other firms.

“What makes Patterson Law different is our ability to meet clients in their home communities while providing the full-service legal experience previously only synonymous with large city centers,” she says. “We collaborate as a province-wide team for our clients’ benefit. Many of our lawyers, including myself, call rural communities home. We don't have to choose between where we want to live and opportunities for career advancements or access to high-quality legal work.”

Recently nominated for the Canadian Bar Association’s Excellence in Equity & Diversity Award, Patterson Law has done extensive work over the last several years to further their Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (EDIA) efforts. In 2020, the firm’s board made a choice to prioritize EDIA work, and a committee was struck to take on these initiatives. This included the development of a specific Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion policy, as well as additional training for staff and lawyers. The firm is currently led by two women alumnae from Schulich Law: Kate D. Harris, K.C. (’88) and Jennifer J. Hamilton Upham (’06). Most recently, the committee approached the law school to develop the internship and award as part of their efforts.

Anna-Marie Manley, Patterson Law Partner and committee member, was involved in the internship’s creation. “Initiatives such as this are one of the many ideas we’re putting forward to move our commitments from intention to tangible actions whenever possible. We are always looking for the brightest and sharpest minds to join our firm, and we hope that this initiative, and others like it, will help remove the obstacles that may be holding back the next generation of great lawyers from joining our ranks. We are excited to see how the Patterson Law interns advance in their careers in the years to come.”

Applications and placement for the internship will begin in the next academic year. The Schulich School of Law Internship Program is one of the best in the country, placing more than 50 individual students the summer after their first year of law school into paid work opportunities across the country and around the world. Experiences range from supporting non-profits in their mandates to working with corporate in-house legal teams.

If you or your workplace are interested in learning more about supporting student awards and bursaries, or the Internship Program, please reach out to Assistant Dean, Advancement, Sarah MacDonald at sarah.b.macdonald@dal.ca or 902.476.3212.