H E A R S AY THE SCHULICH SCHOOL OF L AW ALUMNI MAGAZINE
VOLUME 42 2021
FINDING LIGHT IN THE PANDEMIC: HOW THE SCHULICH L AW COMMUNITY CAME TOGETHER PAGE 32
CONTENTS WELCOME
FEATURES
ALUMNI RECOGNIZED
Dean’s Message.........................................04
18 Josie McKinney becomes NS’s first Crown Attorney dedicated to human trafficking prosecutions
12 The Honourable Corrine Sparks receives Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service
22 Charlene Theodore makes history as the first Black lawyer to be elected president of the OBA
14 Bertha Wilson Honour Society welcomes new inductees
Message from Director of External Relations.................................05 Message from DLAA President...............06 2020/21 Dalhousie Law Alumni Association...................................06
SCHOOL NEWS 07 Rose Godfrey retires after 41 years of service 08 Award-winning faculty, the first ever virtual Smith Shield Moot, Supreme Court of Canada clerkships and more 10 Professors Nayha Acharya and Brandon Stewart receive top teaching awards 11 Meet our new faculty for 2021
INTERNSHIP SPOTLIGHT 20 Mariam Hanna’s internship helped deepen her understanding of public policy
COVER STORY 32 How the Schulich Law community came together during the pandemic
26 New Canadian Space Agency president reflects on public service and the potential of space
42 Find out what motivated these donors to give to Schulich Law
CONNECTIONS
DONOR REPORT
16 Award-winning podcast explores issues at the intersection of law, politics and policy
48 Celebrating the alumni and friends who support the law school and our programs
21 David Taylor has spent nearly a decade representing the voices of First Nations children
THE WELDON PROFESSORS
24 Peter Dey has devoted his legal career to helping shape Canada’s corporate boards
GRAPEVINE 54 Find out what your classmates are up to
30 Professor Deturbide is eager to get started as the Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law
IN MEMORIAM
41 Alumna Sarah Dobson is committed to living the Weldon Tradition
H E A R S AY
52 Learn more about our dedicated professors and research leaders
28 How Steve Konchalski’s passion for helping others led to one of the most successful careers in University Sport
40 Marine lawyer Eric Machum is never far from the ocean
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DONOR PROFILES
36 Professor Metallic makes her mark as inaugural Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy
39 The spirit of Pro Bono Dalhousie remains rooted in the Weldon Tradition
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15 Lee Cohen selected as Dal Aurum Award recipient
57 Honouring the alumni and friends we lost this year
HEARSAY · VOLUME 42 · 2021 DEAN
Camille Cameron ACTING DEAN
Richard Devlin EDITOR
Stephanie Hurley DESIGN/PRODUCTION
Sarah Orford
CONTRIBUTORS
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Fallon Bourgeois Suzanne Bowness Eleanor Bramah Mark Campbell Amanda Chiong Michael Deturbide Tammi Hayne Stephanie Hurley Allison Lawlor Madeline Lean Sarah MacDonald Connor Simpson COVER PHOTO
Andy Semple
We welcome editorial contributions and ideas from alumni. Please direct your submissions to: HEARSAY EDITOR
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Schulich School of Law Dalhousie University 6061 University Avenue PO Box 15000 Halifax, NS Canada B3H 4R2 lawalum@dal.ca P: 902.494.5100 F: 902.494.4222 Mailed under Canada Post Publications Agreement #41890527
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MESSAGE FROM THE ACTING DEAN
Greetings to everyone from the Weldon Law Building! As I write this note in late July 2021, slowly the pandemic restrictions are lifting and gradually we are returning to the hallowed halls of our great law school. And what a pleasure it is to be back on campus. As one of my colleagues quipped, “working at home for the last 16 months has ruined working at home for me”. It has of course been a very challenging year for everyone at the Schulich School of Law, the students, the staff and the faculty members. The students took a double hit—first, many of them encountered significant economic hardships and second, they missed out on the dynamics of in-person teaching. But the law school responded with energy, enthusiasm and creativity to both these challenges. As our cover story details (p. 32) in terms of economic support we invested almost $1M in our students. Many thanks to all of our alumni who stepped up to help our students in what was undoubtedly a time of serious financial need and a special thanks to our donors. On the second challenge, the impossibility of in-person teaching, all of our instructors made the transition to online teaching. This was true not only of our 30 plus full-time faculty, but also our 69 part-time faculty. This was remarkable, especially for the busy practitioners who could easily have said “No thanks” but instead said “We are up for the challenge”. While none of us believe that Zoom classes are an adequate replacement for in-person instruction, there is no doubt that the students continued to receive an excellent education at the Schulich School of Law.
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I also want to acknowledge the work of the support staff over the last year. While some are well known, many are not. Yet, they are central to the smooth and efficient operation of the school. They too had to make the difficult transition to working from home and they did so with a commitment and professionalism that served us well. What unites all the foregoing is a sense of leadership—from our alumni, our instructors and our staff—and it is this theme of leadership that emerges from this edition of Hearsay. The alumni you’ll read about in the pages ahead have all been unique path breakers committed to making Canada a more responsive and inclusive community of communities. They all truly manifest the Weldon Tradition of unselfish public service. Let me conclude by acknowledging that it has been an honour to step into the role of Acting Dean for a year, even if it has been during a pandemic. I have been a member of the law school for more than three decades and it has been very good to me in that time. I am very proud of who we are and what we do as students, staff, faculty and alumni at the Schulich School of Law. We have vision and commitment; we care for each other and we care for our communities; and we strive to make Canada (and the world) a better place. It has been a privilege to serve this inspirational community.
Richard Devlin, FRSC Professor of Law and Acting Dean Schulich School of Law
LOOKING FORWARD WITH HOPE AND OPTIMISM Dear alumni family, I write this year’s greeting from my home office instead of my law school desk. I, like many of you, have had to adjust to a new way of living and working since March of 2020. With the Weldon Law Building closed for over 16 months now, students, faculty and staff have shifted to a new reality of engagement and learning as a result of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. Yet, despite our inability to gather face to face, we continue to rally as an alumni community in our collective support of the law school and its students. It is my hope that the behind the scenes work that we are doing now in the Alumni Relations office lays the groundwork for relevant, interesting, fun, inclusive and meaningful opportunities for you to stay involved with the law school in the future. I am happy to share that we have been working on a number of projects including: a DLAA board renewal and refresh with Chair Tony Amoud, the planned introduction of graduate student and young alumni programming, a review and refresh of our Weldon Mentorship Program with appropriate recognition and stewardship and increased support for your Class Giving projects. We recognized Judge Corinne Sparks with the 2020 Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service and inducted eight remarkable alumni into the Bertha Wilson Honour Society. We held virtual alumni gatherings in Ottawa and Montreal, sent our students treat bags to enjoy while studying for exams in December and April, mailed our new graduates their alumni pins and assembled a stellar alum panel for the Weldon Welcome Days event for prospective students. And although our September Law Alumni Reunion Weekend may not be possible again this year, we hope to recognize and celebrate this occasion with some milestone classes via small dinners or virtually.
Once again, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for how much you have continued to support us through this pandemic and acknowledge the tremendous impact it has had on each of you personally and professionally. Despite this, you continue to volunteer, organize, donate, mentor, advise, teach and share. Thank you for answering the phone or an email when we need you. Your involvement continues to be the primary reason that students choose your law school each year—they recognize and appreciate what the Weldon Tradition of unselfish public service means. On behalf of Tammi Hayne and myself, we thank you for all that you do. We look forward with hope and optimism to what this next year will bring and to a time when we can learn, recognize, celebrate and gather with you in person again. We hope you enjoy this 42nd edition of Hearsay and as always, we welcome your feedback and ideas. Sincerely,
Darren Dick Director, External Relations Schulich School of Law
VOLUME 42 · 2021
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DLAA PRESIDENT�S MESSAGE
In 1883, Richard Chapman Weldon was inaugurated Dean when Dalhousie University opened the first common law school in Canada. His drive for unselfish public service birthed the Weldon Tradition that still carries on today at the Schulich School of Law. As President of the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association (DLAA), I am proud of the achievements shown by the nearly 8,000 alumni that we serve. Through mentorship and volunteering, many of our graduates continue to donate their time and resources which have such a positive and genuine impact around the world. Students that attend the Schulich School of Law can be confident in knowing that they are following the steps of many exceptional alumni. That is why, each year, the DLAA recognizes extraordinary achievement within our community. This is done through the sponsoring of the Alumni Teaching Award, the Bertha Wilson Honour Society Award and the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service. I encourage you to continue bringing forward nominations detailing exemplary service among law alumni. This year you can expect to see a refreshed DLAA Board of Directors that we hope will exemplify the diversity found within our alumni community. We have created spaces to ensure more geographical representation, which will only enhance our global reach. Furthermore, we want to add younger alumni so that we can have fresh perspectives and ideas. If you feel you would like to offer your time to the Board or any of our worldwide branches, please do not hesitate to reach out. To say that the last year has been a unique one would be an understatement. In some way or another, all of us have been impacted by the pandemic within our lives, careers and families. Despite the significant challenges, I am proud of and encouraged by the dedication and work you all continue to do within your professions and communities. I also want to extend my congratulations to this year’s class of 2021 and my gratitude to the faculty that supported them during this time. I can only imagine what the last year was like for all of you. The perseverance, creativity and resiliency you have all shown will only further benefit you in your already bright futures. I look forward to seeing and meeting many of you, as soon as we can again. Sincerely,
Tony Amoud (’09) President, Dalhousie Law Alumni Association
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DALHOUSIE LAW ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT
Tony Amoud (’09) tonyamoud@hotmail.com PAST PRESIDENT
Mary Hamblin (’99) maryhamblin@gmail.com EX-OFFICIO
Dean Camille Cameron lawdean@dal.ca HONORARY PRESIDENT
Brian Flemming (’62) bflem8861@aol.com
DIRECTOR, EXTERNAL RELATIONS
Darren Dick darren.dick@dal.ca SECRETARY
Tammi Hayne lawalum@dal.ca LAW STUDENTS’ SOCIETY PRESIDENT
Maya Churilov, JD Candidate 2022 president@dallss.com
LAW STUDENTS’ SOCIETY VP EXTERNAL
Graham Headley, JD Candidate 2023 vpexternal@dallss.com
MEMBERS AT LARGE
BRANCH PRESIDENTS & VICE-PRESIDENTS NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
Christopher Buchanan (’11) buchanan.christopher@gmail.com BRITISH COLUMBIA
Stephanie Fabbro (’98) stephanie@hamiltonfabbro.com ALBERTA
Brian Beck (’93) brianbeck@shaw.ca SOUTHERN ONTARIO
Chris Hale (’87) cchale@hotmail.com SOUTHEASTERN ONTARIO
Ian MacKay (’82) ian.mackay@rogers.com QUEBEC
Nathalie Goyette (’89) ngoyette@dwpv.com NEW BRUNSWICK
Peter T. Zed (’80) ptz@coxandpalmer.com NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
Robert J. Hickey (’91) robert.hickey@mcinnescooper.com ASIA
Stephanie Monteith (’93) monteith.stephanie@gmail.com MIDDLE EAST
Tyana Caplan (’02) Maya Nix (’03) tcaplan@stewartmckelvey.com maya.nix@gmail.com Donna Franey (’86) donna.franey@dal.ca Ansley Simpson (’09) asimpson@cartersimpson.ca
UNITED KINGDOM
David Gossen (’03) dlgossen@gmail.com
THANK YOU ROSE Director of Admissions retires after 41 years of service BY PROFESSOR MICHAEL DETURBIDE A towering figure of the Schulich School of Law community has retired after 41 years of dedicated service. For thousands of law students, Rose Godfrey has been their first contact with Dalhousie’s law school and their future careers. Rose’s warm personality and guidance eased the tensions of many incoming students as she welcomed them to the Weldon Law Building community. Rose has served as Director of Admissions throughout the terms of nine Deans and seven Chairs of the Admissions Committee. As former Chair of the Admissions Committee for many years, I can attest to Rose’s commitment to students. Whether counselling students who did not receive admissions offers, advising of accommodation choices in Halifax or discussing career opportunities, Rose’s kind manner always helped ease student concerns. In return, Rose has been the recipient of the Rosemary Gill Award and made an honorary Golden Key member for her dedication to students. I was one of those new students in 1986, an admissions offer in hand, but unsure about my career choice. A fire had destroyed the library at the Weldon Law Building the previous year, and the admissions office was housed in a warren-like maze at the Killam Library. Rose warmly welcomed me and a few other students who were similarly lost, introduced us to the librarians, and provided information on orientation activities. Our introduction to the Dalhousie Law School could not have been more gracious.
ROSE IN HER FIRST YEAR WORKING AT THE LAW SCHOOL.
Being of Asian descent, Rose was conscious of underrepresentation of racialized students in law school admissions long before programs were implemented to address these disparities. She was also active on LSAC committees addressing equity admissions and has made an effort to recruit minority students to the admissions committee. Dahlia Bateman—a Toronto lawyer who served on the admissions committee as a law student—observed: “Rose ensured the admissions committee was representative of our society. I feel that Rose truly valued my input in the decision-making process. Years after graduation, she would still call on me to assist with the Toronto interviews.” Rose will be sorely missed at Weldon, but she is embracing retirement as eagerly as she has embraced her career. She lives with her partner Mike and plans to spend many hours with her two daughters Chelsea and Breagh and two grandchildren Harper and Beau.
At alumni events, a common question to law school faculty members is, “How is Rose?” Senior alumni will recall the annual telethon, in which faculty members and law school staff were called upon to phone alumni for contributions to the annual giving campaign. Rose predictably raised the most money from the most donors, who were genuinely thrilled to speak with her. Rose has been a representative of the law school not only at recruitment events across Canada, but as part of the Law School Admissions Council (LSAC), the North American organization that administers the LSAT. When I was appointed as the Canadian delegate to the LSAC, I felt a bit intimidated, being the only Canadian in a group representing law schools throughout the U.S. and Canada. But when I was introduced as being from Dalhousie, several American representatives immediately stated, “So you must know Rose!” Her friendly, approachable and caring reputation have clearly made her an emissary of our law school.
Congratulations Rose, from your many colleagues, friends and law school alumni!
VOLUME 41 · 2020
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SCHOOL NEWS
IB&M INITIATIVE RECEIVES CBA-NS’S EXCELLENCE IN EQUITY AND DIVERSITY AWARD
JOANNA ERDMAN AND ADELINA IFTENE RECEIVE PRESIDENT’S RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARDS
The Schulich School of Law’s Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq (IB&M) Initiative received the Excellence in Equity and Diversity Award at the Canadian Bar Association-Nova Scotia’s Annual General Meeting in January 2021. The award, established by the CBA-NS’s Equity Committee, recognizes legal workplaces that are going above and beyond to advance equity and diversity in the legal profession and in the general community.
Professors Joanna Erdman and Adelina Iftene were among Dal’s top researchers who received President’s Research Excellence Awards in 2020.
AKINKUGBE LAUNCHES AND CO-EDITS AFRICAN JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC LAW (AfJIEL)
The African Journal of International Economic Law (AfJIEL) launched in December 2020, with the aim of filling a major gap in the production Erdman received the Research and publication of important Impact Award, which celebrates scholarly and policy materials researchers at any career stage on Africa and the Global South. who have made a substantial, AfJIEL is co-edited by Olabisi current impact. Her research D. Akinkugbe, Schulich School focuses on reproductive health of Law Professor and James T. and justice. She studies the ways Gathii, Professor and Wing-Tat in which the right to decide Lee Chair in International Law at whether and when to have the Loyola University Chicago children, the right to survive School of Law. “I was honoured to virtually pregnancy and childbirth and accept the Canadian Bar the right to raise children with The inaugural issue featured Association-Nova Scotia respect and support, are critical articles on the gendered nature Branch’s Excellence in Equity to building just and inclusive of trade regimes and economic and Diversity Award on behalf societies. empowerment of women in of the IB&M Initiative,” says Africa; competition regimes in Iftene was awarded the Kelsey Jones, Director of the the Caribbean community and Emerging Investigators IB&M Initiative. “For 32 years Sub-Saharan Africa; and making Award, which recognizes the IB&M Initiative has been intellectual property law and early-career researchers who advancing equity and diversity policy relevant for Africa. In an have demonstrated a high level in the legal profession and will effort to break down barriers of achievement. Her research continue to do so for years that limit access to scholarship and writing revolve around to come. This award reflects and policy analysis, the AfJIEL is issues related to vulnerable the dedication and hard a free, open access publication. prison populations, prison work of all the past directors, The journal is published by administrative assistants, alumni, policies, criminal law, health Sheria Publishing House. and undercover investigations. current students and our many Her major work looks at the supporters in the community.” experiences and access to justice of incarcerated older individuals.
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H E A R S AY 2020
SMITH SHIELD 2020 GOES VIRTUAL The Smith Shield Moot is known as the premiere mooting event of the academic calendar with a tradition dating back to 1927. This year’s Smith Shield mooters became the first in the law school’s history to present their oral arguments and take questions from the judges entirely over Zoom due to COVID-19. Smith Shield’s Schulich Law mooters were Nicole Kelly and Yazan Matarieh, representing the appellant and Siobhan Donovan and Samuel Beuerle, representing the respondent. They argued the case of Jones v. Vollick, involving the tort liability of a child defendant, before the Honourable Chief Justice Michael J. Wood, Nova Scotia Court of Appeal; Mr. Jim Rossiter, Q.C., President, Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society; and Professor Elaine Gibson. The problem was drafted by Professor Michael Hadskis. As challenging as the transition to a virtual environment was, the panel of judges recognized the students for their strong presentation styles and knowledge of the material.
SCHULICH LAW GRADS ACCEPT SUPREME COURT OF CANADA CLERKSHIPS Schulich Law grads Siobhan Quigg and Harini Kav have both accepted Supreme Court of Canada clerkships beginning in August 2022. Quigg has been assigned to Justice Abella’s successor and is looking forward to working alongside the justices, court staff and other clerks. “Clerking appeals to my wide-ranging legal interests, which span from environmental law to hate-motivated crimes,” says Quigg. “It also aligns with my desire to make meaningful contributions to the justice system and the public.” Kav will be joining Justice Brown and is eager to have the opportunity to engage with intellectually challenging legal questions and to learn from great legal minds. “On a personal note, clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada also represents to me that goals can be accomplished even in the face of unexpected adversity along the way. I am incredibly grateful to all those who have supported me throughout my journey.”
DR. SHERRY PICTOU APPOINTED CANADA RESEARCH CHAIR (CRC) IN INDIGENOUS GOVERNANCE In June of 2021, Dal’s newest cohort of Canada Research Chairs were announced. Schulich Law’s Dr. Sherry Pictou was appointed as Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Indigenous Governance. Dr. Pictou’s research program seeks to address concerns about the limited participation of Indigenous women in governance and decisionmaking processes, as evidenced by Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. In collaboration with Indigenous women, her research examines a re-grounding of Indigenous women and governance based on Indigenous land-based laws and treaty relations to generate a gender-based analysis from an Indigenous perspective that will inform Indigenous and non-Indigenous governance practices. This research marks a critical contribution to some of the research gaps regarding gender and governance.
MAJEKOLAGBE AND ROSS RECEIVE AWARDS FOR GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH In June of 2020, the federal government announced the 2020-2021 recipients of the Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships and Banting Postdoctoral Fellowships which included Schulich Law PhD student, Adebayo Majekolagbe, and Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr. Sara Ross. Majekolagbe, recipient of the Vanier Scholarship was recognized for his research on ‘Easing the transition to a greener economy’. His research focuses on the design of a just transition impact assessment framework to facilitate the equitable and effective sustainability transition of fossil fuel dependent economies. Dr. Ross, recipient of the Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship was recognized for her research of ‘Preserving heritage spaces in Halifax’. Her research focuses on the intersection of law and culture in the city. She uses the Urban Legal Anthropology methodology to investigate how an application of international legal mechanisms can be used to aid the equitable treatment and sustainable preservation of heritage spaces in Halifax.
DSU FOOD BANK DRIVE RAISES $5,000 FOR FEED NOVA SCOTIA Each year, the Dalhousie Student Union (DSU) holds a food drive for Feed Nova Scotia before the holidays. The law school is divided into sections in a friendly competition to see who can donate the most. In the past, Feed Nova Scotia provided a list of what was most needed and the DSU would accept non-perishable food items with a different number of points being awarded for each item. In 2020, for the first time, the food drive switched to monetary donations due to COVID-19. Therefore, the whole student body could participate regardless of where they were located. Faculty and staff were the year’s big winners raising a total of $1,635. Section C came in second with $1,512 raised, Section B in third with $1,010, and Section A finished with $760. The total donations raised were $4,917. The LSS decided to top that up to an even $5,000 which was then donated to Feed Nova Scotia!
VOLUME 42 · 2021
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CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE Nayha Acharya and Brandon Stewart awarded Schulich Law’s top teaching honours At Schulich Law, we are known for our dedicated professors who give students an outstanding legal education, while making them feel supported in the classroom and beyond. This past year, in response to the pandemic, we saw classes move online and students and faculty make significant adjustments to everyday life. Our award recipients left a lasting impression on their students during these unprecedented times. DLAA & LSS AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING LAW – NAYHA ACHARYA This award is given in recognition and appreciation of excellence in teaching demonstrated by enthusiasm, commitment, dedication and outstanding service to students. Nominations are made by current law students and a recipient is selected by a committee comprised of students and alumni.
The Hannah and Harold Barnett Excellence in Teaching Award is given by the Law Students’ Society to recognize a professor who teaches first-year law. Each first-year section collectively puts forward a nomination and a winner is chosen by a committee of students. This year the winner was nominated by not just one section, but two!
Professor Nayha Acharya has an understanding of what it is like to be both a student and teacher at Schulich Law, and it shows in her deep affection for her students. After earning her LLM and PhD here, she became a professor in 2019.
“When I joined the Schulich Law community, I was excited but not sure what to expect when I learned that I would be teaching 120 first-year students online during a pandemic,” says Professor Brandon Stewart. “What I have discovered is a 1L community that is engaged, enthusiastic and resilient and it has been a pleasure to witness and support their growth over the past seven months.”
“I come from a tradition that recognizes the relationship between student and teacher as sacrosanct,” says Acharya. “I feel that the crux of teaching is trust, care and mutual affection. If those features are present in a teacher-student relationship, then everything else falls into place. This award gave me great joy in the realization that my students felt my care.” She remembers teachers that impacted her life, not only because of the knowledge they imparted, but also because of the authenticity in their manner of relating. She strives to be for others what those teachers have been for her. Acharya says that her Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) course in fall 2020, which most of her nominators were part of, was very special to her because of how intimate the group became through sharing their thoughts on conflict and disputes, law and the legal system and pandemic life. “Professor Acharya went above and beyond to make sure that each of us had her support, by making it clear that she was there for us whether or not it related to the ADR course,” says Hannah Davis, third-year student and nominator. “At least a small section of every synchronous class was dedicated to checking in on us. We would have a conversation about how we were doing, what our concerns were and what we might do to get additional help where needed. She also followed up every single class with an email that was extremely calming and reassuring, as she often included a little confidence boost or nice message to keep us going.”
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HANNAH AND HAROLD BARNETT EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD – BRANDON STEWART
H E A R S AY
Stewart explains that he has tried his best to re-create his classroom virtually, so his students get the most out of their 1L experience. He is also always mindful of teaching in a way that supports his students’ well-being and success. His mantra is “excellence without suffering”. “Professor Stewart is incredibly straightforward when explaining both the course concepts and his expectations from students. He is clear about what we need to know, and provides succinct and helpful explanations of ideas,” says one of his nominators. “His whiteboard note–taking structure in class makes it easy to follow along and obvious what the most important ideas are. I greatly appreciate how direct he is as a teacher and I genuinely feel as though he is there to help students.”
2021 NEW FACULTY
CHERYL SIMON Cheryl Simon will be joining the Schulich School of Law as an Assistant Professor. She is a proud Mi’kmaq woman from Epekwitk (PEI) with extensive experience in community-based policy development. She completed her BA in Native Studies from the University of Lethbridge and a law degree from the University of Victoria. She also studied Maori law and comparative Indigenous studies in New Zealand. She completed an LLM with a constitutional specialty at Osgoode law school in 2020. After briefly practicing law, Simon worked as manager of Governance Advisory Services with a national organization. She worked with First Nations communities across the country, assisting in developing governance models based on traditional systems before opening her own consulting business. Simon moved on to work for Mi’gmawe’l Tplu’taqnn, a Treaty rights implementation organization while teaching courses on identity law with Cape Breton University. She will teach Property and Special Issues in Aboriginal Law and Indigenous Governance at Schulich Law.
SUZIE DUNN Suzie Dunn will be joining the Schulich School of Law as an Assistant Professor in Law & Technology for 2021-2022. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Ottawa, Faculty of Law. While at the University of Ottawa, she acted as a part-time professor where she taught Contracts Law and the Law of Images. She was awarded the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Scholarship for her research which centers on the intersections of equality, technology and the law, with a specific focus on technology-facilitated violence, deepfakes and impersonation in digital spaces. She will teach Contracts and Law and Technology in the first semester and Contracts and Intellectual Property in the second term. She will also coach the Harold G. Fox Intellectual Property moot team. You can find her on Twitter @SuzieMDunn or visit her website at www.suziedunn.com
KARINNE LANTZ Karinne Lantz is already part of the Schulich Law community as a PhD student. She will also take on the role of Instructor for 2021-2022. Lantz received a JD and MA in international affairs through a joint program with the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa and the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs at Carleton University. She then completed an LLM in international law from the University of Cambridge. She also holds a BA in political science and international development studies and a BSc in chemistry from Saint Mary’s University. Her general research interest is public international law and, specifically, how international law can be used to address existing and emerging challenges. She will teach Torts, Civil Procedure and International Human Rights Law.
VOLUME 41 · 2020
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WELDON AWARD FOR UNSELFISH PUBLIC SERVICE
The Schulich School of Law and the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association honour the 2020 recipient of the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service BY STEPHANIE HURLEY
CORRINE SPARKS
A LIFE OF SERVICE
The Honourable Corrine Sparks (LLB ’79, LLM ’01) was named the 2020 recipient of the Schulich School of Law’s Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service. Sparks was appointed to the Nova Scotia Family Court in 1987, becoming the first African Nova Scotian to be appointed to the Bench and the first Black woman to serve on the judiciary in Canada.
The Weldon Tradition of unselfish public service has been an integral part of Sparks personal and professional life. “We’re really taught at the Schulich School of Law to be able to advocate strongly, effectively and with a lot of compassion for those who are voiceless in society.”
Since 1983, the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University has presented the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service annually to an alumnus or alumna who has made outstanding contributions to the community and the legal profession on either a worldwide, national, provincial or local setting. “Judge Sparks truly demonstrates the importance of commitment to the community,” says Acting Dean Richard Devlin. “The Schulich School of Law is proud that she has been so gracious and generous as an alumna of the law school.”
During her time on the Bench of the Nova Scotia Provincial Court, Judge Sparks presided in Family Court in Dartmouth, Truro, Shubenacadie, Windsor and Kentville where she has been devoted, almost exclusively, to adjudicating family court matters relating to issues of custody, child and spousal support, access and infant protection.
“Judge Sparks is a real life super hero in the hearts and minds of Black lawyers who came behind her, regardless of our areas of practice,” wrote Candace Thomas (’95) in her nomination letter. “Judge Sparks approached the weighty responsibility of being the lone Black judge in this province with fairness and compassion for Sparks says she is deeply honoured and humbled to be the recipient the individuals who appeared before her.” of the prestigious Weldon Award. She credits law school for helping her build stamina and character. “I’ve had many experiences in She has also actively fostered and facilitated judicial education, my life which have been transformational, but one of the key developing educational programs and lecturing on gender and transformative experiences was my time at the Schulich School racial discrimination and the courts. Over the years, Sparks has of Law,” says Sparks. “It opened my eyes. It was a portal to been involved in numerous judicial education programs from the discovering, exploring and equipping myself with the instruments International Association of Women Judges-Canadian Chapter to to have a purposeful life.” the Commonwealth Judicial Education Center and her work has earned her numerous awards and recognition.
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BREAKING BARRIERS Sparks grew up in the historical and racially segregated community of Lake Loon outside of Halifax. The daughter of humble, religious and devoted parents—Helen and Spencer Sparks—she is a descendent of Black Loyalists and the eldest of nine children. Sparks attended Mount Saint Vincent University, from which she earned a degree in economics in 1974. She then went on to pursue a Bachelor of Laws degree from Dalhousie University where she was one of only three African Nova Scotians in her incoming class of 120 and the only Black woman. She graduated in 1979. In 2001, she was awarded a Master of Laws degree from Dalhousie’s Law School. Her thesis focused on reparations for the residents of Africville—an African-Canadian community in north end Halifax that was demolished by the city in 1969. In 2007, the Dalhousie Black Law Students’ Association created the Judge Corrine Sparks Award to recognize students who are committed to using their legal education as a tool for change in their community. “My friend has truly been a ‘trailblazer’ in many facets of her life and career,” wrote classmate Randall C. Fleming (’79) in his nomination letter. “Through her personal drive, moral strength, scholastic achievement, professional career and public service on many levels, she has made a major contribution to the advancement of women generally and particularly women of colour. And, as the Judge Corrine Sparks Award testifies, she is seen as a role model for all who are committed to using a legal education as a tool for transformation in the service of the public good.”
COMMITMENT TO COMMUNITY Sparks’ attachment to her roots and commitment to her community runs deep. “When I reflect on the struggles and sacrifices of my ancestors, and even my parents, I have to pay homage to them because I stand on their shoulders in so many ways,” says Sparks. “I know that they provided me with the foundation for me to be where I am today.” Through a multi-layered life in the law and her rich and varied community involvements, Judge Sparks’ life has been premised on a genuine belief that to those to whom much is given, much is expected. Sparks is mindful of her place in Nova Scotia's Black and legal history.
“Whenever you’re the first in any profession, you’re going to face obstacles,” says Sparks. “It doesn’t mean you accept the criticism and barriers, but it makes you more determined than ever to eliminate those barriers for the next generation. I hope those in the legal community and beyond will see me as a hardworking individual who was given a rare opportunity to serve the public and serve humanity.”
PHOTO CREDIT: WILL YANG
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BERTHA WILSON HONOUR SOCIETY The Bertha Wilson Honour Society was established in 2012 to recognize our extraordinary alumni and showcase their geographic reach and contributions to law and society. The award is named for The Honourable Madam Justice Bertha Wilson (’57)—the first woman appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal and the first female Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada. Each year, one alum from each of the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association’s branches, along with up to three additional alumni nominated by the Bertha Wilson Honour Society Board, are inducted as members of the Society.
Introducing the Bertha Wilson Honour Society Inductees for 2020
Mary Birdsell (’94) ONTARIO
Executive Director, Justice for Children and Youth
Steve Konchalski (’69) NOVA SCOTIA
X-Men Basketball Head Coach, Saint Francis Xavier University
Dr. Moira L. McConnell (’84) QUEBEC
Professor of Law Emerita and Honorary Fellow of the Marine & Environmental Law Institute at the Schulich School of Law
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Jim Phillips (’87) ONTARIO
Professor of Law, History and Criminology at the University of Toronto, and editor-inchief of the Osgoode Society for Canadian Legal History
Chief Paul Prosper (’94) NOVA SCOTIA
Regional Chief for the Assembly of First Nations and Representative of the Mi’kmaw Chiefs of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland
Dawn Russell, Q.C. (’81) NEW BRUNSWICK
President, Vice-Chancellor and Professor at St. Thomas University
2021 AURUM AWARD RECIPIENT: AN ADVOCATE FOR REFUGEES When 174 Sikhs arrived in Nova Scotia after escaping civil war, Lee Cohen (’80) represented them. From that moment, he dedicated his practice to immigration, refugees and human rights, changing hundreds of lives in the process, including his. BY MARK CAMPBELL It was a story that grabbed international headlines. In July 1987, 174 Sikhs arrived in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, seeking to escape a civil war in Punjab, India. It was a lifechanging moment not just for these new arrivals, but also for Lee Cohen (’80)—the lawyer who represented them. “That was my first immigration case and it exposed me to many things that were disturbing,” Cohen recalls. “Specifically, it was the amount of racism I encountered that was connected to Canada’s immigration policies, public attitudes toward immigration and the fact that there was no one in the local legal community who seemed to be doing anything about it. But it also was exhilarating; I saw there was work to be done to change that and I have devoted the rest of my life to it.” By dedicating his expertise and legal practice to immigration, refugees and human rights matters, Cohen has not only helped hundreds of clients find peace, hope and opportunity as Canadian citizens but has also shifted government and public perceptions in the process. It is a legacy made even more remarkable by the fact that his initial decision to study law was essentially a whim.
DECADES OF IMPACT Cohen continues along that path, changing the course of many lives. Numbers elude him, but he can say that the wedding and graduation invitations he receives each year extend three generations deep. He has also sought to expand his impact and inculcate his knowledge and passion among up-and-coming lawyers, through the Halifax Refugee Clinic, which he founded in 2000. Privately funded, it provides legal representation to people who claim refugee status in Nova Scotia and ensures their rights and integrity are respected. “I’m essentially an ex-officio member now,” he says. “It was a great idea to pass the mantle to other people because they have taken it beyond where it was when I was chair of the board. The level of expertise with which the clinic staff carries out its duties and raises funds is impressive and I know it is in great hands.” MISSION FOCUSED Over the years, Cohen’s efforts have been recognized with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Award, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the Democracy 250 award, an honourary Doctor of Divinity from the Atlantic School of Theology and the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service from the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association. Now, he is adding an Aurum Award from Dalhousie to those honours. “In this work, you are very much in the trenches at all times,” he says. “The opportunity to enjoy a case you’ve won is momentary at best. Receiving an award like this is a chance to reflect and know that, in all those years when you felt alone, you weren’t. People were paying attention and deciding you need to be acknowledged for what you’ve done. That is very satisfying.” Even more satisfying for Cohen is helping people achieve their dream of becoming Canadians. He remains focused on that mission even as he encourages others to carry on his efforts through initiatives such as the New Brunswick Refugee Clinic, which he helped found in 2016. Although he never set out to create a legacy, he would like to see it grow and provide more hope to those fleeing violence and instability. “I can think of no better reason to be alive than to make life better for somebody else,” he says.
“I applied to Dalhousie without a mission,” he concedes. “But it seemed like some force was moving me in that direction. It did not really click until I started working with Dalhousie’s Legal Aid Service. When you are helping people who have been mistreated or who never had a fair shake in life, it really focuses your mind in a way that pure academic instruction can’t quite accomplish. And it was an invaluable experience in setting the course of my life.” PHOTO CREDIT: DANNY ABRIEL
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THE DOCKET PODCAST: TAKING OVER THE AIRWAVES From sharing classes to perspectives, Emilie Taman (’04) and Michael Spratt (’04) have created an award-winning podcast to discuss issues at the intersection of law, politics and policy. BY ELEANOR BRAMAH Most of us, at some point, have had rousing, intellectual, politically charged conversations around the dinner table with family and friends. Conversations that perhaps even turn into debates—where people might disagree, argue for or against a perspective or share an opinion or two. Now, imagine hitting a record button. And turning those conversations into a podcast. It’s what Emilie Taman (’04) and Michael Spratt (’04) did when they launched The Docket, an award-winning podcast that explores the complex intersection of law, politics and public policy in our country. Taman and Spratt met when they both were students at the Schulich School of Law—a meeting that was perhaps meant to be, as they now share a home and three children together—though their careers have followed very different trajectories. “You could say I’ve had a non-linear career path,” Taman laughs. “From legal counsel at the Supreme Court and being a former Federal Crown prosecutor to running for political office and now in private practice, my experience reflects the diverse subjects we cover on the podcast.” In contrast to Taman’s varied and wide-ranging experience, Spratt has focused his 15-year career in criminal law, developing a broad criminal litigation practice. “I was always opinionated, even before law school,” he says. “But being outspoken and holding power to account is baked into the DNA of being a criminal lawyer. Learning the law at Dalhousie fostered a spirit of questioning and debate in both of us.” It was clear from their early days at law school that Taman and Spratt shared many overlapping interests. “In second year we had almost every class together due to our mutual engagement with criminal law,” remembers Taman. “And we were also randomly partnered up for the Gale Cup Moot, and through the preparation and competition, we got to work together as we were first developing our legal advocacy skills.”
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A PLATFORM MADE FOR PERSPECTIVES Their shared passions and outspokenness were a big part of the inception of The Docket in 2014. Out of their home in Ottawa, Spratt launched the podcast with Taman joining him at the microphone soon after. They haven’t looked back since—recently hitting one million downloads and having recorded over 120 in-depth interviews and conversations about today’s most burning political and legal questions. “We do it because we love it,” says Spratt. “We were having these kinds of conversations anyway with family and friends and it felt natural to just turn on a microphone.” For Taman and Spratt, their podcast is about more than just engaging conversations or speaking with interesting people, it is a platform to help inspire a more informed public debate. “We have a lot of friends who aren’t lawyers,” Spratt says. “When we’d sit around the table talking about something in the news—a new government policy or even a reality show like Making a Murderer—Emilie and I could help people understand the legal perspective and point out misconceptions or blind spots. The podcast lets us do that on a really broad scale.” The Docket received national attention early in its history for a series of episodes tackling that Netflix hit, Making a Murderer. “We offered a Canadian perspective and a thoughtful analysis,” says Taman. “And since it was the show everyone was talking about at the time, it helped to broaden our audience—this isn’t a podcast just for lawyers or legal experts,” she adds.
EMPOWERING INFORMATION AND ADVOCACY
WHAT THE FUTURE LOOKS LIKE
Taman and Spratt take a hard line on continuing to make the show accessible to as many people as possible. “The law impacts everyone, just as much as public policy or health care,” says Taman. “We’re covering issues that matter to all of us and they’re often things the people in power don’t want to talk about. We want to encourage everyone to ask challenging questions.”
Taman and Spratt know that they’ll never have a shortage of subject matter and want to continue to elevate public discourse, and in some cases, have had the opportunity to engage previous classmates in their discussions. “We’ve had the opportunity to also interview former classmates and other Dal law alums on occasion too,” says Taman. “We’ve interviewed Erin O’Toole (’03) before and one of our most frequent guests has been Senator Kim Pate (’84).”
Their emphasis on inclusion has built The Docket’s broad, engaged audience, including an online forum Spratt manages where members can exchange perspectives and ideas. “It was surprising to see how many people, especially young lawyers and legal students, were interested in these subjects,” he says. “It’s gratifying to give them a home.” “Some of my favourite episodes are those where we’ve asked high school students to write in with their questions,” he continues. “They’re asking really unfiltered questions, like if their principal can legally search their locker. Hopefully, answering those questions inspires them to keep asking more.” Their impact on young people and students in particular is clear. “We were at a conference at Dalhousie several years ago,” Taman remembers. “I couldn’t believe how many students recognized our voices and really cared about the issues.” It speaks to the need that The Docket fills for young minds—the next generation looking for answers, insight and where to focus their advocacy. “But regardless of age, our hope is to help people understand the questions we raise,” she says. “Then they can direct their efforts and advocate effectively for the things they can change.”
“What’s interesting is that no matter who we’re talking to or the subject matter we’re covering, it always comes down to education and advocacy. Governments might say the right things, but not actually do the right things,” says Taman. “And it’s easy for people, and the media, to stop following the issues as they evolve.” It’s a gap they believe The Docket can help bridge—to follow issues that matter and help their audience understand the complexities of policy and law. “There’s no formula for how we come up with topics,” says Spratt. “But there are unique opportunities to speak with people we never thought we could, like politicians. Journalists also come to us for our take on issues now, because they know we’ll have an informed opinion.” They believe education and information is especially important in today’s social and political landscape. “We’ve covered subjects like #MeToo and wrongful convictions and interviewed people we didn’t necessarily agree with,” continues Taman. “I think there are fewer and fewer opportunities to have those respectful yet charged exchanges in today’s media landscape. But The Docket is one of them.”
To listen to the podcast, visit Michael's website michaelspratt.com/poadcast-legal-matters
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RESHAPING THE SYSTEM
When the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service created a position dedicated to prosecuting human trafficking offences, Crown attorney Josie McKinney (’06) knew she wanted to take it on. It is one of many ways she is ensuring the law is inclusive and fair for Indigenous people. BY MARK CAMPBELL
The statistics are chilling. Of the 1,708 incidents of police-reported human trafficking since 2009, approximately 97 percent involved women and girls, and nearly three in 10 victims (28 percent) were under the age of 18. Furthermore, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls found that human trafficking is linked to high rates of violence against Indigenous women and girls. For many Canadians, these statistics may be eye-opening. For Josie McKinney (’06), a Nova Scotia Senior Crown Attorney and member of the Mi’kmaq and Wolastoqiyik First Nations, they are all too familiar. “Indigenous and African Nova Scotian persons are overrepresented in this province as victims of human trafficking,” she says. “When the Public Prosecution Service announced the creation of a position dedicated to the prosecution of human trafficking offences, I knew I wanted to take it on.” In July 2020, she did. Since then, McKinney has been shaping the role, delivering training to Crown attorneys and police on human trafficking issues and engaging the community to address a global problem that is largely under the radar, in part because it predominately impacts minority and vulnerable communities. But McKinney is optimistic that progress will be made, not just because of advances she is making in the role but also because there is no other option.
“In working with vulnerable communities, it is incumbent on all of us that hold positions of power to have some sense of optimism to stay motivated, even when we have days where we don’t quite feel it,” she says. “It is the only way to keep going forward.”
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Going forward is McKinney’s raison d’etre. She has devoted her life and career not just to her own advancement but, more important, that of Indigenous people. It is a passion that has factored into most of the major decisions she has made, and it was nurtured by her parents, both activists in the Indigenous community, and by her aunt, who is a lawyer. “I was raised with the worldview that you can effect change if you're willing to put the work in,” she says. “I saw law as the best tool I could use to advance the interests of Indigenous people as an Indigenous person. There is no part of human existence that is not shaped by law. And lawyers make law. When you have knowledge of the law and the ability to practice, you can influence our legal systems, which have long contributed to the systemic discrimination of Indigenous people. It was my passion to make change happen that sent me down that path.” McKinney’s path led to the Schulich School of Law and the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq (IB&M) Initiative, which her aunt had gone through and spoke highly of. Founded in 1989, the Initiative is dedicated to increasing representation of Indigenous Blacks and Mi'kmaq in the legal profession. “The law has not been inclusive of marginalized communities,” McKinney says. “That becomes quickly apparent when you are sitting in a classroom learning about it. The IB&M Initiative offers financial and academic support, but more than that it creates a community of connections that lasts you a lifetime. That’s important, because you never feel like you are the only person bearing the weight of representing your community. In that way, it exceeded my expectations.” Originally, McKinney planned to go into politics after graduation. But her experiences with Dalhousie Legal Aid Service and a summer job with the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service sparked an interest in criminal law and a realization that it offered a more effective means of addressing systemic discrimination and overrepresentation of Indigenous people in the legal system. Her first job, a pilot project to develop a dedicated Indigenous
staff lawyer position at the University of Ottawa’s community legal clinic, seemed like the perfect opportunity to achieve that goal. But when funding was not available to make it a permanent position, McKinney joined Nova Scotia’s Public Prosecution Service, becoming the province’s first Indigenous Crown attorney.
“The challenge with being first is that you are very aware of the desire and sense of obligation to create positive change for your community, but in a way where you do not find yourself alienated,” she says. “It took a while to find my stride. Thankfully, I entered the Crown attorney office three and a half years after becoming a lawyer, so I had both lived and professional experience to draw on. I also had the support of colleagues from the IB&M Initiative, who were out there being first in their positions.” Once again, in her role as human trafficking offences prosecutor, McKinney is navigating the intricacies of being first. The training she is conducting, the partnerships and collaborations she is forging and the many organizations she is a member of—such as the Trafficking and Exploitation Services System and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Youth Group—are feeding her optimism that this global crime can be stopped. “Human trafficking is transient by nature, so it is great to see Canada working on this issue in such a collaborative way,” she says. “I think we are going to see increased reporting as a result and that is a good thing. In fact, we have already seen an increase in the rate of human trafficking in the latest statistics, which means that victims are starting to regain trust in the system and are willing to report.” There are other ways that McKinney has been working to reshape the province’s legal system to make it more inclusive and fairer for Indigenous people and marginalized communities. She was the lead author of the Public Prosecution Service’s Fair Treatment of Indigenous Peoples in Criminal Prosecutions in Nova Scotia and is a member of its Sexual Assault Working Group and the Equity and Diversity Committee. She is also a member of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Bar Council, which is charged with regulation of the legal profession, and co-chairs its Racial Equity Committee. And she serves as a mentor for a new generation of IB&M students. “It’s really just being there to talk to them and offer support,” she says. “It’s an important commitment on my part given that there was someone there for me when I was going through it.”
McKinney adds that the dedication of and progress being made by other IB&M alumni is particularly encouraging. “They are sitting on committees and councils and advocating for change,” she says. “You can see that in the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society initiatives, such as the release of the Acknowledgement of Systemic Discrimination and the external review of its policies and regulations. It really is a special program, and one of many exciting things that are happening. The change we are seeing will never be fast enough for me, but it is good progress.” Given her considerable efforts to move things forward on so many fronts, the question is what McKinney will do next. For the immediate future, her focus is on human trafficking. She is developing a standardized introductory training program and would like to create protocols to ensure all cases are handled consistently. She has also been working on a policy for fair treatment of African Nova Scotians for the Public Prosecution Service and helping to train Crown attorneys to take on issues such as systemic racism. But when it comes to long term plans, McKinney prefers to keep her options open. “When I first started down this path, I had a vision of where I was going to go,” she says. “When it didn't go the way that I thought it would, it turned out to be really great. I think the next thing will be clear when it shows up. I always seem to find myself where I'm supposed to be at any given moment.”
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INTERNSHIP DEEPENS UNDERSTANDING OF PUBLIC POLICY Law student Mariam Hanna spends summer learning from Senator Kim Pate (’84).
One of her favourite projects during her internship was updating the Human Rights in Action Handbook for Women Serving Federal Sentences, in light of Bill C-83 which made changes to federal corrections system. She gained hands-on experience looking at the intricacies and importance of language in legislation. “Because the legislation had actually started in the Senate, we had documents about the different revisions that it went through. It was really neat to look through all of that and to update the handbook.”
Hanna joined Pate’s team amid the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We were all in the same boat and learning how to adjust BY AMANDA CHIONG at the same time,” explains Hanna. “It was a bonding experience for the team more than anything.” While the logistics of remote Senate The Schulich School of Law Internship Program started in 2009 sittings were still being worked out, the unique national situation with a small number of internships funded by The Schulich meant that Hanna was able to sit in on sessions for emergency Foundation. It has now grown to be the largest paid summer legislation. “Legislation is kind of famous for how slow it is,” she internship program for law students in the country. acknowledges. However, the pandemic called for a condensed process, which allowed her to see the entire legislative process for Since her appointment to the Senate in 2016, Senator Kim Pate the emergency relief for students over the course of a week. “It was (’84) has worked with the law school to provide students with the opportunity to intern at her office. Each year, two to three students really interesting to see how the whole country was dealing with this all at once.” are selected as Legislative Development Interns. Mariam Hanna was one of these students and spent the summer of 2020 working with Pate. Through this internship, Hanna supported and furthered Pate’s legislative agenda by conducting research, updating legal and policy information documents and representing Pate’s office at meetings and seminars. Hanna, who has a background in history and political science, has always been interested in public policy. Still, the experience of working in Pate’s office surprised her. “Everyone takes Public Law and Constitutional Law, but this was my first time stepping back and seeing what goes on behind the scenes,” she explains. “There’s so much work that takes place that isn’t always apparent just from looking at Senate sittings.”
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During her internship, Hanna also had the opportunity to attend seminars run by government and grassroots organizations and community leaders regarding issues on Pate’s legislative agenda. “These seminars allowed me to see issues and solutions from a different perspective and made me realize the immense research required for legislative amendments and change.”
Overall, Hanna’s internship at Pate’s office gave her a new perspective on her path after law school. “The internship gave me a more nuanced understanding of what public policy is and what goes into it. I am very grateful for this experience and all it has taught me.”
A VOICE FOR CHANGE David Taylor (’12) has spent the better part of the last decade representing the voices of First Nations children. BY FALLON BOURGEOIS When David Taylor (’12) served as a Senate Page during his undergraduate studies, he was struck by people coming to Parliament hoping to make a difference. “They were there trying to get a bill passed or making sure their stories were heard as part of a conversation to have their issue addressed,” says Taylor. “It was inspiring to witness.” In fact, it was the ability to effect change and help people that inspired him to pursue law. Now Taylor himself has spent the better part of the last decade advocating for the voices of First Nations children and their families. Taylor is Legal Counsel for the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. Since 2014, he has been part of the legal team representing the Caring Society in its human rights complaints against the federal government, brought alongside the Assembly of First Nations. The complaint, filed in 2007, alleged that the federal government discriminates against First Nations children by providing far less funding for child and family (child welfare) services on reserves than was available to non-First Nations children, leading to incentives to remove First Nations children from their families and place them into foster care.
PHOTO CREDIT: NADIA ZHENG PHOTOGRAPHY
The ruling was a win for First Nations children and their families. Since then, services and supports approved under Jordan’s Principle have increased from 3,400 to more than 828,000. Meaning that First Nations children have far greater access to educational support, medical equipment, mental health services and more. “Concerning Jordan’s Principle, it’s not just equal access to services, but equitable outcomes and providing culturally appropriate services. Ultimately, more children are getting access to the services they need,” says Taylor. A year after the decision was made, Taylor experienced the impact firsthand. “I was in Winnipeg giving a presentation to help people understand how they can access services using Jordan’s Principle. A woman approached me and explained that with the principle, she no longer had to choose between which children in her class could access services. Jordan’s Principle provided support for every child who needed it. That story hit home. It showed how it’s making a difference for kids on the ground,” Taylor says reflectively.
And in 2016, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal (CHRT) ruled in their favour. The landmark ruling ordered Canada to stop non-equitable funding of child and family services for First Nations children on reserves. It was a momentous win for all involved.
Today the sprawling and ongoing case continues. “We are still working on long-term reform. We have the orders [from the CHRT] and now it is about making sure the government holds up those orders.”
“It was significant to have the discrimination of First Nations children recognized in a way that allowed us to get legally binding orders on the government and force them to address this discrimination. It was inspiring in terms of the way the law can work,” says Taylor, an Ottawa-based lawyer.
He acknowledges it’s been a long road, but he draws inspiration from Dr. Cindy Blackstock, executive director of the First Nations Child and Family Caring Society. She first launched the case against the government in 2007. Ultimately, her advocacy has resulted in a wide range of services now being provided to First Nations children, youth and families.
While the ruling was a huge win, the work did not end there. The Tribunal also found that the government was guilty of failing to apply Jordan’s Principle. The principle—named in memory of Jordan River Anderson, a young boy from Norway House Cree Nation in Manitoba—takes a child-first approach that aims to eliminate service inequities and delays for First Nations children. In 2017, Taylor had the chance to stand up for the rights of First Nations children once again. “It was part of the case I was privileged to lead. I had the opportunity to do the cross-examination, wrote the argument and led the hearing,” he says. Ultimately, the Tribunal found that Canada was too narrow with the principle and First Nations children continued to have lesser outcomes.
As Taylor reflects on the work he’s done these past seven years, he says that his ability to effect change was further piqued during his studies at the Schulich School of Law. “Part of my introduction to the [Canadian Human Rights Act] at Dal was with Professor Sheila Wildeman. We focused on discrimination and the obstacles that vulnerable groups face. It was a wonderful orientation to learn about the relationship between citizen and the state, and the idea of equity.” Though Taylor is only a decade into his law career, what he has accomplished thus far is impressive. When he ponders what he hopes his legacy might be, he draws inspiration from his grandfather. “He was a surgeon and he made a difference in people’s lives through his work. If I've made things better throughout my career, I would consider it a good one. It feels simple, but it’s important.”
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REACHING OUT AND REACHING BACK
No matter the platform, Charlene Theodore (’06) aims to share the spotlight. That's exactly what she's doing as the first Black President of the Ontario Bar Association. BY ALLISON LAWLOR
When Charlene Theodore (’06) was elected president of the Ontario Bar Association last September, becoming the first Black lawyer to hold the position in the organization’s history, her leadership in boosting opportunities for women and people facing racial inequality in the legal profession was already firmly cemented. But stepping into the one-year role just months after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis sparked protests across North America and pushed countries to reckon with dismantling systems of discrimination and combating anti-Black racism, gave her longtime work a greater magnitude and a stronger sense of urgency. “In the midst of this horrible situation, it brought home the honour and significance of having this role in this time and I always thought of it as an opportunity that I didn’t intend to waste,” said Theodore, who was named one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential in the justice system and legal profession in 2020. Theodore immediately dove into her new role, representing close to 16,000 lawyers, judges, law professors and law students. From her condominium in downtown Toronto, surrounded by colourful, vibrant art that celebrates Black cultures in Canada and around the world, she works around the clock on initiatives aimed at creating healthy and inclusive workplaces for lawyers, speaking publicly on the inequities facing women and racialized lawyers and how to fix judicial diversity in Canada, while juggling her day job as in-house counsel for the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association.
“When I get to a place where I have a platform or some kind of relative power or influence, I always reach out and reach back and bring my people with me,” she said. “I like to be part of a team,” she added.
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One of her first steps as president of the Ontario Bar Association was setting a clear mandate for the next decade. Focusing on equality, the policy highlights one key issue a year; workplaces is the current focus. With the pandemic forcing people to re-think how and where they work, her Work that Works initiative provides the ideas and tools needed to build productive, healthy and inclusive work environments for lawyers. “It is really about showing people the how,” she said. To highlight her ideas and encourage workplaces to set measurable goals, Theodore created a podcast (oba.org/WorkThatWorks). She points to the progress she sees in other sectors. The Toronto Stock Exchange, she said is seeing notable change after the Ontario Securities Commission introduced a comply-or-explain rule in 2015, requiring most companies listed on the exchange to disclose annually how many women are on their board and in executive officer positions.
“I serve others. I help others,” she said. “My whole career has been working in community, working collaboratively.” A Toronto native whose parents came from the Caribbean, Theodore grew up in Brampton, Ont. As a teenager, she was awakened to the power of the legal system after reading the story of Steven Truscott’s wrongful conviction. “The law was used as a tool to essentially take away his life unfairly,” she said. “The other side of that point is that the only way to right that wrong was by using the law.”
Affected by Truscott’s case, she knew she wanted to be part of a system where solutions to complex issues and injustices could be found. She initially studied psychology at Carleton University and got a job in the growing Employee Assistance Program industry. But the call of law grew louder, so she gave up her job and headed east. She chose the Schulich School of Law after hearing glowing reviews from alumni. At Dal, she became president of the Dalhousie Black Law Students’ Association and was inspired by the Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative. Established in 1989, at a time when there weren’t many Black or Indigenous lawyers in Nova Scotia, the program’s goal was to ensure equal access, clear systemic barriers to legal education and the legal profession and address racism in the justice system. Recognized as a model for diversity in legal education, she calls the Initiative a template for creating a successful pipeline.
“The IB&M Initiative is really Dal’s gift to the legal profession across Canada,” she said. “I like programs and initiatives that are about actual solutions.”
In her second year of law school, Theodore interned with the International Bar Association in London, England. The experience led her to article with the African Canadian Legal Clinic after graduating from Dal. The non-profit clinic advocated against hate crimes and racism before the United Nations and federal and provincial committees focused on Supreme Court interventions on anti-Black racism. One of the highlights of the work for Theodore was presenting a report to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, a body of the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. As a new lawyer, she acted in a case that involved a large Canadian bank that discriminated against a Black customer with dreadlocks. The man tried to withdraw a large sum of money and the bank froze his account—not based on any regulatory compliance reasons, but because of how he looked. “It was a case of banking while Black,” she said.
Work to end anti-Black racism has been going on for decades, said Theodore, long before Floyd’s death last year, and will continue long after her term ends as president of the Ontario Bar Association. “It is great that out of this tragedy we are seeing a different level of engagement and conversation,” she said. “There were so many other people, not just in the U.S. but in Canada, who have lost their In law school, Theodore also discovered a different passion: food. During exam periods, she was known to bring homemade cornbread lives due to anti-Black racism. Sometimes you wonder, why didn’t this happen earlier?” to the library and at Thanksgiving, she made turkey dinner for her friends. “I found out I was a pretty good cook.” With so much work left to do to end inequality, not just in the justice sector but across society, Theodore’s commitment to While her heart lies with Caribbean-inspired food, she loves to experiment with recipes from around the world. When she travelled helping provide a viable road map for getting there remains unwavering. alone to Peru four years ago, she visited Machu Picchu in the Andes Mountains and also took cooking classes. When she can “I am an optimist by nature. I will always continue to be engaged travel again, one of the first places she will visit is South Africa, to with this work and this advocacy,” she said. “I’ve always loved the fulfill a lifelong dream. work that I do.”
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SHAPING CORPORATE GOVERNANCE Whether he’s in Canada’s most powerful boardrooms or a classroom with the next generation of lawyers, Peter Dey (’66) teaches the importance of reflection. BY ALLISON LAWLOR Peter Dey (’66)—admiringly called the “godfather of Canadian governance”—has spent much of his illustrious legal career shaping the roles and responsibilities of Canada’s corporate boards. Since writing an influential report on weak boards more than two decades ago, he hasn’t stopped. “The guidelines I wrote 25 years ago are as relevant today,” said Dey, chairman of Paradigm Capital Inc., an investment dealer. “It is the context that has changed.” Dey sat down recently with his fellow directors at Gran Tierra Energy, a Calgary-based company focused on oil and gas exploration and production in Colombia and Ecuador, and guided them through a rigorous examination of whether the board met new criteria he developed for good governance in the 21st century. With a set of 13 recommendations Dey created with Sarah Kaplan, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, Gran Tierra’s directors examined key elements of the board. They assessed whether they had a corporate purpose that addressed all stakeholders and whether they had defined their stakeholders as any party that contributed to the operation of the corporation’s business or could be affected by those operations. After consulting with a 54-person advisory board, Dey and Kaplan released a report in February (2021) called 360˚ Governance: Where Are the Directors in a World in Crisis?, which includes the 13 new recommendations. In the midst of global upheaval caused by the pandemic, corporate boards should be forced to think beyond the bottom line and act in the corporation’s best interest—one that encompasses social and environmental responsibilities and not just increasing share price.
“Acting in the interest of the corporation sounds simple, but it is far from simple. It requires a board that is knowledgeable, diligent and willing to use its best efforts to treat all stakeholders fairly. Boards that use this challenge as an opportunity to drive innovation will create the greatest success for the companies they guide,” Dey and Kaplan wrote in an op-ed piece in The Globe and Mail.
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Growing up in Ottawa, Dey didn’t dream of becoming a lawyer or sitting in some of the country’s most powerful boardrooms. He went to Queen’s University to become an engineer but decided early on it wasn’t a career he wanted to pursue. “The last day I thought about engineering was the day I graduated,” he said. Fearing that the profession might restrict his desire to keep learning, he chose law instead. With a scholarship that covered his tuition, he set out to explore a different part of the country when he moved east to Halifax in the early 1960s. He jumped into a new realm of learning and excelled. “I was really good at studying and writing exams,” he said. “I didn’t really become thoughtful until later on.” Through law school, he made some of his most important and enduring relationships, in particular, his connection to Purdy Crawford (’55). When Dey returned to Canada after completing his Master of Laws at Harvard Law School, he wanted to work in capital markets and securities regulation. One of the big Torontobased firms he interviewed with was Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, where Crawford led the meeting. “He persuaded me Osler Hoskin was the place to go,” Dey said. Dey went on to spend most of his career at the leading business law firm, becoming a partner and specializing in corporate board issues and mergers and acquisitions. But throughout his career, he didn’t shy away from taking calculated risks, which sometimes meant leaving the firm for extended periods of time. From 1994 to 2001, he was chairman of Morgan Stanley Canada, where he helped to develop the Canadian investment banking business and the overall strategic direction of the company in Canada. During some of that time, he chaired the Toronto Stock Exchange Committee on Corporate Governance in Canada. It released the influential 1994 report entitled Where Were the Directors?, which became known as the Dey Report. He also served as chairman of the Ontario Securities Commission and was Canada’s representative to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development task force that developed the OECD Principles of Corporate Governance released in 1999. Take yourself “out of your sweet spot” is the advice he now gives to young lawyers and emerging business leaders. Through his own career he learned that when you have the courage to step out of your comfort zone, personal development takes place. The other sage advice he gives when asked: “Number one: Be a listener”.
PHOTO CREDIT: KEVIN VAN PAASSEN/THE CANADIAN PRESS
Making time for the next generation of lawyers is important to Dey. Earlier this year, he spoke with business law students at the Schulich School of Law and was impressed with their level of engagement and the quality of questions they asked him about corporate governance. On the 50th anniversary of his graduation from Dalhousie, he was asked to give a lecture. Instead of focusing only on his career successes, he noted some of the misses too. One of his most infamous failures—as he calls it—took place in the 1980s. He was representing close to 350 owner-operators of Canadian Tire retail stores who wanted to buy control of the parent wholesaler when the Ontario Securities Commission quashed their plan. “It failed spectacularly,” he said.
“I learned [from the case] always reflect on what you’re about to do, and ask yourself, regardless of what the contract says, regardless of what the law says: Are you doing the right thing?”
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Dey has been alternating his time between his home in Toronto and his ski chalet not far from Collingwood, Ont. An avid downhill skier and racer, he would fly to Whistler Mountain every year to take part in the annual Peak to Valley race. The long-standing team race boasts a vertical drop of 1,443 metres, 180 gates and a course that’s more than five kilometres long. Ailing joints forced him to stop taking part in the challenging race a couple of years ago. When he’s not working or connecting with his six grandchildren and three daughters, one of whom is Claudia Dey, an award-winning writer and designer, you will likely find him with his watercolour palette. “I have been painting for all of my adult life. Most of my work are still lifes, but also landscapes, and I just did a painting of two of my grandsons cycling.” Still engaged with his work at Paradigm Capital—where he has been chairman since 2005—and as an expert witness in legal cases involving standards of governance, Dey doesn't envision exiting the country's boardrooms any time soon. “I enjoy what I’m doing. There’s no reason for me to stop.”
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WHERE NO WOMAN HAS GONE BEFORE
New CSA president, Lisa Campbell (’91), reflects on public service, the benefits of legal training and the potential of space. BY SUZANNE BOWNESS As the first female president of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), you might say Lisa Campbell (’91) is taking one giant leap for womankind. However, the new appointment is very much a continuation of her years of public service, most recently as Associate Deputy Minister of Veterans Affairs. It is a journey that all started at the Schulich School of Law, where Campbell was inspired by the Weldon Tradition. “I was drawn to public service, because intellectually the issues that I could work on, and the impact I could have, really called to me,” says Campbell. Originally from Montreal, Campbell applied to Schulich Law after completing her undergraduate degree in political science at McGill University. “I wanted to explore Canada, and I liked the curriculum at Dalhousie. Also, the people impressed me—the whole application process had a really personal touch,” recalls Campbell. Her instincts proved correct as she got to know the community. “It was amazing. I loved the law school and really enjoyed Halifax and the whole East Coast, and I made many good friends, both classmates and professors.”
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Campbell was also drawn to Schulich Law’s inclusion of progressive topics such as Indigenous law, taught by professors like Patricia Monture-Angus. She also took contracts with Thomas Cromwell, who she ended up working for in the summer and Wade MacLauchlan, all professors she kept in touch with. Campbell was also active with the Dalhousie Women and the Law group, did a term at the legal aid clinic and played intramural soccer. After graduating from Schulich Law, Campbell worked as a criminal defense lawyer in Ottawa, where she could use her bilingualism. Over the years, she also worked in employment law in the private sector, as well as data regulation, competition law and procurement in the public sector. Campbell says her legal training was useful regardless of whether the role was legal or more managementfacing. “Having a legal background was exceedingly helpful, because whether it was law enforcement, market regulation or working with international partners, I use my legal skills, knowledge and experience every single day.” Campbell has also contributed to the field by continuing to publish in academic journals, including the Dalhousie Journal of Law and Technology, on topics from biometrics to nanotechnology.
In moving from Veteran’s Affairs to the CSA, Campbell also made the move from Prince Edward Island to Saint-Hubert, Quebec. One of the things she likes about the agency is that it is so international, with offices in Gatineau, Washington and Europe, as well as at NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston. “We collaborate internationally a lot. So, most of my days I’m doing something with an international partner. Space really does bring the world together,” she says.
So, we're pretty excited about the potential of space and space data and infrastructure in space. Canada can build on our strong legacy of our expertise in robotics, space, health, artificial intelligence and we want to bring all that to bear in what is a new space economy.”
Campbell says that some of the reasons she took up the position at the CSA include the fact that she loves to learn, is driven by innovation and sees a great public good in space. “My career has focused on innovation, and space really is a catalyst that attracts bold and creative minds rising to the challenges to test the limits of what's possible. Space also is increasingly part of our everyday lives. It helps connect us around the world. It enables everything from navigation, cell phone services and financial transactions. It is used for environmental monitoring, management and food production and search and rescue. And in Canada, we've actually got a spacefaring history of 60 years. We've been present in space for a long time and we have really ambitious plans for the future. So I'm really excited about being here at this time.”
For Campbell, leading a great team is also something she has embraced through her career. “I’ve also had the good fortune over the years to work with brilliant colleagues. That’s the case with the Canadian Space Agency, people who are passionate about what they do and go over and above the call of duty and accomplish extraordinary things. Being part of these teams is such a joy and it's happened to me over and over again, as I move through different roles. Each time, I'm amazed at how fortunate we are in Canada to have really dedicated, skilled public servants.”
When asked about the diversity that she brings herself as the CSA’s first woman leader, Campbell acknowledges that she has always worked in fields dominated by men, from criminal defense to competition law and procurement. “I don't know why that's One of the things that Campbell is most excited about is the Lunar happened throughout my career, but it's something that I'm used to—that's why I'm quite passionate about diversity and inclusion. Gateway, a new planned outpost orbiting the moon with living I think it makes teams and organizations stronger,” says Campbell. space and research labs. The Gateway will be 1,000 times further As a working mother (her two children are now in their twenties), away than the International Space Station and Canada is heavily she says she has experienced the challenges of balancing involved in this international collaboration, providing expertise parenthood with career. Less-than-positive experiences in her including a new version of the country’s signature space robotics. The Canadarm3 will use artificial intelligence to maintain operations own past have made her mindful of promoting efficiency at work even in the absence of humans. Campbell says she is excited about and work-life balance. Campbell practices what she preaches by taking the opportunity to give back, mentoring where she once the new technology’s potential as well as the economic plan that took on mentorship. She also models balance by keeping up with is expected to add $135 million annually to Canada’s GDP and her lifelong dedication to sports as an active open-water swimmer, create 1,300 jobs in the next 10 years. She is also excited about cyclist and cross-country skier. the Artemis missions, which will have Canadian astronauts again in space, one on a lunar orbit mission in 2023. The other will take a Her advice to future lawyers would be to go outside their comfort CSA astronaut to live and work on the Lunar Gateway. zone until they have found the right job for them, to remember that they are not only good at one thing and that they may be able Back on earth, Campbell is also excited about leading a dynamic to contribute in multiple ways. She also encourages students to organization into the future. develop a passion for lifelong learning and connecting, by attending conferences and being open to new ideas. “People are my priority. Making sure that we
have a diverse and inclusive work force at the agency is really, really important to us. Space is a huge enabler. Space technologies and data are a really bright future for our country—data from space-based earth observation satellites helps assess the vulnerability of communities, climate change and can help monitor mitigation strategies for effectiveness.
Finally, she would also like to extend an invitation to current law students. “My message is, we need you—please come and do space law with us. We have lawyers here and they're amazing. They’re thinking about topics like the international rules governing the behavior of companies in space, so it's a really exciting time to be doing this work and I would encourage you to come and work with us.”
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FINDING HIS CALLING Steve Konchalski's (’69) passion for helping others helped fuel his career as one of the most successful Canadian coaches in University Sport. BY STEPHANIE HURLEY Steve Konchalski (’69) is a Canadian basketball legend. Coach K, as he’s known at St. Francis Xavier University and in the basketball world, has a record that speaks for itself. He is the winningest coach in Canadian University Sport history. In his 46 years as X-Men basketball head coach he has led the team to victory 919 times, capturing nine AUS championship titles and three CIS national championships. During his career, he has also served as Assistant Head Coach of Canada’s national basketball team including representing Canada at three Olympic Games, Head Coach of Team Canada from 1995 to 1998 and has worked in various capacities with Canada's national team program for the past 30 years. In 2020, he retired as head coach of StFX. Looking back on his illustrious career, it would seem as though a future in basketball must have always been his plan. However, that wasn’t the case. Konchalski, a native of Elmhurst NY, graduated with his BA from Acadia where he was a star player for the Axemen, helping lead the team to a National Championship in 1965. After graduation, he considered pursing a degree in education or law. His classmate at Acadia, Walter Newton, encouraged him to choose law and he ultimately did. “I knew law school could send me in so many directions, but little did I know it would be basketball.” Although he had a love of the game from an early age, he thought he would practice law in human rights or social justice. “My law school experience was so positive,” remembers Konchalski. “I was heavily involved in the law school, not just the books.” When he recently cleaned out his office for his retirement, he came across his old law textbooks and a mug from the Domus Legis Society where he served as social chair. He even won an intramural basketball championship during his time there. Konchalski graduated from law school during the Vietnam War. As an American citizen, he returned home to sort out his military draft status. He waited a year until he eventually received a medical disqualification for an old basketball injury. During that period, he had a lot of time to reflect and decided to come back to his ‘comfort zone’ in Nova Scotia. While visiting friends at Acadia, he was offered a position to coach the junior varsity team. “I thought I’ll do this for a while and then figure out what I am going to do next,” he shares. “I did it and I fell in love with coaching. It wasn’t a plan at all. It just kind of happened.” Although he has spent more time on the basketball court than in the courtroom, he says that he uses his law degree every day of his life. 28 |
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“One of the most beneficial things I’ve ever done is obtain my law degree from Dal,” says Konchalski. “What I learned in law school about logical thinking and a disciplined approach towards life gave me a whole different perspective of the world.” Konchalski has been able to share that knowledge with hundreds of student-athletes over the years. Jack Donohue, former head coach of the senior Canadian men’s national basketball team and one of Konchalski’s mentors, taught him many years ago to “coach people, not players”. He says forming those lasting relationships has been the most fulfilling part of coaching for him. “When you coach, the competitive nature of the game takes charge and you want to win,” he says. “But as I went forward in my career, I began to realize more and more, the impact you can have on young people using basketball as a vehicle to teach them life lessons. To watch my players graduate became a bigger incentive for me to work with them so that they could leave with a degree as well as a positive athletic experience.” Konchalski recently hosted a Zoom call for the 40th anniversary of his 1981 team. “Every single person on that team was on the call and it went for three hours,” he shares. “It shows you how sport can bring people together. From a coaching perspective, if you can create an environment that allows that to happen and put an emphasis on more than just winning games, you can develop lifelong friendships.” In 2020, Konchalski was inducted into Schulich Law’s Bertha Wilson Honour Society which recognizes extraordinary alumni and showcases their geographic reach and contributions to law and society. Konchalski, who is a member of the Acadia Sports Hall of Fame, the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the StFX Sports Hall of Fame and the Nova Scotia Sports Hall of Fame, has received many awards for his coaching throughout the years, but this one really stood out to him. “It was one of the awards that I was most proud to receive because it was about my contributions to society, which means a lot to me.” Contributions that he will continue to make in his next chapter. Although he is retiring from StFX, he is not retiring from the game. Konchalski is currently serving on the advisory council for Canada Basketball’s Unified 2024, a multi-year program designed to lead the organization’s equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives and establish the organization as a leader within the Canadian sports industry by 2024. His biggest concern going into retirement is that he is going to miss being on the court and his relationships with his players. However, he knows he will still be involved in basketball, coaching some team, at some level—dedicated to the game that he has given so much to.
COACH K AND STEVE NASH.
PHOTO CREDIT: BRYAN KENNEDY COACH K’S FINAL EXHIBITION GAME HOSTED AT STFX IN MARCH 2020.
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CARRYING ON A BUSINESS LAW LEGACY Professor Michael Deturbide (LLB ’89, LLM ’97) is honoured to be named the fifth Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law.
Deturbide will work with two Purdy Crawford Fellows. This newly launched fellowship program will further the development of participants as scholars and teachers. Each fellow chosen will teach two business law courses—one in the core law curriculum and one on a special topic—decided in consultation with the Dean and the Associate Dean. The fellows will also participate in the scholarly activities of the faculty, such as presenting the faculty seminar series, conducting new research and working toward publishing parts of their graduate work.
BY MARK CAMPBELL
One of the fellows is Andrew Luesley, who will be teaching courses in legal professionalism and business associations and conducting Friendly and down-to-earth. Those were Professor Michael research in the areas of contract law, cryptocurrencies and Deturbide’s (LLB ’89, LLM ’97) first impressions of Purdy blockchain technology. “When I was first offered the fellowship, Crawford (CC, Q.C., LLD, LLM, LLB ’55) when they met at a I didn’t know much about Purdy Crawford, so I read his biography, Schulich School of Law alumni event in Toronto approximately Fire in the Belly,” says Luesley. “Like him, I was the first university 15 years ago. graduate in my adoptive family, so that really resonated with me, “He was a mover and a shaker, there’s no doubt about it, but he was as did his belief that everyone should have a shot at succeeding, also very kind and engaging,” Deturbide recalls. “He was interested which earned him the honourary title of Chief Rising Tide. I hope in my background, why I went to law school and the area of business to honour his legacy by bringing my passion for teaching and the law to the Schulich School of Law.” law that interested me, because that was his focus. He also had very fond memories of the law school and how it helped make his The second Purdy Crawford Fellow, Keith MacMaster (LLB achievements possible.” ’03, LLM ’18) will be teaching sale of goods, bankruptcy, and a special seminar he is developing on responsible investing. He It was those impressions that came to mind when Deturbide, a is also pursuing two lines of research: investigating the policy Schulich Law Professor and Director of the Law & Technology and legal framework for seabed mining, which aims to enable Institute, was offered the opportunity to become the law school’s an environmentally and socially sustainable industry and looking fifth Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law. Named in honour at improving responsible finance and creating new sustainable of Crawford, the ‘dean emeritus of Canada’s corporate bar,’ the investments. “The fellowship is enabling me to continue my Chair was established in 2001 through the generous support of research on these two fronts and I am honoured to be chosen as a Schulich Law alumni and friends. It supports scholars in business recipient,” he says. “It is a very prestigious award, as Mr. Crawford law, including those with an interest in corporate law and theory, was a powerful force in Canadian business law.” securities regulation, finance, bankruptcy and insolvency, taxation, competition law and other related fields.
The Chair seemed like a perfect fit for Deturbide. In addition to his extensive experience in areas such as business law, corporate law, tax policy, new media law and consumer protection online he is also a commissioner on the Nova Scotia Securities Commission. “Business law is an important facet of the school’s curriculum and the Chair signifies our degree of expertise and knowledge in this area,” he says. “For that reason, I’m very honoured to have received this Chair, particularly having known Purdy Crawford a little bit and knowing the background of the endowment.” In some ways, the duties of the Chair, which include teaching and publishing, are very much a continuation of Deturbide’s current work. But he is looking forward to his expanded responsibilities such as planning conferences, serving as an advisor to students who want to focus their studies in this area and developing a strategic vision for the business law curriculum. “We certainly have a rich curriculum and my goal is to build on that,” he says. “I would like to offer more advanced corporate law courses such as mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance for the benefit of students in their last year of studies. I will also be liaising with the Faculty of Computer Science to see how we can continue to bring technology and business law together.”
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As Deturbide starts to work out his short-term plans for the Chair, he is also looking at the long-term. His goal is to advance the Chair’s legacy and strengthen the school’s profile as a leader in business law education and research nationwide.
“I want to ensure we are attracting the best students, scholars and graduate students,” he says. “I want to enhance awareness of our business law offerings and faculty to demonstrate our depth of experience, the exciting work we are doing and how being part of our learning and research environment will benefit students and scholars academically and professionally.”
law is an important facet of “ Business the school’s curriculum and the Chair signifies our degree of expertise and knowledge in this area.” PROFESSOR MICHAEL DETURBIDE
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FINDING LIGHT IN THE PANDEMIC How the Schulich Law community came together to respond to the challenges raised by COVID-19. BY STEPHANIE HURLEY
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When COVID-19 hit Nova Scotia in March of 2020, the Schulich School of Law found itself navigating uncharted territory. In a year unlike any other, international travel halted, classes moved online, staff and faculty began working from home and the Weldon Law Building closed its doors. With the safety and wellbeing of everyone as the number one priority, the Schulich Law community rallied together to meet the challenges raised by the pandemic. The response from our alumni community was truly inspiring—reminding us that even in the darkest of times, the Weldon Tradition is alive and well.
“What a time it was! Overnight we went from business as usual to a completely virtual operation. The efforts and commitment of faculty and staff to make things work and to ensure that our students continued to receive an excellent education were outstanding,” says Dean Camille Cameron. “And then our alumni joined the effort. Whether it was contributing financially, providing an internship or mentoring a student, we asked for your help and you answered, making it possible for us to assist our students in a number of ways.”
EMERGENCY BURSARY FUND At the onset of the pandemic, many students were having financial difficulties due to a variety of circumstances. The primary focus of the law school was to respond to their needs as quickly and efficiently as possible. Therefore, the Schulich Law Emergency Bursary Fund was launched to help students through these challenging times. The fund was set up in April of 2020 to assist students with unanticipated expenses as a result of the pandemic. Since then, the law school has awarded 148 bursaries totalling more than $143,000. These funds supported students in numerous ways, including paying rent in multiple locations, loss or delay of employment, modifying travel and relocation plans or finding childcare. As always, this would not have been possible without the contributions of our generous and loyal donors. The Honourable Dr. Donald Oliver (LLB ’64, LLD ’03) supported Schulich Law students through a contribution to the Emergency Bursary Fund. Oliver has always believed in giving back and has been doing it in a variety of ways for more than 40 years.
“It was important for me to contribute to the Emergency Bursary Fund because I believe every student should have equal opportunity for an education. If there was anything I could do to help students get through this difficult time, I wanted to,” says Oliver. “The pandemic has absolutely changed the way that we live in Canada in every respect. During this time, it was extremely important to make sure our students were protected and that they will be able to adapt to their new way of life when they come out of it.” The Honourable Justice Lois R. Hoegg (’82) also felt compelled to give. “I could not imagine what it must have been like for students at that time,” she says. “I was moved by the thought that they would be suffering hardship and I wanted to support them. It was just a small gesture so that they would know that others care and that they should not give up.”
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Across the country, students were seeing extreme disruption in the labour market, including summer and articling positions being deferred or cancelled. In response, Schulich Law added 85 employment opportunities for students: 39 research assistantships and an additional 46 internships. Schulich Law student, Allison Hearns, was hired as a research assistant by Professor Adelina Iftene at the end of her first year of law school. “The end of 1L came with the pandemic and a strong sense of defeat as everything seemed so up in the air,” says Hearns. “To be quite honest, my research assistantship changed my career path. I swore that criminal law wasn’t for me, but Dr. Iftene exposed me to the undeniable intersection between so many social issues and criminal law, that I have decided to pursue it as a career. I head into 3L a much more educated student, with a clear image of what my goal is as a member of the legal profession. Without this job, I’m not sure that would have happened.” Faculty at the Schulich School of Law also benefitted from the additional support provided by students who were hired for a variety of roles at the law school. “I can’t say enough good things about the team of student research assistants who were brought on to support faculty while we transitioned to online learning,” says Professor Rob Currie (’98). “Faculty entered into the exercise with varying levels of tech knowledge and comfort. The students were a fabulous resource, always quick to answer questions and knowledgeable about the various options and platforms.”
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Mike Jeszka, a second-year student, was a part of that research assistant team and was grateful for the opportunity.
Kate Hopfner (’04), Vice President, Legal, I.M.P. Group International Inc. hired a Schulich Law intern for the first time.
“In looking back at the last year at Schulich Law, being a research assistant was definitely the highlight of my year,” says Jeszka. “When classes were virtual and I was studying halfway across the country, being an RA provided me with a link to the Weldon community. It also gave me a unique opportunity to work with and get to know the faculty, an opportunity that I wouldn’t have had even if this had been a normal year.”
“We are so glad we had the opportunity to participate in the Schulich Law Internship Program,” says Hopfner. “We looked forward to providing practical work experience and mentorship; however, we were not prepared for how much we would gain from the program. Our student Shaelyn was keen to get the most out of her experience and she provided high quality legal work that supported our team throughout the summer. Working with her was a great reminder of how important mentorship is in the legal profession. What an excellent program to support students at a very difficult and uncertain time.”
Alum Peter Dostal (’07), a Crown Attorney with the Public Prosecution Service of Nova Scotia, recalls receiving a message from Schulich Law at the beginning of the pandemic seeking support for students. His organization decided to provide an internship.
“My internship was an amazing experience where I was given the opportunity to work with a fantastic group of mentors who taught me many lessons that I am certain I will carry with me for the rest of my career, especially how helpful constructive critique can be to one's learning,” says Masters. “I am extremely thankful for this opportunity that provided me with so much growth in a year where nothing seemed certain at all.”
“I felt it was important to respond as I could sympathize with students losing out on opportunities due to circumstances beyond their control,” says Dostal. “The most important thing a law student needs to get their career off the ground is experience. Every lawyer is part of a community within the Bar and as a member of that community, one needs to assist other members, both current and future. That responsibility should not fall solely on law schools. The student we hired was absolutely fantastic.” That student was Elizabeth Matheson who had just finished her first year at Schulich Law. She remembers when the pandemic hit she, like many other of her fellow first-year students, felt disappointed that employment prospects looked so slim. However, when additional internships were posted, she saw that there was an opportunity to do work with the Crown.
The feeling was mutual for second-year student Shaelyn Masters who says that her internship was more than just an employment opportunity for her at a time when jobs were scarce.
All together the Schulich Law Annual Fund provided $650,000 in student employment initiatives and together with our endowed internship funds, have supported a total of 151 employment opportunities.
“Being selected to work with the Public Prosecution Service completely made my summer,” says Matheson. “I got real, hands on experience in the criminal law field, which I never expected to get as a first-year student. Looking back, I realize that the skills I learned during my internship made me a better researcher, a better writer and an all-around better law student.”
SCHULICH LAW STUDENTS OUTSIDE THE WELDON LAW BUILDING.
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RALLYING TOGETHER Schulich Law partnered with the Dalhousie Law Students’ Society (LSS) to provide an Online Learning Assistance Fund to students who purchased equipment needed for accessing online learning. The fund provided 76 awards at a total cost of $7,000, which included $1,750 from each the law school and the LSS, matched with $3,500 support from Dalhousie’s Strategic Initiatives Fund (SIF). Kelsey Jones, Director of the IB&M Initiative, and Professor Liam McHugh-Russell were also recipients of funding for their initiative “Integrating Racial Justice in the Transition to Online Learning”, which included funding to hire peer educators, drawn from Schulich Law’s graduate and JD students, and to purchase equipment to improve online learning access for students. The law school contributed $6,500 which was matched from the SIF.
2020 SMITH SHIELD MOOT TEAM, SOCIALLY DISTANCED.
In total, additional funding from the Faculty of Law to students in response to COVID-19 was $900,000 in 2020-2021. The LSS also did their part to help ease the transition for fellow law students. They created an initiative to help incoming students looking for accommodation in Halifax. They were aware that there were various obstacles that might be affecting students’ decisions to move to Halifax or to make a preliminary trip to look for accommodation. Some of the services they offered included virtual apartment tours and grocery pickups. In a year where we were unable to gather at the law school, we were reminded that the Schulich Law community extends far beyond the walls of the Weldon Law Building.
“When we come together again in September, in person, our first-year students will not be the only ones new to the building. Most secondyear students will never have been in the law school and will be meeting each other and their professors in person for the first time,” says Dean Cameron. “But the extent to which they have all been able to build community virtually is impressive. Our students, faculty and staff have all worked very hard to make the best of challenging circumstances, and our alumni who supported them in so many vital ways share the credit for these successes.”
Emergency Bursary Fund 148 BURSARIES AWARDED TOTALLING
$143K
Employment Opportunities 151 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS TOTALLING
$650K Total Additional Funding IN RESPONSE TO COVID-19
$900K
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USING LAW AS A TOOL FOR RECONCILIATION Professor Naiomi Metallic (’05) makes her mark as inaugural Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy BY MADELINE LEAN
Naiomi Metallic (’05) has been making her mark at the Schulich School of Law since she entered the doors of the Weldon Law Building as a student. After earning her LLB here, she graduated from the University of Ottawa’s civil law program the following year and then became the first Mi’kmaq person to clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada. She holds an LLM from Osgoode and is currently doing her PhD at the University of Alberta. Metallic spent nearly a decade practicing Aboriginal Law as an associate with Burchells LLP in Halifax, before joining Schulich Law as a professor in 2016. Metallic, from the Listuguj Mi'gmaq First Nation in Quebec, made the decision to move to academia so she could continue her work for First Nations through teaching, writing and speaking about issues facing Aboriginal peoples in Canada and how the law can be a tool for reconciliation. Metallic was appointed as Dalhousie’s inaugural Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy in 2016 to foster greater teaching and research on Aboriginal law and policy issues at the law school, as well as promoting interdisciplinary partnerships. She will now embark on her second, five-year term in the role. LAYING THE FOUNDATION The Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy was created through the generous support of A. Anne McLellan (’74), PC, OC, AOE, former Chancellor of Dalhousie. McLellan wanted to ensure the role was fully supported and that Metallic had the resources and flexibility required to advance the education of Aboriginal Law. “I could not imagine accomplishing the things I have to date without the Chancellor’s Chair fund,” says Metallic. “It has allowed me significant latitude to pursue various projects to enhance curriculum and student experience at Schulich Law and leverage partnerships and additional funding.” Over the course of Metallic’s first five years as the Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy, she has focused on deepening the foundation of Aboriginal and Indigenous Law at the law school. She has contributed to teaching and expanding the law school’s
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curriculum while researching and mobilizing knowledge in Aboriginal Law. She has also collaborated on interdisciplinary courses, fostered relationships between Dalhousie and Aboriginal communities in both the Maritimes and Atlantic Canada and has continued to build the profile of the law school and Dalhousie University in this area. THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE ABORIGINAL AND INDIGENOUS LAW CURRICULUM Metallic’s plan for her first five-year term was to implement the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada’s Call to Action 28. The implementation of the TRC ensures the teaching of the history and legacy of residential schools, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Treaties and Aboriginal rights, Indigenous Law and Aboriginals-Crown relations. In the fall of 2016, Metallic first introduced blanket exercises, facilitated by the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre, which are an experiential exercise where students learn about Canada’s history of colonialism toward Indigenous peoples. The blanket exercises became mandatory as part of the first-year program.
“Many students expressed how eye-opening and powerful the blanket exercise was,” says Metallic. “Some students said they had little to no knowledge of Canada’s history and ongoing role in colonization or the role the law and lawyers played in it. Even those with some knowledge expressed that having this story laid out as a full narrative, with them as participants in it, deepened their understanding of Canada’s true history.”
is important for me to support “ ItIndigenous students and I try to make myself open and available to them.” PROFESSOR NAIOMI METALLIC
In her first year, Metallic introduced the Indigenous Governance course, an upper year paper course, which she co-developed and co-taught with her colleague Constance MacIntosh. In September of 2017, with her TRC Committee members, she organized and delivered the Aboriginal and Indigenous Law in Context (AILC) course. This is a two-credit mandatory intensive course in the first-year curriculum, intended to lay the foundation on our collective obligation to justice and reconciliation, while allowing for further learning in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law. The TRC Committee, which Metallic serves as Chair, also saw the need to develop a database for the benefit of Schulich Law professors to provide helpful resources that could be used to incorporate more Indigenous and Aboriginal law content into their classes. In her third year, Metallic and her colleagues put forward a proposal to Faculty Council to introduce a new Aboriginal Peoples and Law survey course to complement the existing paper courses in Aboriginal Law and Indigenous Governance. This course was approved and Metallic taught it for the first time in 2018-2019.
It was not long before she submitted another proposal for the Indigenous Law as Practice: Applying Mi’kmaq Legal Traditions course. This two-credit course focuses on various emerging methods for revitalizing the legal orders of Indigenous peoples, with an emphasis on Mi’kmaq law. In 2019, Metallic and her AILC teaching colleagues received the Class of 1967 Teaching Excellence Award, as they were recognized for their supporting projects related to teaching and learning subjects that are new and beneficial to students’ education. With the addition of a number of courses to the curriculum, alongside existing courses, the TRC Committee recognized that it would now be possible for students to obtain a specialization in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law. In Spring 2020, the TRC Committee successfully moved a proposal for the Certificate in Aboriginal and Indigenous Law through Faculty Council. The certificate was approved and was offered to JD students in the fall of 2020. The objective of the certificate is to ensure that future legal professionals are educated on Aboriginal rights and how to support Indigenous communities on the expansion of jurisdiction and the revitalization and implementation of their laws.
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Metallic says that achieving a mutually respectful relationship between Indigenous peoples and Canada and equitable sharing of jurisdiction, land and resources are key challenges facing our country. “The law plays a fundamental role in these dynamics and can serve both as a tool for oppression as well as a tool for positive change,” she says. “At this point in our nation's history, future lawyers must understand as well as know their roles and responsibilities in addressing these challenges.” COMMITMENT TO STUDENT INVOLVEMENT Metallic is deeply committed to supporting Indigenous students in a variety of ways and strives to hire them as her research assistants. Throughout the years, Metallic has used her Chair resources to support Indigenous students attending the Indigenous Bar Association (IBA) annual conference. When the IBA was being held in Halifax, Metallic who was on the organizing committee, secured free admission for 18 students. In 2018-2019, she hired five summer students. That year she brought three students with her to conferences. “One student co-presented with me,” says Metallic. “He was a first-year Mi’kmaq student and I believe he gained a lot of confidence from that experience.” The next year, she hired two research assistants in the fall and winter. Given the impact the pandemic had on student jobs, Metallic most recently hired seven research assistants, three being Indigenous and one an African Nova Scotian. “It is important for me to support Indigenous students and I try to make myself open and available to them,” says Metallic. “I work with my RAs to help them in their learning and practice of research and analysis skills. It gives me an opportunity to get to know them, encourage them, and be a good reference for them. I also think it is important to support non-Indigenous students who have an interest in Aboriginal and Indigenous law and nurture their desire to be allies.”
LOOKING AHEAD TO THE NEXT FIVE YEARS As Metallic embarks on her second term as Dalhousie’s Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy, she still sees work to be done on expanding the curriculum to respond to the TRC Calls to Action. Schulich Law now has two more Indigenous faculty members and they will be joining her on the TRC Committee. Metallic will start by listening to what they envision for the next five years. Metallic has a new project on the horizon—developing and sustaining an Indigenous law and governance lodge at the law school (an “Lnuwey Tpludaqann Wikuom”). The goal of the Wikuom is to make Dalhousie University a hub for supporting Mi’kmaq and other Indigenous communities in the Atlantic region in revitalizing their own laws, while educating members of the legal communities about ongoing developments in the areas of Indigenous laws and governance practices. This Wikuom will provide teaching, learning and potential career opportunities for students, allow for greater access, inclusion, opportunity and support for both faculty and staff and facilitate greater research and innovation.
“With the momentum we have from bringing a significant number of Mi’kmaq students and alumni through the IB&M Initiative, to the expansion of curriculum and capacity in teaching about working with Indigenous laws and governance, to partnerships with other programs at the university supporting Indigenous communities, Dalhousie is well suited to position itself as a leader in the vital work of Indigenous law and governance revitalization,” says Metallic. “Professor Metallic has done an outstanding job as the Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy. She has boundless energy and an infectious optimism,” says Richard Devlin, Acting Dean of the Schulich School of Law. “She has demonstrated if we think critically, acknowledge the realities of colonization and systemic racism and commit to structural change, then the Schulich School of Law can be a national leader in the long and difficult journey towards reconciliation. We are very lucky that she has chosen Schulich Law and are looking forward to continuing to work with her in the next five years in her term.” With Metallic as Chancellor’s Chair in Aboriginal Law and Policy, the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University will continue to make important strides in shaping future legal minds to understand the role law has played as a tool for colonization and oppression in Canada’s history and present and how it now can be used as a tool for decolonization and reconciliation.
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THE SPIRIT OF PRO BONO Even as Pro Bono Dalhousie grows, it maintains its roots which are grounded in the Weldon Tradition. BY AMANDA CHIONG Just over 20 years ago, Professor Archie Kaiser (’75) approached Dalhousie’s law school looking to create a way for students to participate in pro bono work while completing their studies. His idea was in line with the Weldon Tradition: Graduating legal professionals who are committed to unselfish public service and making the world a better place. Shortly thereafter, Pro Bono Dalhousie was born. Within a few years, what began with a dozen or so placements grew to be the largest pro bono program in Canada. To date, Pro Bono Dalhousie has facilitated around 2,500 student placements at local organizations, with an average of 160 students per year over the last 15 years. Pro Bono Dalhousie is run primarily by student coordinators, with consistent decanal backing and Kaiser serving as faculty advisor. Student coordinators facilitate the program, matching students with local organizations who are looking for help with a variety of legal projects and monitoring their progress through the year. The program relies on financial support from the Law Foundation of Nova Scotia, the law school and generous benefactors. One of these benefactors is Mark Knox (’85), Halifax lawyer and past recipient of the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service. In 2016, he recruited Pro Bono students to help with efforts to repatriate Derek Twyman, a Canadian citizen who had been imprisoned in North Carolina since 1989. “Students make a difference and get the ball rolling,” Knox says. This is why he hosts them at 7th Step Society, which helps recidivist offenders create new self-identities and reintegrate into society.
throughout her journey as a participant and later as a student coordinator. Now President and CEO of the World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWFC), she is involved with the program as a host. Leslie notes the impact of students on WWFC’s work: “Sometimes organizations need research on strange issues that are still really important. Often the student will get us the legal research and that informs how we do our advocacy.” Emma Halpern (’06) first participated in Pro Bono Dalhousie in the 2003-2004 year. Two years later, she became a student coordinator. “Pro Bono helped me figure out my place in the law, and helped me learn that non-profit work was an option [with a law degree],” she says. Now, as the Executive Director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia, Halpern hosts 8 to 12 students a year. “Without Pro Bono, we would never have been able to achieve what we have,” she says. Halpern emphasizes the legacy that Pro Bono Dalhousie has, “The culture promoted at Dal Law shapes this priority and commitment to giving back.” Pro Bono placements allow organizations to increase access to justice and legal services, while giving students hands on experience in the legal field. Megan Luft was placed with the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS) this past year, where she and another student created a podcast to help Nova Scotians navigate the family law system. “Interviews with legal professionals have provided insight into the legislation around family law, how the courts system works, challenges individuals face and the reasons why certain procedures are in place. Not only am I learning along the way, but I feel like I’m providing a valuable tool to those trying to navigate the system,” Luft says.
For the last 15 years, LISNS has hosted students to assist with making legal information and resources more accessible to Nova Scotians. Students have worked on a variety of initiatives like legal information handbooks, a sexual harassment reporting app and a webinar on employment law amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Law student volunteers have been, and continue to be, an integral part of LISNS’s work,” stresses Wendy Turner, When Ashley Hill (’18) was a student coordinator, she reached out the Legal Information Services Manager at LISNS. “The students have made a huge positive difference in the lives of thousands of to Knox to ask if he needed pro bono support. She even personally supported efforts to reintegrate Twyman into Canadian society with Nova Scotians.” the help of her network in Toronto, where she had been a social The law school’s commitment to public service is reflected in the worker. Her prior career motivated her to get involved with Pro Bono Dalhousie. “I thought that the Pro Bono program would be a strength of the Pro Bono program. “We all have a responsibility good opportunity to give back and to understand more about what to be caring, and to volunteer our time, skills and expertise in the community—an approach that is at the heart of Pro Bono Dal, was going on in the Halifax community,” she explains. and an ethic that reverberates long after students graduate. It has been a joy to see so many former Pro Bono Dal students continue Joanna Skrajny and Erika Hertz have taken the reins as student that approach in their careers and it reinforces the importance of coordinators for 2021-2022. Skrajny is excited for the role: supporting a robust program at Schulich Law,” says Turner. “I see Pro Bono Dal as a way for students to connect and give back to the community and to help them realize the position Pro Bono Dalhousie continues to have an immense impact on of influence that they hold as future lawyers.” Hertz agrees, “I was drawn to Pro Bono because it provides a unique opportunity organizations, students, graduates of the program and the broader community. Kaiser is optimistic about the future of Pro Bono at to foster relationships with fellow students and the broader Dalhousie: “We have been successful because we tap into the Nova Scotia community.” enthusiasm of our students for public service. That deep well is not going to dry up and we actually look forward to attracting additional Pro Bono Dalhousie has had a lasting impact on participants from volunteers and serving even more community clients.” the past 20 years. “The spirit of Pro Bono was the reason I went to law school,” says Megan Leslie (’04). She carried that spirit VOLUME 42 · 2021
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THE CALL OF THE OCEAN BY ALLISON LAWLOR
For a marine lawyer who regularly advises ship owners and their insurers on technical, regulatory and commercial issues–it makes perfect sense that Eric Machum (LLM ’06, LLB ’10) is never far from the ocean. “I must see my trouble sailing by,” he jokes about the strategic location of Metcalf & Company, the specialized firm where he has worked since completing his master’s degree in marine law at the Schulich School of Law. “We work for a bunch of good ship owners, repairers, their insurers and others who make their living off the water” he adds. From his office, he can watch ferries criss-cross the busy Halifax Harbour every hour and at the end of each working day, he makes the short walk home along the waterfront to his condo. Machum grew up alongside more tropical waters in Venezuela. His father, who was born in Toronto, moved to South America to work in the marine insurance business after sailing for Canada in the 1968 Summer Olympics. Growing up in Caracas, Machum learned to fluently speak English, Spanish and German. When he wasn’t swimming or scuba diving in the crystal-clear water, he would visit the bustling seaport with his father and watch the ships in awe.
“I always wanted to do maritime law,” he says. “I was lucky; I knew from an early age.”
After completing his master’s degree, Machum spent a summer working as a deck hand for a local company on its tugboats and barges. The experience deepened his understanding of the practical side of the business, something that continues to help him in his legal practice. Through the towing company, he was introduced to Frank Metcalf (’69). He recognized Machum’s talent and hired him initially as a paralegal. While working there, he learned that the National Committee on Accreditation, which assesses the legal education of people who obtained their credentials outside of Canada, would not recognize his Venezuelan law degree nor his LLM. Rather than return to South America, he wrote the LSAT and enrolled in Schulich Law’s Juris Doctor program.
He excelled and was recognized with the CCH Canadian Limited award for highest mark in legal research and writing. He wrote a critique on a decision made by the Court of Appeal At age 18, he got a job in Caracas with Clyde & Co., one of the of Newfoundland and Labrador involving warranties in marine world’s oldest maritime law firms. He organized law libraries and insurance. During the three-year law program, he wrote on visited the court daily to keep track of dates and filings on dozens of everything from the personification of ships to the value of files. He continued working for the law firm after he started a five- single-ship companies. year rigorous law degree at the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello. After graduating from Dalhousie in 2010, Machum remained at Halfway through, he switched to night school so he could put in a Metcalf’s firm, where he is now a partner. He continues to write full day at the office before attending law lectures in the evening. and publish articles regularly. He is also active in the community, In 2005, he enrolled in Schulich Law’s Master’s program. serving as Eastern Vice-President of the Canadian Maritime Law The political climate in Venezuela was worsening and an LLM Association and is involved in the Canadian Transport Lawyers offered him a chance to return to the country where he spent Association and the Mission to Seafarers in Halifax. It is a role many summers as a child. he relishes and took over from Metcalf, when he retired from the position. At Dalhousie, Machum delved deep into case law and wrote papers, many of which are still relevant to his practice. “The best thing about it is I get to meet Finnish companies coming He co-authored several with Professor Aldo Chircop (JSD ’88). to Canada and the Finnish community in Nova Scotia,” he says. In one, he channeled his interest in tugs and barges, examining case “They are lovely people.” law to scrutinize contracts of affreightment as opposed to towage Even when Machum isn’t working or involved in the community, and the important legal and insurance applications. “I still refer to he is never far from the water. You can frequently find him at the that paper to this day,” he says. Dalplex pool, where he loves to train and swim with his son. In another paper, he explored some of the legal issues surrounding abandoned vessels. His research helped him in his role representing the Town of Shelburne in its successful bid in 2017 to have the derelict MV Farley Mowat removed from its harbour. 40 |
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LENDING A HELPING HAND BY MADELINE LEAN
Sarah Dobson (’19) is a prime example of a Schulich Law alumna who is committed to living the Weldon Tradition. “Having a law degree is a privilege,” says Dobson. “No matter what area of law you practice, whether it be corporate, criminal or any other, there is always a way to help the community in the process.” A recent grad of the law school, Dobson articled at Cox & Palmer following graduation and will soon begin a clerkship with the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. She then plans to return to Cox & Palmer as an associate. “I am hoping to pursue a career in litigation and am open to seeing where that takes me,” says Dobson. “I love it because it’s fast-paced and it allows me to work directly with people and their legal issues.” During her final year in law school, Dobson co-wrote the book On Their Shoulders with fellow Dalhousie student, Grace Evans. Dobson, a grad of Dal’s undergraduate political science program, met Evans years ago while volunteering on a political campaign for a female MLA. Their research revealed there were 50 female MLAs in Nova Scotian history. This sparked their interest and inspired them to take on this meaningful project with the intent of shining a light on the experiences of these former MLAs, “especially given that the stories of many of these women had never been told,” says Dobson. “We wanted to do this project because we think representation matters.” She and Evans began interviewing the 50 MLAs that were still alive and asked questions about their rich personal and political journeys. Dobson says that this book was an eye-opening experience and that it ended up being a celebration but also a reminder that there is still progress to be made.
“All of the skills we have learned in law school can be used to help build our communities and benefit the people who are most vulnerable,” says Dobson. After receiving a large number of nominations for deserving people, she decided the tips would be given to individuals in local businesses in Halifax, Wolfville, New Glasgow, stretching as far as Sydney, Cape Breton. “This project is an example of how you can act on a gap or issue you are seeing in the community,” says Dobson. “Sometimes it can be that simple.” Whether it is amplifying female voices or supporting community members affected by the pandemic, she looks for opportunities to give back and support others. “When you think creatively about the skillset you gained at Schulich Law, there is always a way to use it to lend a hand to help others. How you connect with your community is important,” says Dobson. “I want to bring this spirit with me into my career and help people as much as I can along the way.”
“ When you think creatively about the skillset
you gained at Schulich Law, there is always a way to use it to lend a hand to help others.” SARAH DOBSON
Her commitment to serving others continued as she recognized the needs of those in her community. This year, she saw the tremendous effect the third wave of COVID-19 was having locally and came up with the initiative, HaliFunds. The idea stemmed from the Venmo challenge on TikTok, a trend where people were sending one or two dollars to those in need. She had not yet seen that done in Halifax, so she posted a video explaining the trend and asked who would be interested in taking part. The goal was to raise enough to hand out a couple of $500 tips to local businesses. In one week, she raised $5,000, and since then, the total has grown to $9,500.
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DONOR PROFILE
WHEN PARTNERSHIP MEETS PURPOSE Black Female Lawyers Network, McCarthy Tétrault and Schulich Law unite to make meaningful change. BY STEPHANIE HURLEY In early 2020, the Black Female Lawyers Network (BFLN)— a not-for-profit organization that supports students and practitioners in the field—had been in talks with law firm McCarthy Tétrault exploring ways they could work together. It was during the spring of that year that the details and urgency of the partnership came together.
“Between the differential impact COVID-19 was having on racialized communities and the killing of George Floyd, 2020 was a deeply challenging year for the Black community. If there was any silver lining, it was the elevation of the Black Lives Matter movement, the centering of Black voices and perspectives and the push for accountability by institutions at all levels. The events of 2020 reminded us all of the importance of action-oriented approaches to structural and anti-Black racism,” says Nikki Gershbain, Chief Inclusion Officer at McCarthy Tétrault. “At our firm, we recognize the important role we can and must play when it comes to addressing the underrepresentation of Black lawyers, but we also know that we can’t do this work alone.” At the same time Jenelle Ambrose (’11), in house legal counsel with Grant Thornton LLP and chair of the BFLN’s fundraising committee, had decided to change the BFLN’s sponsorship model to ensure that there was more consistent funding for the initiatives that mattered most. She approached the Schulich School of Law and shared that contributions to the BFLN would also benefit the Judge Corrine Sparks Award. “It was met with an openness that I’ve come to expect from Dalhousie,” says Ambrose. “It affirmed my confidence in the idea when pitching it to prospective law firm sponsors.” McCarthy
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DESIREÉ JONES-MATTHIAS, RECIPIENT OF THE JUDGE CORRINE SPARKS AWARD.
Tétrault was the first firm to jump at that chance. “It is through meaningful partnerships with organizations like the Black Female Lawyers Network that we hope to support the community,” says Gershbain. “We are hopeful that we can help amplify the crucial work the BFLN is doing for Black, self-identifying female lawyers across our profession and scale and deepen their impact.” In March of 2021, McCarthy Tétrault announced their ongoing commitment to tackling anti-Black racism in the legal profession. They became a signatory to the Black North Initiative Law Firm Pledge and announced a $200,000+ investment over five years to a number of Black-led organizations. This investment included a pledge of a five-year commitment, totaling $50,000, to support the BFLN and to directly benefit a law student through the Judge Corrine Sparks Award at the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University. “This commitment to the Judge Corrine Sparks Award is a remarkable example of what can happen when we bring individuals together with a common interest,” says Darren Dick, Director of External Relations at Schulich Law. “We are so grateful for the generosity of both the BFLN and McCarthy Tétrault and excited by the transformational opportunity we can give one of our students each year.” The award, given out annually, supports a student at the law school who is committed to using their legal education as a tool for change in their community. Desireé Jones-Matthias (’20) was last year’s recipient of this honour.
Ambrose says that the challenges minorities, particularly Black “Receiving the Judge Corrine Sparks Award women, face in the profession have been highlighted a number meant a lot to me as a young Black woman of times. What is not often discussed is what forms of support from a historical Black community. exist to alleviate some of these difficulties. She says the BFLN Being awarded in her name really validated that has been that source of support in many ways for Black lawyers, trained lawyers and students—be it mentorship, I am on the right path and that I should follow internationally financial support or profile building opportunities. my heart and do work that I am passionate “Research shows that Black women face the steepest barriers to about,” says Jones-Matthias. “I am extremely advancement in the legal profession. Our hope is that this fiveinspired by Judge Sparks’ character, compassion year partnership helps the BFLN and Dal advance their shared and commitment to promoting change for the goals of supporting Black women in law and creating access to meaningful opportunities,” says Gershbain. “At the end of the day, community. She broke down many barriers the legal profession needs to better reflect the rich diversity of our in the legal profession and continues to communities. To the extent that our partnership can help achieve this goal, we will have been successful.” contribute to meaningful and important work in the broader community. I aspire to one day Ambrose hopes that more firms seek out the BFLN or organizations like theirs, to partner or to learn about ways they be to Black women what Judge Sparks is to me–a leader and role model who continuously can amplify lesser known organizations who share the same commitment to diversity. exemplifies leading with compassion and motivation to help those in need.” “This partnership recognizes the value in working together, rather than in parallel, which Ambrose says to be a part of a collaboration that will enhance can sometimes lead to a duplication of efforts. financial support to Black law students at Dal is an extraordinary feeling. In her mind, this partnership is also about approaching It is the beginning of what I’d like to refer to legacy building in innovative ways—the legacy of Justice Sparks, as institutions “extending their privilege” in the BFLN’s support of Schulich Law students and McCarthy innovative ways,” says Ambrose. “With this Tétrault’s commitment to diversity are all reaffirmed with partnerships like this. partnership, we now have a continuous form of support for students, and we can focus efforts “This is what happens when partnership meets purpose,” says Ambrose. “This is so important to the BFLN because of the on amplifying other initiatives. We can now do potential to replicate this type of structure with other schools in the more great work in the larger community.” future. Essentially, we’re saying to our partners—if you’re making a commitment to us, you’re supporting not just the BFLN but a much larger community. We’ve since had another major Bay Street law firm sign up for a similar arrangement and we hope that there will be more.” This partnership was particularly meaningful to the BFLN’s founder Denise Dwyer, who has individually supported the Judge Corrine Sparks Award over the years. It also meant a lot to Ambrose, who is a graduate of the law school and an IB&M alumnus. “While at Dal law, the BFLN gave me access to the mentors and resources that I needed to navigate law school and my early days in the profession,” says Ambrose. “The BFLN continues to be that safe harbour for Black female lawyers, particularly those who are not on a traditional path.”
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HOMETOWN PRIDE Since launching a decade ago, the Arthur Miller Fund in Law continues to support law students from the east coast. BY CONNOR SIMPSON Arthur Miller (’67) is doing well in his retirement. “My wife and I have a summer place in River John and I do a lot of gardening. I enjoy working outside. So, yeah, life is good,” he says. Miller, who has practiced law for three decades in Labrador City, Newfoundland, has never forgotten what the city and province gave to him. That is why he established what has become the Arthur Miller Fund in Law, a scholarship and internship fund supporting new law students from Newfoundland and Labrador.
“The main purpose was to pay something back to Newfoundland,” he says. The other reason was to honour the memory of his mother, who encouraged him to become a lawyer in the first place. Did he have a choice in the matter? “Well, not much of a choice,” he says, laughing. “I mean, I thought it was a good choice.” The fund is set up to prioritize new students from Labrador first, then Newfoundland, and then Atlantic Canadians. Originally established as a scholarship in 2010, the fund was restructured in 2020 to incorporate an internship program. “It was set up to help needy students—I practiced law in Newfoundland for 30 years and Newfoundlanders were very good to me and I had a good practice,” he says. “So I wanted to give something back.” When Miller first started his practice, he was the only one in town. After a few years he started working with his partner, Ed Hearn, and they worked together until Miller’s retirement in 2000. Miller established a strong connection with the community in Labrador City over that time period. All of the recipients so far have been from Newfoundland, which is a point of pride for him.
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The internship portion of the fund is relatively new and Miller thinks it adds an important dynamic, one that mirrors his own experience in law. He was the relationship guy in his firm, while Hearn was more academic. “If something was going to the Supreme Court of Canada, I’d call on him,” he says. Miller says students like that the internship allows them the chance to get out and realize the dimensions of the profession you cannot learn in a classroom.
“Students find it really useful to find out that practicing law isn’t just an academic exercise,” he says. “You have to know people and get to know them and find out what it’s like working in an office.” That balance is important and what allowed Hearn and Miller to practice successfully for so long. The idea of getting back to meeting the young lawyers supported by his fund excites him. He usually has lunch with them two or three times a year. Of course, he will have a busy social schedule over the next year as he makes a point to connect with students who received support from the fund during the pandemic. And Miller will be there to see them walk across the stage. “I go to all the convocations to see them graduate.”
DONOR PROFILE
THE POWER OF BEING HEARD Understanding both adversity and advantages, The Honourable Justice Sheila Ray (’80) aims to address the gap she experienced as a law student. BY SARAH MACDONALD The Honourable Justice Sheila Ray (’80) is a woman known for her “firsts”. Her most notable first, was when she became the first woman of South Asian descent to be appointed as a provincial court judge in Ontario back in 1992. However, that was not the first time she had been a trailblazer. Ray rose to the challenges she faced as a young woman in pursuit of a legal career. As she began her career in the 1980s, she was interested in criminal trial work. “Clients were not used to being represented in the criminal courts by women and minority women even less so,” says Ray. “As such, the criminal Bar was reluctant to engage me.” A unique trait of Ray’s, that contributed to her breaking through to the legal work that she was interested in, was her fluent bilingualism. “My undergraduate degree was in French studies. And I knew the language before I came to Canada, so as an immigrant to Nova Scotia who knew French, my situation was rare.” She eventually found herself working in criminal law reform and then labour litigation to gain experience as an advocate. “These were great opportunities. Sometimes you can see a door shut, and it makes you look at other things and another door opens. And so I did reach my goal of working within criminal law and criminal law reform turned out to be the most interesting work I have ever done,” she adds.
She acknowledges that many students pursuing a legal education often face adversity like hers, coupled with financial hardship and socio-economic barriers that exacerbate these issues. This is principally why she has been motivated to give back. Her gifts help fund the programmatic support for equity-deserving students that she wished she had earlier in her career.
“I’ve told professors at the Schulich School of Law that I wished there was someone at the school, like there is now, for racialized students to approach. At least I could have had somebody to talk to, who had parallel experiences and who could understand what I was talking about and going through.” Ray and her family are now making that happen, through the Ava Ray Memorial Foundation. The Foundation’s namesake, Ava Ray, was Sheila’s sibling who died at the age of five. She was a gifted child, who never had the opportunity to share her talents with the world. The Foundation was created to preserve her memory and make it possible for others to share the contribution that Ava was denied. Since 2018, the Foundation has made significant annual grants to the IB&M Initiative’s programmatic funding to ensure that students at Schulich Law are supported and heard by staff that reflects their communities and experiences. The Foundation has also initiated sustainable grants to support infectious disease research at Dalhousie Medical School, where her sister, Dr. Monica Ray, graduated. Looking back, Ray’s experiences and learning—both in school and on the job—shaped her to be the person she is today. As she looks ahead she shares, “Now it’s my turn to give back…and it starts with education.”
However, Justice Ray shares that she did not only encounter adversity in her life. She is also a woman who was born with advantages. She explained that her parents and her extended family were fortunate enough to have the means to access education and it was expected that all of their children, regardless of gender, should attend university. “One of the things that leveled the playing field for me is that I didn’t suffer from socio-economic disadvantages. From a very young age, my parents knew what to do to guide and support my education and that of my sister. Education is the great equalizer.”
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DONOR PROFILE
GETTING STARTED After graduating, Adam Karakolis (’18) wasted no time in giving back as he launched an entrance scholarship for law students. BY CONNOR SIMPSON Adam Karakolis’s (’18) decision to fund a $2,500 entrance scholarship over five years through the IB&M Initiative so quickly after graduation was fairly simple: He wants other people to receive the help that he did when he attended law school. “I felt like I was part of a community and really liked that. I wanted to give back and I was lucky enough that the job I have now pays me enough to live comfortably, so I just wanted to start.”
His message to new grads is to help those who were in your shoes however you can, especially the ones who need it most. “My advice would just be do what you can now,” he says. “Do not wait for the right moment, because who knows when that may be. I thought, if I can afford it, why not now?” In August 2019, Karakolis started working for his current firm—Toronto’s Thomson Rogers—in personal injury law. The Scarborough, Ontario native was able to string together scholarships while he lived and studied in Halifax. He was lucky enough to leave school without any debt. “I was very privileged,” Karakolis adds. Paying back the support he received from the Schulich Law community—including the biggest scholarship he received from the Law Foundation—was always in the back of his mind as he graduated. He does not have a lot of spare time, so he figured donating what he could financially was the next best thing, an idea that was instilled in him during his time at Dalhousie.
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It was one of Karakolis’s track and field coaches—he spent two years on the track team—who put the idea of donating as an alumnus in his head. “He said, if you are busy and you can’t volunteer your time and you’re making money, then volunteer your money,” Karakolis remembers. It was a gift to the track team that helped him realize he could already start giving back to the law community that helped him during his time as a student. Most people consider donating as an alumnus much later in their law career, but for Karakolis, it was better to start small—and start now—and hope to build on it in the future. For other recent grads that are considering donating, Karakolis encourages them to remember how far a small amount of money goes when you are still a student, especially in the face of the many expenses that come with going to law school. Even a donation of $500 can make a huge difference in someone else’s life.
“If it lets you take a week off work to prepare for your exams, that might mean the difference between some very good grades and some not so good grades which could ultimately result in a job,” he says. “Little things can have a big impact.” Donations made a huge difference in his life, and that is something Karakolis will never forget.
Q: AT WHAT TIME DID YOU START CONSIDERING DRAWING UP YOUR WILL AND INCLUDING SCHULICH LAW IN YOUR LEGACY PLANNING? A: I am actually doing another iteration of my will right now! But since I made my first will, I always had charities I cared about included. I feel very passionately about giving back to the University and to charities I work with. Q: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE LEGACY GIVING AS A VEHICLE TO GIVE BACK?
LEAVING A LEGACY BY SARAH MACDONALD
Since Trinda Ernst (’83) joined the Nova Scotia Bar in 1984, she has had a very successful career in private practice. She joined the Queen’s Counsel in 2000 and received the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service in 2017. Ernst currently practices as a senior lawyer at Waterbury Newton in Kentville, Nova Scotia. Q: YOU APPEAR TO BE A VERY COMMUNITY-MINDED PERSON. WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO GIVE BACK TO THOSE AROUND YOU SO SIGNIFICANTLY?
A: I think that anything you give is part of your legacy to the community. I don’t have the where-with-all to give lavishly; I am not a millionaire, or anywhere near it. But because I’m so heavily involved in the community, I have multiple interests. I know that, once I’m gone, I won’t be able to give annually to the causes I support. And so, like many of my own clients, this is the avenue I can take to give back. When I talk to my clients, I show them that when you are gone, you’re not going to be able to continue to support the causes you do now. What I think is important is the idea that you have to look beyond yourself—towards supporting the communities and institutions that are important to you so they can continue to do the work when you’re gone. Q: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE SCHULICH LAW AS ONE OF YOUR BENEFICIARIES IN YOUR ESTATE PLANNING? A: A very important part of my upbringing was the notion that I would finish my high school education and have the opportunity to go to university—something my parents never had the chance to do. My parents worked very hard, as a delivery driver and my mother later in life as an entrepreneur. I am one of the lucky ones who never had a student loan, largely because my parents saved what is now called the Child Tax Benefit, but was the family allowance. They invested that little, tiny bit of money, for my future. And so, I had money saved to go to university. University was more subsidized back then.
A: It started with my involvement in Girl Guides. I joined at 10, and we learned about a “good turn”. A good turn was something you did to help other people, not for yourself; you didn’t expect to be thanked, but it was just something you did. So, we just did things in the community to support others. I’m still a member today! So that I felt that if I could benefit from that support, the least I could do is was a huge thing in my life. It was a place to be a strong woman and give a little bit to help because I understood that there are barriers help the community. for some people. Education must be accessible for everyone. And we do have the ability to give that opportunity for someone else Over the years, I got involved in a number of professional and to get that education. So, this is a small way that I can help people personal interest organizations, including the Rotary Club of New through supporting the law school. Minas Sunrise, the Annapolis Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Valley Regional Hospital Foundation and now most recently as a Board Member and Vice Chair of the Nova Scotia Legal Aid Commission. I’m also a member and Assistant Director of Valley There are many ways to support the Schulich School of Law Voices, an a cappella chorus! through your estate, and we can help! I’ve been very fortunate to spend lengthy periods of time in various groups. I think that you get more out of it than you put in really, including the friendships. And it just feels good to give back and to know that you can do something. Meanwhile, you’re having a blast with these other people who you are working with.
To learn more about how you can make an even greater impact with an estate gift, connect with our Advancement team at legacy@dal.ca.
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SCHULICH SCHOOL OF L AW · DALHOUSIE UNIVERSIT Y
DONOR REPORT This report is a recognition of gifts received between April 1, 2020 and March 31, 2021. 1942
1959
Class Participation.................................9% Participating Donors: Robert Jaffray
Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Robert Carleton
1949
1960
Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: David J. Waterbury, Q.C.* Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Robert Lyall
Total Class Giving........................... $6,213 Class Participation............................... 15% Participating Donors: F. Garrick Homer Hon. Arthur M. Lutz Hon. K. R. MacDonald Stuart MacKinnon Hon. J. A. MacLellan
1951
1961
Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Maj. (Rtd.) John A. Commerford
Total Class Giving..........................$2,700 Class Participation............................... 15% Participating Donors: George Caines, Q.C. Hon. Paul Creaghan, Q.C. Milton H. Grant Boyd Lowery David Matheson, Q.C.
1950
1953 Class Participation.................................9% Participating Donors: Hon. Hiram Carver Hon. Ronald C. Stevenson Herbert Wyman, Q.C.
1954 Class Participation.................................5% Participating Donors: Kenneth Lund, Q.C. Joel Matheson, Q.C.
1955 Class Participation.................................4% Participating Donors: Hon. Judge J. Lalande Hon. A. J. Stone, Q.C.
1956 Class Participation.................................5% Participating Donors: Sir Graham Day Hon. Peter Power
1958 Class Participation.................................8% Participating Donors: Prof. William H. Charles Prof. Edwin Harris, Q.C. June Nudelman Karlin
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1962 Total Class Giving.......................... $3,025 Class Participation.............................. 20% Participating Donors: Alan V. M Beattie, Q.C. Hon. Robert Ferguson Hon. Charles Haliburton Larry Hebb, Q.C. Robert E. Radford, Q.C. Hon. Eugene A. Scheibel Wayne R. Smith Hon. Clyde K. Wells
1963 Class Participation.................................5% Participating Donors: Len Compton, Q.C.
1964 Class Participation.................................9% Participating Donors: Hon. William Fitzgerald David Morris Hon. Donald Oliver, Q.C.
1965 Total Class Giving..........................$3,850 Class Participation............................... 18% Participating Donors: George Cooper, Q.C. William Dickson
Arthur Donahoe, Q.C. Hon. Gerard Hawco, Q.C. Charles LeBrun Hon. Theodore E. Margeson
1966 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: Peter Dey Paul Murphy, Q.C. John Myers
1967 Total Class Giving.......................... $9,550 Class Participation............................... 16% Participating Donors: Hon. Leo Barry Wesley Campbell Alan Hayman, Q.C. John C. Lovett, Q.C. Janette M. MacDonald Hon. George J. Mullally Ernest G. Reid, Q.C. David Ritcey, Q.C. Prof. John A. Yogis (LLM)
1968 Total Class Giving...........................$7,685 Class Participation............................... 16% Participating Donors: Donald Carroll, Q.C. James Gould, Q.C. Heather Grant Hon. Arthur LeBlanc, Q.C. Hon. D. William MacDonald William McColm Hon. Wilfred Moore, Q.C. William E. Wells
1969 Total Class Giving......................... $4,480 Class Participation................................ 11% Participating Donors: Brian Bruce Edward Chase, Q.C. Morris J. Haugg, Q.C. Steve Konchalski Paull N. Leamen Robbie MacKeigan, Q.C. John McFarlane, Q.C. David A. Milner Robert B. Waind
1970 Total Class Giving........................... $4,812 Class Participation............................... 16% Participating Donors: Hon. Douglas Cook Hon. Pat Curran Mary Dawson, Q.C. Pierre M. Hebert Clifford Hood, Q.C. Ceri Hugill Hon. Emile R. Kruzick George MacDonald, Q.C. Kathleen Marrie James (Skip) Oliver Dennis Y. Perlin John M. White
1971 Total Class Giving...........................$11,421 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: Tom Boyne, Q.C. Hon. M. A. Cameron Donald W. Clark Hon. Judge William Digby Donald Gibson Rod MacKinnon Walter A. McEwen Derry Millar Peter A. S. Milliken Douglas Moores, Q.C. Tarcisio Nella David Wallace, Q.C.
1972 Total Class Giving............................$3,125 Class Participation............................... 10% Participating Donors: Daniel M. Campell, Q.C. Cherry G. Ferguson Edgar Gold, Q.C. William J. Leslie, Q.C. Hon. J. Vernon MacDonald Hon. Thomas Marshall, Q.C. J. Fraser B. Mills Dolores Morrell Clifton Prowse Hon. Janet Sinclair Prowse Hon. Justice Greg Warner Hon. Judge Jim Wilson
1973 Total Class Giving..........................$2,050 Class Participation.................................6% Participating Donors: Michael Bird Hon. Robert B. Hyslop John Gleeson Kelly A. John Noel, Q.C. Thomas W. Patience
1974 Total Class Giving..........................$37,175 Class Participation................................17% Participating Donors: John Anderson Prof. Bruce Archibald, Q.C. John W. Chandler, Q.C. Mary Clancy Sen. Brent Cotter, Q.C. Hon. Tamarin Dunnet Prof. Bruce Elman Hon. Deborah Gass Richard S. Goodman, Q.C. James Gregg, Q.C. Hon. Justice M. Jill Hamilton Forrest Hume Paul D. Jardine Mark Johnson Hon. Beryl MacDonald, Q.C. Hon. Justice James MacPherson Hon. A. Anne McLellan David Meadows, Q.C. William Mouris Hon. Kathy Neilson Dan O�Connor Martin J. Pink, Q.C. John Plowman, Q.C. Hon. Elizabeth Roscoe Paul Stokes, Q.C.
1975 Total Class Giving...........................$5,955 Class Participation.................................8% Participating Donors: A. Lawrence Filion Bruce M. Graham Gregory S. Hildebrand Beatrice Fejtek Hines Lawrence Pascoe Hon. Paul J. Pearlman F. T. Mark Pujolas Hon. Justice Heather Robertson* Wendell Sanford Michael Schelew
1976 Total Class Giving........................$20,335 Class Participation............................... 15% Participating Donors: Hon. Jean-Louis Batiot James Burgess, Q.C. Jo Ann Carmichael, Q.C. Roberta J. Clarke, Q.C. David G. Fredricksen Linda M. Gaudet Peter W. Gurnham, Q.C. Mary A. Kimball William M. LeClair Andrew Love
V. A. (Bud) MacDonald, Q.C. Brian MacLellan, Q.C. Hon. M. Clare MacLellan Timothy Matthews, Q.C. Stephen Mattson, Q.C. M. Elizabeth Mustard Hon. Linda Oland Robert M. Purdy, Q.C. Lynne Redden Gerry Roy John Stringer, Q.C. Anthony L. Sweet
1977 Total Class Giving.......................... $8,225 Class Participation............................... 13% Participating Donors: Hon. Robert Barnes Dr. Harold Barnett Hon. Nancy Bateman Robert Booth, Q.C. Steven Enman Hon. Justice Kenneth C. Haley Alison Taylor Love, Q.C. Colin Patrick MacDonald, Q.C. Robert G. McNeil Susan C. Potts Hon. Judge Michael B. Sherar Elizabeth J. Shilton Hon. Justice Frans F. Slatter T. Ann Smiley Harold M. Smith, Q.C. James Stanley Robert Stewart, Q.C. Michael Sullivan Hon. Tim White
1978 Total Class Giving........................... $4,185 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: Robert D. Annett Frank Archibald Elizabeth Callaghan Joseph A. Cameron James Chisholm Elizabeth Ellis Anne Emery David S. Green Kari LeLacheur Valerie Macdonald Mary E. Meisner, Q.C. Don Roger Hon. Judge Peter Ross Claude Samson (LLM) Hon. Margaret J. Stewart Tom Strutt Shirley Strutt, Q.C.
1979 Total Class Giving...........................$6,785 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: Mary Ann Burke-Matheson Hon. Judge Marc Chisholm Hon. Judge Anne E. Crawford John Cuthbertson, Q.C. Hon. Assoc. Chief Justice Patrick Duncan
Randall Fleming D. Suzan Frazer Hon. Justice M. David Gates S. Donalda MacBeath David J. MacDonald Brian Maltman Marian McGrath Paul D. Michael, Q.C. Shelley Milne Hon. Justice Rosemary Nation Maureen O�Connell Hon. Assoc. Chief Justice Lawrence I. O�Neil David N. Ross Hon. Judge Alan Tufts
1980 Total Class Giving..........................$8,650 Class Participation.................................9% Participating Donors: D�Arcy DePoe P. R. Hames Stuart Koskie Mark MacDonald, Q.C. James MacLean Donald MacLennan Anthony Pylypuk Hon. Justice Sheila Ray (Ava Ray Memorial Foundation) Patricia L. Reardon Mark S. Rosen Randy Smith Bruce Thomson
1981 Total Class Giving.......................... $5,896 Class Participation................................ 11% Participating Donors: Jeff Berryman Barbara H. Campbell Patrick I. Cassidy, Q.C. Margaret Dickson Peter K. Large Michael Lynk J. Scott MacKenzie, Q.C. Arthur Oliphant Paul Radford, Q.C. Barry Ryan Clifford J. Shaw, Q.C. Philip J. Star, Q.C. Paul L. Walter, Q.C. Vance Wirth Rhonda Wishart
1982 Total Class Giving......................... $13,475 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: John Angel Clare F. Barry Joanne Bourinot Gregory H. Crosby, CA Brian W. Downie, Q.C. Charles G. Dunphy Scott P. Gray Kerry M. Harnish Hon. Justice Lois Hoegg Ian MacKay Linda Rankin
Toshimi Sembo Shauna Sullivan Curley, Q.C. Professor David VanderZwaag (LLM) Douglas Watters Hon. Chief Justice Michael Wood
1983 Total Class Giving.......................... $8,565 Class Participation............................... 10% Participating Donors: Brian W. Derrah Guy Desmarais Trinda L. Ernst, Q.C. Daryl Fridhandler, Q.C. Blair Kasouf Donald Allan Landry Christopher Morris Scott Norton, Q.C. Erin E. O�Brien Edmonds, Q.C. Hon. Geoff Regan Ronald Stockton A. Christina Tari Art Theuerkauf, Q.C. Natalie Vukovich
1984 Total Class Giving.......................... $17,651 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: Janet Chisholm Claire Christie John S. Fitzpatrick, Q.C. Peter Gorgopa Mark A. Greenberg Shirley Lee Robert R. MacArthur Hon. Justice Gillian Marriott Prof. Moira L. McConnell Douglas McLean Ken Mills Jim Musgrave, Q.C. Mary C. Parker Maureen Reid Gregory Stirling Penelope Tham Jeremy A. Thomas (LLM) Kim Turner, Q.C. Hon. Chief Judge Pam Williams
1985 Total Class Giving........................ $10,888 Class Participation................................ 11% Participating Donors: Deborah Amour Brenda Christen Prof. Steve Coughlan Nancy Cuelenaere Hon. Chief Judge Pamela Goulding Karen Hudson, Q.C. Mark Knox, Q.C. Hon. Justice Mona M. Lynch Jim MacAulay Kevin MacLean Brian E. McConnell Francine McIntyre Celia J. Melanson Hon. Valerie A. Miller Dean Pietrantonio Samy F. Salloum
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1986
1990
Total Class Giving.......................... $4,875 Class Participation.................................6% Participating Donors: Michelle Christopher Linda Dolan Kevin P. Downie Hon. Justice Theresa Forgeron Prof. Donna Franey Donald B. Jarvis Alex MacFarlane Robert R. Regular Ronald M. Snyder Ian Wallace
Total Class Giving..........................$11,886 Class Participation............................... 10% Participating Donors: Diana Belevsky Leonard P. Bosschart Robert Buckingham Todd Burke James E. Fisher John Hovland Gareth C. Howells Donald MacDiarmid Donald K. MacKenzie Hon. Justice George L. Murphy Hon. Justice Francis O�Brien Anita Ploj Heather Sweeney David H. Taylor Mitch Williams James D. H. Wood
1987 Total Class Giving...........................$4,150 Class Participation................................. 7% Participating Donors: Robert A. Balcom Charlotte Davis Harvey Delaney Margery Fowke Paul R. Ives John Kulik, Q.C. Yvonne R. LaHaye, Q.C. David Layton Mary E. Murphy Janice E. Younker
1988 Total Class Giving......................... $8,400 Class Participation.................................9% Participating Donors: Marianne L. Alto-Bond Janice E. Beaton, Q.C. Peter Dale Michael Dickey E. W. Scott Dickieson, Q.C. Donald J. Dow Rachel A. Huntsman, Q.C. Hon. Justice Darlene Jamieson Coleen Kirby David MacDougall Gordon Manuel Alnasir Meghji Mark Schmidt Ann G. Wilkie
1989 Total Class Giving........................ $10,568 Class Participation.................................8% Participating Donors: R. Glen Boswall Hon. Judge Peter Chisholm Hon. Judge Stephanie A. Cleary Frank Demont Richard Freeman Hon. Justice Jim Gormley Nathalie Goyette Charles Kazaz John R. Manning Marilyn Sandford Adrienne J. Scott Janice Spencer
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1991 Total Class Giving...........................$2,100 Class Participation.................................6% Participating Donors: Simon Barker Colin J. Clarke Jane Fitzpatrick Jeffrey Hunt Sean F. Layden, Q.C. Celine Levesque Hon. Justice Diane MacDonald Susan MacKay Peter Nathanson Saul T. Schipper Andrew C. Staples
1992 Total Class Giving..........................$5,540 Class Participation............................... 10% Participating Donors: Mike Brady Sheila J. Cameron Peter Crowther Dale E. Ives John T. Kalm Geoffrey Litherland Janet L. McCready Prof. Stephen G. A. Pitel T. A. Pratt Karen A. Rose Jorge P. Segovia Darren Stratton Samira G. Zayid Rodney J. Zdebiak
1993 Total Class Giving......................... $12,792 Class Participation............................... 10% Participating Donors: Brian Beck Subrata Bhattacharjee Eric Bremermann Matthew Certosimo Rita Ellis Graham Flack Frederick L. Glady Anthony (Tony) Glavin Joan Hatch
Erin Iles Roger Lee Leonard MacKay Peter MacKenzie Sarah MacKenzie Peter Piliounis Laura B. Stewart Scott Warwick
1994 Total Class Giving.......................... $3,825 Class Participation.................................8% Participating Donors: Cynthia L. Chewter David Clayton Timothy Costigan Jane D. Harrigan (LLM) John Le Blanc Daphne C. Loukidelis Garry A. McCay Heather A. McNeill, Q.C. Patricia A. Neild Greg Shirley Robert K. Smithson Eric Taylor Mary Ann Winterhalt
1995 Total Class Giving.......................... $6,333 Class Participation.................................4% Participating Donors: Jennifer G. Carmichael Anneke Driessen van der Lieck Jay Maw Andrew Stephens Patricia Thiel John Underhill
James Rossiter Kristi Sebalj Janet Stevenson Genevieve Taylor
1999 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Sunny Ho Harry Korosis
2000 Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Kathleen O�Neill
2001 Total Class Giving.......................... $4,625 Class Participation.................................3% Participating Donors: Joe Burke Andreas E. Kuntze Hon. Sandra Oxner (LLM) Andrew Wilson
2002 Total Class Giving.......................... $2,029 Class Participation.................................3% Participating Donors: Level Chan Prof. Patricia E. Doyle-Bedwell (LLM) Leigh Lampert Andrew J. Wadden
2003
Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Zarah E. Walpole D. Scott Worsfold
Total Class Giving............................$1,575 Class Participation.................................3% Participating Donors: Maegen Giltrow Mala Joshi Chris Peddigrew Julia Tremain Donald Zarow
1997
2005
Total Class Giving.............................$1,175 Class Participation.................................4% Participating Donors: Cheryl Canning Susan E. Carruthers Paul Dufays Vincent C. Kazmierski Robert F. MacDonald Duaine W. Simms
Total Class Giving.............................$900 Class Participation.................................3% Participating Donors: Annie Kaderly Prof. Lorraine P. Lafferty (LLM) Blair McGeough Prof. Graham Reynolds Daniel Wallace
1996
1998 Total Class Giving........................... $3,331 Class Participation.................................9% Participating Donors: Terilynn Anderson Jeannine Bakeeff Shani Briffa Jean Buie Arnold T. Ceballos Prof. Robert J. Currie Paul Falvo Sean Foreman Christine D. Hanson Julienne Hills
2006 Total Class Giving............................. $650 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Charlotte Christophersen Adam Church Francis Durnford Julien Ranger
2007 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Peter Dostal Aaron Hirschorn Jennifer Ko
2008 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: William Callaghan Jarvis Googoo Mark Watton
2011 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Christopher Buchanan Teresa-Anne Martin
LEGACY SOCIETY (formerly Heritage Society)
FRIENDS OF THE LAW SCHOOL
The Dalhousie Legacy Society was established to recognize and thank those who have remembered the faculty in their estate plans.
Colin R. Arnold Edward Badovinac Prof. Jennifer K. Bankier* Prof. Kimberley Brooks Dean Camille Cameron Jennifer Chow George Clarke Constance M. Darby Jane Fraser & Paul Deveau Prof. Richard Devlin Gordon S. Earle Tommy Faulkner Jeanne Fay Natasha Forbes Robert Gibson Hans Gosine Prof. Lucie Guibault Sylvia D. Hamilton & Bev A. Greenlaw Meredith Hancock Janette A. Hurley Thomas Kemsley Jean K. Lawrence Rita Levato Christine M. MacInnes Audrey Macklin Fredric Maefs John H. McCall MacBain Kimberly McDonald Winsor Janet C. McKinlay Michael & Barbara Morin Mary Jane Mossman Alison Patterson Darrel Pearson Mary Pothier Phil Pothier Joan A. Pugsley Gillian Pullen Linda J. Roberts Risa Rotenberg John Sherwood Joan Simpson Amy Spurway Joanne Swinimer Patricia Taylor Susan Wayne Eve Wickwire Prof. Michelle Williams
2014
Christopher English Trinda L. Ernst, Q.C. Keith Evans, Q.C. Cherry G. Ferguson John S. Fitzpatrick, Q.C. Duncan C. Fraser Jarvis Googoo Heather Grant Prof. Edwin Harris, Q.C. Dale Ives Janette M. MacDonald George MacIntosh S. Lorilee McCurdy Robert M. McInnes Hon. A. Anne McLellan Hon. Sandra Oxner T. Ann Smiley Hon. Judge Corrine Sparks Hon. Judge Robert J. L. White
Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Aaron Dewitt Elizabeth McIsaac
Estate of R. B. Viscount Bennett Estate of Douglas Coombes Estate of Alex Ross
2012 Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Laura Neals Joshua Nodelman
2013 Total Class Giving.......................... $1,000 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Cameron L. Foster Prof. Colin Jackson (LLM) Jamie-Lynn Kraft Jalana Lewis
2015
ESTATES
Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Peter Keyes
2016 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Kirby Hayes I. Claire McNeil (LLM) Lauren Mills Taylor
2017 Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Kathleen MacDougall Mary Rolf
ORGANIZATIONS Bereskin & Parr LLP Black Female Lawyers Network Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (ON) Boyne Clarke LLP Burnet Duckworth Palmer LLP Canadian Bar Association — Nova Scotia Branch Canadian Energy Law Foundation Cape Breton Barristers’ Society Chevron Canada Resources Limited Sisters of Saint Martha Dalhousie Faculty Association Dalhousie Law Students’ Society Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP Gowlings LLP Indspire International Association of Women Judges - Canadian Chapter Kevin West SkyLaw Professional Corporation Law Foundation of Nova Scotia Lenczner Slaght Royce Smith Griffin LLP Lenehan Musgrave LLP McCarthy Tétrault McInnes Cooper Miller Thomson LLP Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society Patterson Law Pink Larkin Scotiabank Shum Vourkoutiotis Fund Stewart McKelvey The Donald R. Sobey Foundation Torys LLP W. Donald Goodfellow Q.C. Wagners Law Firm
While every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of this report, we apologize if your name has been misspelled, omitted or incorrectly listed. Please let us know so that we can correct our records. Total Class Giving amounts are excluded for those classes with three or less donations, to protect confidentiality. The names of those who wish to be anonymous are also excluded.
*Deceased VOLUME 42 · 2021
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THE WELDON PROFESSORS In 2020, Professor OLABISI AKINKUGBE launched the African Journal of International Economic Law (AfJIEL) which he co-founded. The AfJIEL is the peer review journal of record on international economic law issues relating to Africa and the Global South. He has been appointed to the board of international organizations and law journals including the International Law Association - Canada, Society of International Economic Law, the Journal of International Economic Law and the Caribbean Law Review - the Faculty of Law, University of the West Indies. He is a co-managing editor of the Nigerian Yearbook of International Law (published by Springer). Professor NAYHA ACHARYA teaches Civil Procedure, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Ethics and Introduction to Law. Her current central research focus is alternative dispute resolution, especially mediation. With the support of a SSHRC Explore Grant, she is working on an empirical project studying Nova Scotia judicial settlement conferences. In addition, with the support of a Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute Project Development Grant, she co-organized and presented at the J Krishnamurti and Contemporary World Crises Conference, and inter-disciplinary and inter-cultural online conference. She has an interest in legal pedagogy and has written and presented in this area, focusing on holistic teaching and learning in higher education. Professor KIM BROOKS is missing people. She feels like her life is being lived in brief moments between video calls. Even though the experience was different, teaching tax was still a joyful experience. As always, the students made it great. Brooks was also pleased that several members of the Dalhousie Law Journal course found their work accepted for publication. Professor ALDO CHIRCOP’S research activities in the law of the sea and maritime law continued briskly. He published an open access book on the Governance of Arctic Shipping: Rethinking Risk, Human Impacts and Regulation (co-edited with Floris Goerlandt, Claudio Aporta and Ronal Pelot; Springer Polar Sciences, 2020). He also received a new grant to support research on maritime governance in Canada, jointly supported by the Clear Seas Centre for Responsible Marine Shipping and Mitacs. Professor STEVE COUGHLAN expanded his online activities beyond the classroom, giving judicial education sessions to Nova Scotia Provincial Court Judges at a Lunch and Learn session and to Court of Appeal judges from the Atlantic provinces at their Atlantic Appellate Seminar. In addition, he conducted an online education session for court interpreters at a Legal and Refresher Training program through Nova Scotia Interpreting Services and was a guest debater in the Hart House Annual Alumni Debate. Professor ELAINE CRAIG had the pleasure of teaching Constitutional Law, The Law of Sexual Offences, Gender Sexualities and Law and a clinical course in sexual assault law and advocacy. She published a comprehensive new study on the relationship between the law of capacity to consent and intoxication, as well as the first ever academic study of Canadian courts martial sexual assault proceedings. Professor ROB CURRIE has continued to contribute to the literature and dialogue on transnational and cross-border criminal law, in Canada and internationally. He recently gave an invited keynote talk on cross-border evidence-gathering at the Osgoode Symposium on Tech Crime & Evidence, and has contributed sole or co-written pieces to forthcoming texts on transnational organized crime, the history of transnational criminal law and extradition. He continues to advocate for reform to Canada’s international criminal cooperation mechanisms, and published a piece in The Conversation on this topic. Professor MICHAEL DETURBIDE vacated the position of Associate Dean, Academic (a position he held since 2007) in December. He was Acting Director of the Law and Technology Institute in 2020 and helped to establish the Technology and Innovation Law Clinic. He taught Business Associations in the fall term. His research focuses on the intersection of technology and business law, which he intends to explore during his upcoming sabbatical. He was recently appointed the Purdy Crawford Chair in Business Law. 52 |
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In addition to taking on the role of Acting Dean, RICHARD DEVLIN has tried to maintain his scholarly output. To this end he is the co-editor (with Professor Wildeman) of Disciplining Judges: Contemporary Challenges and Controversies. He has also been working on the 4th edition of Lawyers’ Ethics and Professional Regulation, with Justice Alice Woolley and Senator Brent Cotter, to be published in the late summer of 2021. Professor MEINHARD DOELLE has submitted a peer reviewed book on the new Canadian Impact Assessment Act, due to be published this spring by Irwin Law. The book is co-edited and co-authored with Professor Sinclair at the University of Manitoba. It offers a comprehensive assessment of the new Impact Assessment Act against a set of principles developed for effective impact assessment processes. The research is supported by a SSHRC Insight Grant. Professor JOCELYN DOWNIE brought the inaugural offering of yet another new course in public policy and law at Schulich Law—From Legal Research to Public Policy Impact. Students took research papers they had written for other courses and developed their knowledge and skills for writing OpEds, testifying before Parliamentary Committees and working with traditional and new media. Jocelyn’s own public policy work focused on attempts to influence changes to Canada’s medical assistance in dying law as well as triage protocols in case COVID-19 overwhelmed our healthcare systems. Professor MARIA DUGAS teaches Legal Research and Writing, Torts, Introduction to Legal Ethics and Copyright Law. This year she presented her research on the Impact of Race and Cultural Assessments in sentencing African Canadian people to various audiences, including provincially and federally appointed judges, the Nova Scotia Chapter of the Canadian Bar Association, Nova Scotia Legal Aid, Legal Aid Alberta and the Advocates’ Society. Professor ELAINE GIBSON has been working on projects related to COVID-19 digital surveillance, the need for provinces to act following passage of the federal Genetic Non-Discrimination Act and the duty to protect in relation to judicial discipline bodies receiving threats of harm to others or to self following a judge’s decision in a family law matter. Her course in Public Health Law has generated a great deal of interest on the part of students as a result of the current pandemic. In 2020-21, Professor DIANA GINN was on a half-sabbatical (fall). Her research projects include: with Canadian and UK collaborators, organizing an upcoming symposium on Law and Religion, (SSHRC funded); with Lisa Teryl (Teryl Scott Lawyers Inc.) and Ilana Luther (Access to Justice & Law Reform Institute, NS) drafting legislation on procedural rights before administrative tribunals; updating and revising the Nova Scotia Real Property Practice Manual; and writing a chapter for an upcoming book on Crown law. Professor MATTHEW HERDER was actively engaged in a variety of research projects connected to COVID-19 during this past academic year. From completing a scoping review about how to improve access to a “safe supply” of pharmaceutical-grade opioids to advocating for transparency and equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines, Herder’s work and collaboration with other members of the Health Law Institute aims to improve outcomes for those who have been most marginalized during the pandemic. This was the first year that Schulich Law offered a JD Certificate in Criminal Justice coordinated by Professor ADELINA IFTENE. She also coordinated the first criminal justice speakers series, which together with the certificate, is part of the activities of the newly formed Criminal Justice Coalition. In addition, she co-organized Spotlight on Solitary, a two week event of daily webinars with experts in imprisonment and prison law, aimed at engaging the public and policymakers in discussions around the use of isolation in federal prisons. She conducted research, published and engaged in advocacy work around issues surrounding the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in prisons.
Professor COLIN JACKSON taught online versions of his Taxation I and Secured Transactions courses, as well as teaching Taxation of Corporations for the first time and coaching Dalhousie’s team at the Bowman National Tax Moot. He continued working on a number of projects related to accessibility in Canada’s tax system and presented at the Purdy Crawford Business Law Conference. Professor ARCHIE KAISER continues to teach Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure and Mental Disability Law: Civil and Criminal, as well as Legal Issues in Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry. He has focused his community service on People First Nova Scotia, a self advocacy group for members who have been labelled with an intellectual disability, where he is an Advisor. With other law professors, advocates and aligned organizations, he has written editorials and lobbied against Bill C-7, which extends the availability of MAID. Professor JODI LAZARE taught Constitutional Law, Family Law, and Animals and the Law and supervised the Laskin Moot. She obtained a SSHRC Insight Development Grant for her project, Prohibited Advocacy: Farm Trespass Laws, Civil Disobedience, and the Constitution, examining the constitutional protection of animal rights activism and the impacts of agricultural gag laws. She has published this work in the Alberta Law Journal and has another piece underway, has presented at conferences and workshops internationally and has testified to legislative committees contemplating similar legislation. Professor JENNIFER LLEWELLYN was excited to open the Restorative Research and Innovation Lab this past year. Hosted by Schulich Law, the Restorative Lab works in collaboration with government, community and private partners in Nova Scotia and internationally to support the development and application of a restorative approach—www.restorativelab.ca. She will lead the work of the Lab as the newly established Chair in Restorative Justice. She continued her work on several projects this past year including one funded by Justice Canada focused on National Acceleration of Restorative Justice. Professor CONSTANCE MACINTOSH is a co-author on two text books that were published this year, one on public law and a second on immigration and refugee law. She also collaborated with a Health Law Institute team that received a grant to advise on rapid responses to COVID-19, where her focus was addressing the situation of temporary foreign workers who work on Nova Scotian farms and others who are outside of Nova Scotia’s health care system. Professor Emeritus WAYNE MACKAY continues to have an active retirement. He is a member of the McGill led, SSHRC funded investigation of sexual harassment on university campuses project iMPACTS. He serves as an expert advisor to the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS) special project on Sexual Harassment and is on the Board of the International Commission of Jurists. He was also one of the speakers for the launch of The Case of Luke Elwood—a documentary screening of the landmark school inclusion case that he litigated in 1986. He published two articles in the Education Law Journal— Workplace Sexual Harassment: An Unrecognized Pandemic (vol 29—2020) and Annual Review of Education Law (vol 29—2021). He is consulted by media on a range of legal issues and appears regularly on CBC Info Am as their legal columnist. Professor ANDREW FLAVELLE MARTIN continues his long-term project on legal ethics for government lawyers and the Attorney General, focusing this year on the issues that arise where the Premier chooses herself or a non-lawyer as Attorney General. He also completed a history of the Canadian literature on legal ethics for government lawyers. Professor NAIOMI METALLIC has been a contributor and co-editor of a collection called Judicial Tales Retold: Reimagining Indigenous Rights Jurisprudence (forthcoming special issue of the Canadian Native Law Reporter, Native Law Center, Saskatchewan, 2020). It is edited by her and Kent McNeil. They and seven other Aboriginal law scholars reimagine how nine major Supreme Court of Canada decisions impacting Indigenous peoples could have been written by judges of the fictitious ‘Indigenous Nations Court’ made up of judges possessing knowledge of the history and contemporary experiences of Indigenous peoples and the importance of having their jurisdiction and legal orders respected. It is available now.
Professor SHERRY PICTOU will be undertaking research focusing on Gender and Indigenous Governance. She recently become a board member for East Coast Environmental Law and continues her work with the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Task Force on Indigenous and Local Knowledge. She is also a research advisor for the Mi’kmawey Debert Cultural Centre Digital Project and is working with KAIROs in the final stages of a SSHRC Partnership Engagement Grant, Building Indigenous-Academic-Not-for-Profit Relations for Mobilizing Research Knowledge on the Gendered Impacts of Resource Extraction in Indigenous Communities in Canada. Assistant Professor and Banting Postdoctoral Fellow SARA ROSS became the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Canadian Legal Education Annual Review, putting articles through peer-review as well as shifting the publication to open-access. She also became the Special National Rapporteur for Canada on “Human Rights: The justiciability of economic social and cultural rights” for the 21st Congress of the International Academy of Comparative Law, published several articles and completed her postdoctoral research on heritage dissonance in Halifax. Associate Dean, Research SARA SECK is delighted that the co-edited Cambridge Handbook on Environmental Justice and Sustainable Development was published in April 2021. She welcomed two post-docs and enjoyed teaching and supervising JD and graduate students researching in the areas of environmental law, business and human rights, youth climate justice, gender and oceans governance and sustainable development. She continues as a director of GNHRE and published on teaching environmental human rights for the Teaching Business & Human Rights Handbook. Professor ROLLIE THOMPSON is now “emeritus” (as of June 2020), but continues to teach, research and write, spending his life in “virtual” education programs for lawyers and judges, talking about evidence and family law and child protection. He has been deeply involved in the recent child-related amendments to the Divorce Act that came into effect in March 2021, especially those governing parents who relocate with their children. Professor DAVID VANDERZWAAG, in collaboration with Professor Gavrilov at the Far Eastern Federal University School of Law in Vladivostok, Russia, continued to lead a research project funded by the Donner Canadian Foundation, Responding to a Changing Arctic Ocean: Canadian and Russian Experiences and Challenges. Project papers will be published in a special issue of the Review of Arctic Law and Politics. His co-edited volume, Research Handbook on Polar Law, has been published by Edward Elgar. Professor SHEILA WILDEMAN taught Administrative Law and Jurisprudence in the fall and was on sabbatical in the winter. Her SSHRC-funded participatory action project on disability rights continues. In July she published a chapter in The Legacies of Institututionalisation (Hart, 2020) and in January she and Richard Devlin published their co-edited book, Disciplining Judges (Elgar, 2021). Sheila submitted two government grant-funded reports on access to income and housing supports following incarceration during COVID-19 and the duty to accommodate disability in hospital, and was co-PI on a study on COVID-19 and safe supply. Professor MICHELLE WILLIAMS taught African Nova Scotians and the Law and Criminal Law, and continued her work as Provost Fellow and Co-Chair of Dalhousie’s African Nova Scotian Strategy. She chaired the law school’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Committee created to address anti-Black racism and developed a new intensive course on African Nova Scotian legal issues. She continued her involvement with the ANSDPAD Coalition, which intervened in the NSCA case of R. v. Anderson and worked for formal recognition of Emancipation Day in Canada.
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THE GRAPEVINE 1964
1979 DONALD OLIVER was named to the Order of Nova Scotia on November 9, 2020. He is a human rights activist, lawyer and former senator.
1967 JOHN MERRICK has retired from Merrick Jamieson Sterns Washington & Mahody as one of Atlantic Canada's most prominent arbitrators and mediators.
PATRICK DUNCAN has been appointed Associate Chief Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court. MARK EDWARDS has been appointed Regional Senior Judge of the Supreme Court of Justice of Ontario for the Central East Region.
ROGER BURRILL is the recipient of the 2021 Legal Aid Leader Award. He will also join the Presenting Counsel team of the Mass Casualty Commission which will conduct an investigation into the Portapique tragedy. JEAN DEWOLFE has been appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia, Family Division.
DAVID ORSBORN has rejoined Benson Buffett. He is the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.
1968
IAN HOLLOWAY has been reappointed for a third term as Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary, effective July 1, 2021 for a period of three years.
RAY WAGNER has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers.
CARL HOLM has retired from Wickwire Holm in Halifax, NS.
1986 1981
1969 STEVE KONCHALSKI, has retired after 46 years of coaching St. Francis Xavier University's X-Men basketball team.
1970 C. SCOTT BROOKER, has retired from the Court of the Queen's Bench in Alberta.
SHEILAGH BEAL STEWART has been appointed as a member of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem in recognition for her work with the St. John Ambulance Therapy Dog Program. She is the Coordinator of the Toronto Therapy Dogs in the Courtroom Program which provides support to victims of crime while testifying.
1982 BRIAN DOWNEY has been named a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. He is a partner with Cox & Palmer's Halifax, NS office.
1971 THOMAS BOYNE has retired from BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS.
1972 KENT BROWN has retired from his position as Director of Prince Edward Island Legal Aid. MICHAEL HARRINGTON has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. He retired in 2020 as a justice of the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal.
1973 JAMIE SAUNDERS retired as a Justice of Nova Scotia's Court of Appeal on September 1, 2020.
1976 RICHARD MACKINNON retired as a judge of the Nova Scotia Provincial and Family Court in February of 2021 after twelve years on the Bench. LINDA OLAND retired as a Justice of Nova Scotia's Court of Appeal on April 1, 2020.
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DAN SIMMONS has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. He is a partner with McInnes Cooper's St. John's, NL office.
SÉAMUS WOULFE was appointed an Ordinary Judge of the Supreme Court by the President of Ireland in July of 2020. He served as Attorney General of Ireland from 2017 to 2020.
1987 JUTTA BRUNNEE a renowned scholar of international and environmental law, was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto for a five-year term effective January 1, 2021. DEREK HOGAN a senior lawyer with Legal Aid Newfoundland and Labrador has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. STAN MACDONALD has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. VICTORIA REES has joined Pink Larkin. She was previously the Director of Professional Responsibility for the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society.
1984 PETER BROWNE has been appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. He has also been recognized as one of the 2021 Best Lawyers in Canada and has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. Prior to his appointment to the Bench, he had been practicing with Curtis Dawe in St. John's, NL since 1986.
1989 W. VINCENT CLIFFORD was appointed as the Regional Senior Justice for the East Region of the Ontario Court of Justice.
DONALD BURRAGE a judge of the Superior Court of Newfoundland and Labrador, has been inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. WILLIAM MACNEIL has been appointed Head of Lismore Campus, Southern Cross University, NSW, Australia. He continues to act as Dean of the School of Law & Justice and to occupy The Honourable John Dowd Chair in Law. With his partner Pam, Bill looks forward to welcoming any Dalhousie Law alumni to his home in Byron Bay, NSW. JEREMY THOMAS has published volume two of a four volume tome The Nation’s Gospel, a history of Christianity in England.
BOB HANF is the new Chair of the Dalhousie University Board of Governors. He is the Executive Vice President, Stakeholder Relations and Regulatory Affairs with Emera Inc.
1990 ANDREW LITTLE was appointed a Justice of the Federal Court in April 2020 and has been appointed a member of the Competition Tribunal for a term of seven years. Prior to his appointment to the Bench, he was a partner at Bennett Jones LLP in Toronto, ON.
2002
1991 LISA CAMPBELL was named the first woman to lead the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Prior to her appointment she worked with Veteran Affairs Canada. SEAN LAYDEN was appointed to the Veterans Review and Appeal Board for a five-year term.
LEIGH LAMPERT established his own business law practice, Lampert LawGiC in Toronto after working for many years in politics and then as inhouse counsel. He provides a wide range of legal advice and services to organizations of all sizes, including both public and private companies, in a variety of sectors, including serving as fractional General Counsel to many such companies. ANTHONY SCOTT is an associate with Patterson Law's Halifax, NS office.
SUSAN MACKAY has been appointed Director of Policy Development and Education with the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service.
TIMOTHY CAULFIELD is a member of the Royal Society of Canada's Task Force on COVID-19 and is one of the spokespeople for ScienceUpFirst, a science communication initiative aiming to reduce the impact of COVID-19 misinformation online. He is Canada Research Chair in Health Law and Policy, Research Director of the University of Alberta's Health Law Institute and a health policy expert.
1994
PAUL PROSPER was elected the Assembly of First Nations Regional Vice-Chief for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
1997 MATTHEW WILLIAMS is a partner with Ritch Williams & Richards in Halifax, NS.
1998 CHRISTINE HANSON has been named Executive Director and Chief Administrative Officer for the Mass Casualty Commission which is investigating the 2020 Portapique tragedy.
2000 JOHN BONN has been appointed a judge of the Ontario Court of Justice.
2001 OLA MALIK was appointed a Justice of the Court of the Queen's Bench of Alberta. Prior to his appointment he was a lawyer in the Legal Services department of the City of Calgary.
CARLI OWENS was elected the 2020-2021 President of the Manitoba Bar Association. She is an associate with Christianson TDS in Portage la Prairie, MB.
2010 LI DONG who is a Toronto-based film maker, launched his debut feature Stealing School in June 2020. TRACY SMITH has been named partner with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS.
2003 ERIN O'TOOLE was selected as the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada.
2011 JADE BUCHANAN is a partner with McCarthy Tétrault in Vancouver, BC.
JONATHON PENNEY is an assistant professor at Osgoode Hall Law School.
JENNIFER TALBOT has been promoted to partner with Patterson Law's Halifax, NS office.
2004 RYAN BRENNAN is a partner with Patterson Law in Halifax, NS.
COLLEEN HANYCZ was appointed President of Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH. SHAWNA PARIS-HOYTE was named to the Order of Nova Scotia on November 9, 2020. A lawyer, social worker and educator, she is also a human rights activist and active volunteer.
NATALIA BRYANT (MIKICIUK) has been reappointed to the New Westminster Police Board for a term ending June 30, 2022.
ANDREW WADDEN who is a partner with Wadden Peddigrew Hogan in St. John’s, NL is Chair of the St. John’s Board of Trade.
1993 TRUDY BUTTON was appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador. She had been legal counsel with the College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador.
2008
2012 JOSEPH FRASER a human rights activist and diversity training expert has been named the CEO of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission for a term of five years, effective April 2021.
2006 APRIL BROUSSEAU was a winner of the European Women in Legal Tech 2020 award in the Professional Services division. She is the Director of Research & Development at Clifford Chance in London, UK. KATE GLOVER BERGER is an assistant professor at Osgoode Hall Law School. JOSIE MCKINNEY is Nova Scotia's first Crown attorney dedicated to the prosecution of human trafficking offences. MELANIE PETRUNIA is the First Vice-President of the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society for the 2021-2022 Council year. She will become President in June 2022. She is a partner at Nijhawan McMillan Petrunia, a litigation boutique in Halifax, NS where she practices civil, commercial and tax litigation. ANDREW TAILLON is the new Director of Professional Responsibility at the Nova Scotia Barristers' Society. CHARLENE THEODORE is the President of the Ontario Bar Association. She is in-house counsel at the Ontario English Catholic Teachers' Association. LANA WALKER is the director of the Nunavut Law Program at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law.
JEREMY PLEASANT is a partner with McCarthy Tétrault in Toronto, ON.
2013 PAT CORNEY has joined insolvency and commercial litigation boutique Weisz Fell Kour LLP as an associate. He previously practiced with Stikeman Elliott LLP. JAMES GREEN was named partner with Cox & Palmer's Halifax, NS office. KELSEY HUDSON is practicing with Conrad Dillon Robinson in Dartmouth, NS. JALANA LEWIS is Dalhousie University's first Director of African Nova Scotian Community Engagement. MELISSA SAUNDERS is a partner with Tupman & Bloom LLP. MEAGHAN STRUM is a partner with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS.
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2014
2020 KELSEY JONES is the new director of the Schulich School of Law’s Indigenous Blacks and Mi’kmaq (IB&M) Initiative.
DARIN REEVES has been appointed a judge of the Provincial Court of British Columbia. CAITLIN URQUHART is now practicing with Ecojustice. She had previously practiced with Smyth Woodland Del Rizzo & Barrett.
2015 ROBIN THOMPSON was appointed a commissioner of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. She is the Governance Manager for the Union of Nova Scotia Mi’kmaq.
DUAN ASH has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the Nova Scotia Golf Association. VICTORIA GREGORY is an associate with Gittens & Associates in St. John's, NL. ALEXANDER JESSOME is an associate with Cox & Palmer in St. John's, NL. SARAH MACLEOD has joined Burchells LLP in Halifax, NS as an associate in litigation. She will be commencing a Federal Court Clerkship with the Honourable Justice Manson in Ottawa, ON in August 2021.
2017 TEAGAN MARKIN has been awarded the 2021-2022 Viscount Bennett Fellowship for her graduate legal studies. She is currently an associate with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Toronto, ON. The Fellowship will help support her graduate studies this fall at Harvard Law School, where her work will explore progressive constitutional law principles that support important collective objectives, such as substantive equality, freedom of expression and the protection of public health. ANGELA SIMMONDS was named one of 2020's 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women. She is the Executive Director, Land Titles and Strategic Special Initiatives in the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism for the Province of NS.
2018 ASHLEY DICKEY has joined Cox & Palmer's Halifax, NS office as an associate.
2019 KATIE GLOWACH has joined Lenczner Slaght as an associate. Her litigation practice spans a broad range of areas including commercial litigation, public law and professional liability matters. MATTHEW MACLELLAN is an associate with Patterson Law in Halifax, NS. LINDSAY MALLOY is an associate with MacLeod Webber in Bridgewater, NS. SAMANTHA MORDEN has joined Getz, Collins & Associates as an associate. SEAN PONNAMBALAM has joined the board of Telefilm Canada for a five-year term. SARAH STEVENS has joined Cox & Palmer's Halifax, NS office as an associate.
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GRAPEVINE SUBMISSIONS Do you have news to share with the law school and your fellow alumni? Send it along (accompanied by a photo if possible) to lawalum@dal.ca for inclusion in our next issue of Hearsay.
IN MEMORIAM DR. ARTHUR THURLOW, OC (’35) died on May 27, 2020 at the age of 107. Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada, Arthur was a Politician and a Judge and represented the electoral District of Lunenburg County in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1949-1953 and was a member of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. He was educated at Dalhousie University where he obtained his law degree. Arthur was appointed a Judge in 1956 serving from 1956-1971 as Judge of the Exchequer Court of Canada from 1971-1988 and as a Judge of the Federal Court of Canada and later Chief Justice of the Federal Court of Canada. Arthur was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in April of 1992. Arthur lived a full life and in his later years, valiantly fought to regain his strength which would allow him to continue enjoying his family and friends. A lifetime member of the Royal Ottawa Golf Club which he played until he was 105 years old. DAVID WATERBURY, Q.C. (’49) died on March 12, 2021 at the age of 100. The previous week, at least 40 family members, from B.C. to MA, joined him virtually via Zoom to celebrate his 100th birthday. He served in the RCAF from June 1941 to August 1945 and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for anti-submarine warfare and his actions saving his crew after being shot down in the North Atlantic. After the war, he completed the undergraduate degree he had started at Acadia University before enlisting. He took advantage of an entry program offered to veterans at some universities and graduated from Dalhousie Law School in
1949. He began his law practice in Kentville, where he was a well-known and respected community member. A founding partner of Waterbury Newton, he retired in 1982. He then served as Chairman of the Nova Scotia Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, retiring in 1992. He was a 3rd Degree Craft Lodge Mason and a 33rd Degree Scottish Rite Mason. A musician at heart and music lover, he played the organ at home, the saxophone in the Mahone Bay Legion band, and sang in the Trinity United Church choir. He loved sailing and served terms as commodore of both the Nova Scotia Schooner Association and the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron. He also enjoyed golf, playing into his 90s.
Bay. He was passionate about his gardening, wood-splitting and all aspects of being a hobby farmer. He enjoyed playing the piano and mouth organ and was enthusiastic about driving and exploring the countryside in his favourite car of the time.
The London Chamber of Commerce, King’s University College, University Hospital, London Hunt and Country Club and The London Club. He was a member of The London Teaching Hospitals Council and The Thames Valley District Health Council. He was THE HONOURABLE Director of The John P. Robarts RICHARD “JEFFREY” Research Institute and the FLINN II, Q.C. (’53) died Western Fair Association. He on December 22, 2020. enjoyed hiking, biking, golfing, A graduate of Saint Mary’s downhill skiing, sailing and University, he subsequently cross-country skiing. Jeffrey was obtained his law degree from a mentor that took particular Dalhousie University. He served interest in young lawyers and his articles with John H. Dickie, thoroughly enjoyed sharing his Q.C. and the Legislative Council unabashed love of the law. of Nova Scotia. Upon admission HAROLD “HAL” STEVENS, to the Bar of Nova Scotia, he became Departmental Solicitor Q.C. (’53) died on November 30, 2020. After obtaining his with the Attorney General. In 1954, he accepted the invitation law degree from Dalhousie University, he articled with the to practice law in London, THE HONOURABLE Ontario, where he joined Jeffrey Honourable Roland Ritchie, ROBERT “BOB” BUTLER, Q.C. (later of the Supreme and Jeffrey and subsequently Court of Canada). Hal’s interest Q.C. (’49) died on December Robarts, Betts, McLennan in economics and public policy 4, 2020 at the age of 96. He and Flinn. In 1970, he was issues led him to honoured graduated from Saint Mary’s appointed Queen’s Counsel. service for six premiers and University with a Bachelor In 1981, he was appointed by six Lieutenant Governors of of Arts and from Dalhousie the Government of Canada Nova Scotia, as Administrative University with his law degree to be a Judge of the County Assistant to the Premier, then in 1949. Early in his career, he Court, which subsequently Clerk of the Executive Council. practiced law with his father’s became The Superior Court He was a member of two real estate and construction of Ontario, where he served Federal/Provincial Continuing company, Butler Brothers as Justice until mandatory Committees and ministers’ Ltd. They were involved in the retirement. He joined the conferences related to construction of many homes in roster of ADR Chambers, a equalization, taxation, financing Halifax and the first shopping National Canadian Alternative and the amendment of the mall ever built in the city, the Dispute Resolution Group, constitution. Hal served on Bayer’s Road Shopping Centre. and The Investment Industry many boards dealing with social He served as an Alderman for Regulatory Organization of and environmental issues—Nova the City of Halifax from 1957Canada (IIROC), a disciplinary Scotia Nature Trust, Missions 1963, becoming Deputy Mayor organization for Canadian to Seafarers, Halifax Cancer and acting Mayor during this Investment Dealers. Very Society and University of King’s time. He was appointed Queen’s interested in the affairs of College, Family Service Bureau, Council in 1973 and a Family the City of London, Jeffrey the V.O.N. and the SPCA. Court Judge in 1976 where he served as Director, Chair He had an interest in legal and served for 26 years. He was an or as President of several political history and a love of avid hunter and outdoorsman, organizations amongst which nature (especially gardening, enjoying over 40 happy years at were: The London Township swimming and fishing). his much-loved hobby farm in Committee of Adjustment, Throughout his life he has North Kingston, N.S. and at the Family and Children’s Services treasured his friendships with family cottage at St. Margaret’s (The Children’s Aid Society),
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his law classmates, friends at the Bar, the Bench, the business community, government at all levels and many missed from the RCNR. VICTOR BURSTALL (’55) died on July 27, 2020. He attended Dalhousie University where he obtained a Bachelor of Commerce degree and then his law degree. Victor then joined the law department at CPR where he articled and worked for several years in both the Winnipeg and Calgary offices. Victor left CPR in 1966 and formed a law firm with three other Dalhousie graduates called Burstall, Clarke, Jones and Coady, currently known as Burstall LLP. While in Calgary, he obtained his private pilot’s license and became an avid flier with his famous “Burstall Bounce” landing well known to many aviators at the Springbank Airport. He retired in 1992 and moved to Victoria, B.C. and purchased a 36-foot cabin cruiser and became an avid sailor, his dockings were almost as exciting as his landings. He was well travelled and particularly enjoyed racquet sports and fly fishing. Victor was an admirer of Winston Churchill, and helped establish the Vancouver Island chapter of the International Churchill Society. “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill JOHN PATRICK “PAT” NOWLAN (’55) died on April 25, 2020. He graduated from Acadia University and then went on to obtain his law degree from Dalhousie University. He first practiced in Vancouver, B.C. at Guild Yule. Politics was a driving force in Pat’s life and he returned to Nova Scotia and successfully won his late father George’s seat as the MP
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representing Kings Hants. In the Nova Scotia riding of Annapolis Valley, Pat won eight elections in total. He chaired several Parliamentary Committees, and ably represented the citizens of the Valley as a Conservative MP. He served several terms on the Board of Governors of Acadia University. All who knew him would agree he was independently minded, and he demonstrated this quality by sitting as an “Independent Progressive Conservative” for the last two years of his 28-year parliamentary career. He loved splitting wood, ocean swimming, tennis, squash, reading history and thrillers, debating and smoking cigars. Fond of his meals, especially when they involved salmon or strawberry shortcake, Pat could be also relied on to locate the best cheese or smoked meat in each town he was in. Pat retired to California in the mid-1990s, and spent many tranquil years in Carmel Valley, returning to his family’s beloved cabin on Pasley Island in Howe Sound, B.C., each summer. CHARLES LONGWORTH MACKENZIE, Q.C. (’56) died on December 13, 2020 at the age of 87. After discovering that commerce was not for him, he found his true calling in the study of law at Dalhousie University. He made lifelong friends at the law school and on the football field. “Choo-choo Charlie” was the kicker and running back for the Dalhousie Tigers during the team’s 1950s glory days. After articling in Toronto, he joined the law firm of Jeffrey and Jeffrey in London, Ontario. His first love was litigation, acting both as a part time Crown Attorney and defense counsel. Charlie was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1968. He acted as a Deputy Small Claims Court Judge,
having to retire from that office at age 75. He was also the Chair of the Legal Aid Area Committee for almost 30 years. He practiced in several partnerships over the years in London and Exeter. When his daughter Cynthia joined him, the firm became Mackenzie & Mackenzie Lawyers. They practiced together for over 28 years until he reluctantly retired, soon after his 85th birthday. It was the end of a 60-year career, and the end of a very good team. Charlie loved the outdoors—skiing, cycling, kayaking and camping. He was never happier than when, accompanied by friends and family, he found himself flying down a ski hill, his moustache encrusted with snow and ice. He climbed Mt. Washington, the highest peak in the North East United States. With age, many of these passions faded but cycling remained. In his last year, he could be seen (even in winter) on his fat-tire bike cycling along the Thames. LARRY MCKIM, Q.C. (’58) died on April 10, 2020. In 1944-45 he served with the 2nd BN, North Nova Scotia Highlanders. Upon returning to Canada, he finished high school and then began a career in sailing on merchant ships, tankers and freighters spanning several years, including sailing all five of the Great Lakes as well as Georgian Bay and all the associated rivers and canals. In all he sailed in 20 merchantmen and one Navy (Frigate LaHulloise) and included West Coast, East Coast and Deep Sea, generally in the engineers’ department. He aspired to someday become a lawyer, and to that end he would go to sea, then go to school, then go to sea. After attending Mount Allison University and Dalhousie University where he obtained
his law degree, he commenced a law practice in Amherst, N.S. which extended over a 43-year period, retiring in 2001. Over the years he enjoyed sailing and SCUBA diving. He had an interest in adult athletic pursuits and co-founded and presided over the Cumberland County Hockey League. A few years later he was president of the Industrial Hockey League. In his final year with hockey, he was manager of the Maritime Champion Amherst Intermediate Barons. He also served a season as president of the Amherst and Area Fastball League. He successfully promoted a boxing card at Amherst Stadium, featuring a Maritime Lightweight Championship fight. He was manager Pro-tem of CKDH AM1400. He also served a fill-in term as Commissioned Officer commanding Amherst Sea Cadets. As he neared age 50 he picked up on a boyhood interest of horseback riding. He competed in competitive trail riding in N.S. and N.B. for six or seven years, amassing 500 miles, he and his mount were gold medalist over four consecutive rides (judged on horsemanship and horse condition; that record has yet to be beaten). For many years his main hobby was rough woodworking. He made dozens of walking sticks, several benches, end tables, etc. He had a custom of secreting coins in every repair and construction that he did. In 1986, Larry had constructed his home in a 60acre forest, which he shared with the forest creatures which he referred to as his livestock. RONALD CLARK, Q.C. (’60) died on January 30, 2020 at the age of 83. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Dalhousie University and then his law degree.
After Articles with Macleod Dixon, he was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta in 1961 and appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1998. In 1966 he formed a very successful law partnership with his long-time friend Derek Jones, and in 1969 they were joined by Victor Burstall and Arthur Coady. He semi-retired in 1982, then re-entered law practice in association with Moore, O’Connor, Martin, Iredale & Maitland, moved to Donahue Rondeau and then carried on a private legal practice in association with Heather Bonnycastle. Ron finally retired from active practice in 1998 and in April 2002 he moved to the Windermere Valley where he occasionally carried on legal and business activities on a limited scale. He finally put down his pen in April of 2016. Ron had many passions throughout different stages of his life including a love of fine wines, Cuban cigars, the US Civil War, and single malt scotch. Moving to the Windermere Valley also opened a whole new world for him as he took up golf, became active in several environmental groups and thoroughly enjoyed his “coffee with the boys” almost daily. One of his greatest joys were the yearly cruises with his wife to sunny climates and his “bucket list” freighter trip around the world. THE HONOURABLE GEORGE “HUGHES” RANDALL (’60) died on April 20, 2021 at the age of 83. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary’s University and then his law degree from Dalhousie University. Hughes practiced law privately with the firms of; Pace and MacIntosh; Paton, Paton and Randall; and Randall, McNeil and Church and was also the Solicitor for the
Hospital Commission in his early career. He was appointed to the Bench of the Provincial Court in 1974 and worked as a Judge for 28 years until his retirement in 2002.
He returned to Liverpool, N.S. to join the firm of Jones & Milford which became Jones, Milford & Freeman, eventually to evolve into Freeman and Crawford and then to dissolve as both partners became judges. Hughes was active in He was appointed Q.C. in 1979. community affairs throughout In 1988 he became a justice of his life, serving on Saint the Supreme Court trial division Mary’s University’s Board of and in 1990 a justice of the Governors and was a long-time Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. member of the Centennial He retired from the court in Rink Commission. He also 2006. One of his dissents served on the Executive and R.D.S. v. The Queen became as President of the Provincial the most significant case on Court Judges Association. A judicial race bias in Canadian fiercely proud Haligonian and history. Besides his legal career, Nova Scotian, Hughes often Gerald was one of the founding volunteered at events being members of Mersey Seafoods hosted in the city and enjoyed Limited, Mersey Electric sharing stories, history and local Company and Able Cable. He hospitality to both Canadians felt truly at home on his large and international visitors. He property in Beach Meadows and delighted in meeting people who deeply loved his special place were first visiting the region and in South Brookfield, where the would endeavour to ensure they Medway meets the Wildcat. enjoyed their time in his beloved Nova Scotia. An avid sports fan WILLIAM “ROSS” he supported his alumni and MOLLARD (’62) died on local sports teams including September 25, 2020 at the age his favorite Mooseheads and it of 84. He spent his formative was at these events where he years at Athol Murray College cherished the time spent with of Notre Dame in Wilcox, the many dear friends he had S.K. and had a passion for known through the years. hockey, playing with his beloved “Hounds” hockey team. He THE HONOURABLE went on to receive his law GERALD FREEMAN, Q.C. degree at Dalhousie University (’61) died on June 1, 2020. He then returned to Saskatchewan obtained a Bachelor of Arts and practiced law for several degree from Acadia University years in Regina before moving and then pursued journalism to Kelowna. first with the Halifax Herald and then with the Canadian Press in ROBERT “BOB” Newfoundland and Montreal to ANDERSON (’63) died on finance his further education. November 12, 2020 at the He also worked with the age of 81. Bob lived his life forestry department of Bowater primarily in the Halifax area and Mersey as a timber cruiser, a had a long, successful career job for which he had very fond as a barrister with the Federal memories. He went on to obtain Department of Justice. In his a Bachelor of Civil Law degree retirement he enjoyed playing from McGill, and a Bachelor of and coaching baseball and also Laws degree from Dalhousie pursued his musical interests, University. particularly the piano.
RONALD GIFFIN, Q.C. (’66) died April 15, 2021 at the age of 78. He received an undergraduate degree from Acadia University and went on to complete his law degree at Dalhousie University. He had a distinguished career as a lawyer and a public servant. He served as a Member of the Legislative Assembly for Truro/Bible Hill from 1978-1993. He held many positions including the Minister of Education and the Attorney General during his time in office and was also an active member in the community after retirement, volunteering to serve on various boards and committees. THE HONOURABLE SEAMUS O’REGAN (’68) died on November 19, 2020. Seamus proudly attended Holy Cross School in St. John’s, N.L. and continued his education at Memorial University and then Dalhousie University where he obtained his law degree. He was appointed to the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1984 and retired in 2017. Seamus spent many years on the Bench in Happy ValleyGoose Bay and came to love the Big Land. His wit, kind nature and gift for storytelling will be missed by his family, wide circle of friends and colleagues. With his passing, we are reminded of his wish that we “be good to each other.” PROFESSOR JOHN “TED” MANZIG (’69, LLM ’70) died on November 28, 2020 at the age of 92. A consummate gentleman, his sense of fairness and love of the Law earned him the respect of students and colleagues at the University of Windsor Law School, where he taught from 1970-1994. Passionate about environmental protection, Ted served for a
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number of years as director of the Canadian Institute of Law and Policy and as a member of the Environmental Law Specialty Committee, Certification Program of the Law Society of Upper Canada. BORDEN CONRAD, Q.C. (’71) died on January 29, 2021 at the age of 72 of Statin-Induced Myopathy. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of King’s College, his law degree and a Bachelor of Education degree from Dalhousie University. He took up practice in Bridgewater, N.S., later expanding, with his partner, Thomas J. Feindel, to a second office in Liverpool, N.S., where, until recently, he continued his practice under the name Conrad & Feindel. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1988. He was a lifelong member of St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Eagle Head, N.S., where he provided lay leadership, served on the parish vestry, and was a founding member of the book club. He also served as church historian, authoring the book So Great a Cloud of Witnesses. He will be remembered as much for his warmth, humour, kindness and laugh as for his extensive knowledge encompassing, among other things, the law, genealogy and local history. ROBERT MURRANT, Q.C. (’71) died on April 1, 2021 at the age of 73, following a long and valiant battle with cancer. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary’s University, his Bachelor of Law degree from Dalhousie University and his Master of Laws degree from the London School of Economics. He practiced civil litigation with specialties in media and
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entertainment law. He made his mark early in his career at the age of 24 being the youngest lawyer to ever appear in Canada’s High Court. Robert was larger than life, a colourful character with a penchant for storytelling—forever entertaining. In his retirement, Robert penned a novel that he self-published showcasing his love for past time spent in New England entitled Moneymaker Lake. He loved to sail and often took part in the Marblehead and Chester Race Week. He was also an avid hockey fan and played hockey much of his life. PATRICK “PADDY” GRIFFIN (’72) died March 8, 2019. Paddy was a wellloved man of diverse talents: an athlete like his father, lawyer, computer hardware techie, adult educator, amateur market analyst and long-distance bicyclist. He attended St. Michael’s College, Queen’s University, St. Mary’s University, Dalhousie University and the University of British Columbia. He practiced law in Midland Ontario in the 70s and then in the Lower Mainland before he turned to computer maintenance services followed by Adult Education studies at UBC. He was Executive Director of the Continuing Legal Education Society of Nova Scotia before returning to B.C. to resume the practice of law at a legal aid clinic in Quesnel. He later moved to Gabriola Island. His legal career blossomed on Gabriola and his low-key practice served the community effectively and endeared him to everyone he encountered. WILLIAM “BILL” LEA, Q.C. (’73) died on June 4, 2020. He graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Arts degree then a Bachelor of
Laws degree from Dalhousie University. He practiced law at the firm that would later be known as Campbell Lea, where he became senior partner before retiring and most recently returned as Counsel. He appeared before all courts in Prince Edward Island, the Federal Court of Canada, the Federal Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court of Canada. He received his Queen’s Counsel appointment in 1986. In addition to his focus on his practice, Bill was an extraordinary musician. Starting at the age of 15 with Art Cantwell and “The Mariners” playing trumpet, over his lifetime he played with various groups on many instruments including piano, guitar, trumpet, bass guitar and pipe organ. He spent weekends “jamming” with other local musicians and throughout the years he performed at most venues in and around Charlottetown. One of Bill’s lifetime interests was ham radio. At the age of 16, Bill became the youngest ham radio operator in Canada as VE1ADS. Later as VE1PJ, he managed many maritime nets as controller and had contacts throughout the world. JOHN (JACK) O’KEEFE, Q.C. (’74) died on March 24, 2021. He graduated with a Business Degree from UPEI and then completed his law degree at Dalhousie University. He joined the firm of Foster, MacDonald and Carruthers which later became known as Foster O’Keefe. Jack practiced primarily in the areas of civil litigation, labour and administrative law. On June 30, 1999 Jack was appointed to the Federal Court of Canada, Trial Division. He remained in this position, based in Ottawa, until his retirement in 2015. Throughout Jack’s life, he
volunteered with different organizations including the Boy Scouts of Canada, Diabetes Association, Canadian Bar, Law Society of Prince Edward Island and he was Chairman of the UPEI Board of Governors. He loved boating and many happy times were spent aboard Jack’s boat, “The Litigator.” THE HONOURABLE JUSTICE M. HEATHER ROBERTSON (’75) died on February 11, 2021. She graduated from the Convent of the Sacred Heart for her early schooling, Dalhousie University with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Education degree summa cum laude and Dalhousie University again with a Bachelor of Laws degree. She received an honorary Doctor of Commerce from Saint Mary’s in 2013. After obtaining her Arts degree, Heather worked as a welfare officer for the City of Halifax. After returning to university, she articled with Lloyd Caldwell, Q.C. and practiced law at Walker Dunlop starting in 1975. For a few years, she took time away from law practice to work in the fishery with A. M. “Sandy” Cameron. Then, she joined Burchell, MacDougall and Gruchy. In 1995, she was appointed Chief of Staff to Premier John Savage. She served as Chair of the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board before her appointment to the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia in 1998. Justice Robertson performed administrative tasks for the court, in addition to her regular judicial duties. She undertook many projects and sat on several committees. She was most proud of her work on the Courthouse Standards Committee and her intense involvement in construction of new court-houses and
renovations of court rooms and chambers. She was always committed to public service. Before her appointment as a judge, she served as a director of various corporations including Canada Post, Nova Scotia Resources Limited, and Halterm Acquisition Corp, as Vice Chair of the Bluenose Preservation Trust, and as a member of numerous organizations including the Dalhousie University Board of Governors and the Fund Council of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party. Always a sport, Justice Robertson was especially a sailor. Her official positions provide a glimpse into her love of sailing. She was a Commodore of the Royal Nova Scotia Yacht Squadron, President of the Nova Scotia Sailing Association, Vice President of the Canadian Yachting Association, and President of the Bluenose Class Association. Despite a 1995 skiing injury that required her to use a wheelchair for the rest of her life, Justice Robertson continued participating vigorously in sports. She golfed, she swam, she kayaked, she sailed. She competed in the Sailor’s Mobility Cup. She chaired the 2014 International Federation of Disabled Sailors World Championships, which was held in Nova Scotia.
of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2013. An avid follower of local and global affairs, he was well-known for his intellect, wit, dry sense of humour and quiet friendly nature.
GORDON FRANK PROUDFOOT, Q.C. (’78) died on May 1, 2020 at the age of 66. He was an independentminded litigator with a national reputation, a charismatic and eloquent orator and a spirited and quick-witted jokester. After winning an award for an ad hoc oral presentation about the life of Alexander Graham Bell in grade three, Gordon realized his gift of gab and set his sights on the practice of law. He attended Acadia University, where his love of music and radio broadcasting flourished. When he received a rejection letter from Dalhousie Law School, he challenged the Dean of Admissions, who noticed an error had been made. He was immediately admitted and became editor of the Weldon Times. The fifth lawyer at Boyne Clarke, he had a long and storied legal career with over 130 reported cases including those heard by the Supreme Court of Canada. Double-Windsor necktie knots, well-polished Dack’s wingtips and his treasured Montblanc fountain pen were the regalia of Gordon’s 41-year career as a litigator. Gordon was also a THE HONOURABLE leader outside of his practice, JUSTICE DAVID HURLEY serving as President of the Acadia Alumni Association, (’77) died July 15, 2020. He establishing the annual Ton of attended Memorial University after which he taught briefly and Tin fundraiser in support of Feed Nova Scotia and serving then pursued a legal education in provincial and national – first obtaining a Bachelor leadership positions within the of Laws degree from the Canadian Bar Association, University of New Brunswick including as its President in and then completing a Masters 1995. When Gordon set his of Law degree at Dalhousie mind to something, very little University. He received his could stop him. Determined Queen’s Council designation to dish up a hot lobster supper in 2002 and was appointed as to over 2,000 Canadian Bar a judge of the Supreme Court
Association delegates visiting Halifax in 1993, Gordon defied doubters and collaborated with the Shore Club to successfully serve over 5,500 lobsters at one sitting. A voracious reader and researcher, the origins of hockey was of particular interest, culminating in the publication of several newspaper articles. Despite multiple health issues later in life, Gordon defied all prognoses for over a decade of unassailable positivity, extraordinary productivity and wonderful memories.
trained to become a mediator, and continued working as a part-time family mediator until his death. His passions included politics, travel, dogs and his most recent hobby, motorcycling.
HERVÉ PAUL-MARIE LE PIERRÈS (’85) died on April 22, 2020. Born in France, Hervé and his family emigrated to Halifax in 1966 and were proud to become Canadian citizens in the early 1980s. Hervé obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Saint Mary’s CONRAD JAMES “JIM” University and was awarded the ENMAN (’80) died on May 2, Governor General’s medal for 2020 at the age of 66 after a the highest grade average of courageous battle with leukemia. his graduating class. He then He obtained a Bachelor of Arts attended Dalhousie University degree from Acadia University and earned his law degree. and then his law degree from He articled at the Federal Dalhousie University. Court of Canada, Trial Division He enjoyed a successful and in Ottawa from 1985-86. fulfilling legal career. Jim was a Over the next 30 years, music enthusiast and enjoyed Hervé worked at a variety of nothing more than talking music Montreal law firms and legalamongst friends at ‘Rick’s Café’ services companies as a legal on a Friday afternoon. He was counsel, revisor and translator. an avid sports fan, playing, For 10 years, he also ran his coaching and watching a wide own legal-translation agency, variety of sports. Jim was also Lexlingua International Inc. an active member of the Nova Hervé was fluent in French and Scotia Chess Federation and an English and highly proficient in ambassador of the game. German and Spanish. He was an accomplished wordsmith, and a CHRISTOPHER HARRIS true master of the written word (’80) died on July 4, 2020 of as evidenced in his prose and a heart attack. He obtained poetry, a leisurely pursuit which his Bachelor of Arts degree he enjoyed immensely. at McGill University and then OWEN MYERS (’90) died his law degree at Dalhousie October 25, 2019. Owen never University. Chris then moved followed a traditional path, to Vancouver, where he did his eschewing university for living articling. The next few years saw in India and then on Hippy Hill Chris explore a few vocations, in the Queen Charlottes, being before returning to academia self-sufficient and self-taught. and earning his Master of Arts He was a voracious reader, degree in political science at the giving away hundreds of books University of British Columbia. to share his enthusiasm for new He eventually began a career ideas, history and philosophy. at Translink and was their Information & Privacy Manager Owen was an avid salmon until retirement in 2011. Wishing angler who could dig out a fish from any river, particularly to remain productive, Chris
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his beloved Little Salmonier, a rugged and wild place. He was an accomplished boatman earning the sobriquet of a seadog of Fortune Bay and was never happier than with friends at Tickle Beach. He was a passionate advocate for outdoor rights, preservation of wild salmon and the Newfoundland fishery. Later in life, after years at sea as a fisheries guardian and iceberg manager, Owen became a lawyer and took to heart the duties of a principled officer of the court. He retired in 2018 after his last successful case as a private citizen standing up for the survival of wild salmon. NASREEN (RINA) HOQUE (’92) died on February 14, 2021 in Toronto, O.N. after a suspected stroke. She obtained a Bachelor of Science degree from McGill University (and while there she completed a semester at Duke University), a law degree from Dalhousie University and an MBA from INSEAD. Rina started her legal career at McInnes Cooper in Halifax before moving to Gowlings in Toronto, O.N. While at Gowlings, she did a secondment with the Canadian Bankers Association before taking a short break from the law to complete her MBA and work for A.T. Kearney. The law pulled her back and Rina moved to London, England to work at global law firm, Freshfields, where her sister Nina also worked. After leaving Freshfields, Rina moved to the inhouse legal department of a number of the world’s finest financial institutions including Standard Chartered Bank in Dubai before joining Natwest Legal Markets where she truly found her work home and family. She travelled extensively, from climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to a cultural trip to Mecca and Medina with
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her parents to learn more about their faith. She learned to speak French in Switzerland and when she needed a second language prior to her MBA, she learned to speak Spanish in Costa Rica. DONNA BELLE FOULKES (’95) died on September 8, 2020 at the age of 75. After a near 20-year career in the Anatomy Department at Dalhousie University, Donna returned to the classroom, where she completed a Bachelor of Laws degree and a Master of Public Administration degree at Dalhousie University. She then embarked on her second career in the Justice system. Upon her retirement she was the Executive Director of the Nova Scotia Judiciary at the Supreme Court in Halifax. She was a certified SCUBA diver, an aerobics and yoga instructor and even published her own community newspaper, The Forest Hills News. She took great pleasure in sailing on the LaHave River where her family homestead was located. She sat on numerous boards and commissions in Nova Scotia including the HalifaxDartmouth Bridge Commission and the Board of Directors of the Bide Awhile Animal Shelter. KENNETH ARMOUR (’00) died suddenly on January 29, 2021 at the age of 60 in Dominica. Kenneth taught in his home country of Dominica as a high school teacher before moving to Nova Scotia to study at Saint Mary’s University and then Dalhousie University where he earned his Bachelor of Laws degree. After law school he practiced family and criminal law but also continued to work at a small options group home for those with severe mental disabilities. He returned to Dominica in 2017 and planned to start an organic farm but
his plans were thwarted by Hurricane Maria and sadly never realized before his passing.
FRIENDS OF THE LAW SCHOOL PROFESSOR JENNIFER BANKIER died on September 30, 2020. She attended Osgoode Law School where she concentrated on civil rights and labour law and tied with two others for head of her class. She later pioneered in law of computers and intellectual property. She taught for three years at Wayne State University in Detroit before moving to Dalhousie Law School. She was devoted to social justice, for her students and colleagues within the university and in external forums dealing with the rights of women and other marginalized groups. After her retirement she continued to promote these interests on social media.
The Legacy Effect Anne McLellan
‘‘
Dalhousie provided me with the opportunity to do things and go places that I would not have thought possible. It laid the foundation for my entire life. Including Dalhousie in my will is a privilege.
”
DR. ANNE MCLELLAN
Dalhousie Chancellor, 2015–2020
We Can Help
If you’re thinking of including Dal in your estate plans, we can help you match your gift to your wishes. Explore the possibilities at dal.ca/plannedgiving Or get in touch, we’re here to answer your questions. Please contact Siobhan Doherty at legacy@dal.ca or 902.494.6853.
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