Hearsay 2020

H E A R S AY THE SCHULICH SCHOOL OF L AW ALUMNI MAGAZINE

VOLUME 41 2020

LEGAL AID CLINIC CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF COMMUNIT Y IMPACT PAGE 16

New Technology and Innovation Law Clinic helps start-ups get started PAGE 26 VOLUME 41 · 2020

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CONTENTS WELCOME

FEATURES

ALUMNI RECOGNIZED

Dean’s Message..................................... 04

26 New Technology and Innovation Law Clinic helps start-ups get started

36 Professor Emeritus Hugh Kindred receives two prestigious honours

38 A life-changing diagnosis didn’t stop Kelly Serbu from excelling on the ice and in the courtroom

42 Fred Fountain receives Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service

Message from Director of External Relations............................. 05 Message from DLAA President........... 06 2019/20 Dalhousie Law Alumni Association................................07

41 Schulich Law responds to a global pandemic

SCHOOL NEWS 08 Award-winning faculty, a CanadianJapanese Law of the Sea conference, Law Games and more 10 Professors Colin Jackson and Diana Ginn receive top teaching awards 11 Meet our new faculty for 2020

CONNECTIONS

12 Mukisa Kakembo’s internship experience taught her about much more than the law

COVER STORY 16 Dalhousie Legal Aid Clinic celebrates 50 years of community impact

44 Megan Leslie and Heather McNeill among inaugural Dal Aurum Award recipients

15 Online app helps Nova Scotians write personal directives DONOR REPORT 22 IB&M Initiative welcomes Kelsey Jones as new director 23 IB&M’s 30th celebration in pictures

INTERNSHIP SPOTLIGHT

43 Bertha Wilson Honour Society welcomes new inductees

24 Dal launches first ever international Restorative Justice Lab 28 Four recent alumni share their career paths, so far 32 John Commerford has always embraced opportunity in both his personal and professional life 40 An innovative new program gives students a competitive advantage

46 Celebrating the alumni and friends who support the law school and our programs

THE WELDON PROFESSORS 54 Learn more about our committed professors and research leaders

GRAPEVINE 56 Find out what your classmates are up to

IN MEMORIAM 59 Farewell to the alumni and friends we lost this year

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HEARSAY · VOLUME 41 · 2020 DEAN

Camille Cameron EDITOR

Stephanie Hurley DESIGN/PRODUCTION

Sarah Orford

CONTRIBUTORS

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Fallon Bourgeois Eleanor Bramah Jane Doucet Tammi Hayne Stephanie Hurley Allison Lawlor Trudi Smith COVER PHOTO

Will Yang

We welcome editorial contributions and ideas from alumni. Please direct your submissions to: HEARSAY EDITOR

Schulich School of Law Dalhousie University 6061 University Avenue PO Box 15000 Halifax, NS Canada B3H 4R2

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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 DEAN Welcome to the 41st edition of Hearsay. There is, as usual, lots to celebrate (notwithstanding the pandemic), and Dal Legal Aid is at the top of the list. What a milestone, and what a track record! For 50 years the Clinic has been providing legal information and advice to people in our community who would not otherwise be able to access those services. I know that many of you who are reading this message had the benefit of a semester at the Clinic. Our current students praise their Clinic experience as a highlight of their law school education, and we hear the same message from our alumni. From my perspective, clinical education is one of a law school’s valuable assets, giving students a great learning experience while at the same time providing a service to the community.

is also providing excellent support. We are developing creative ways to build community, especially because much of what we do socially this year will have to be done virtually. It is a massive job but our Schulich Law team has collectively come together to rise to the challenge.

Thanks to Stewart McKelvey’s generous donation, the initio Technology and Innovation Law Clinic is up and running. While current circumstances have delayed things, we were finally able to begin furnishing and equipping the new clinic space on the third floor of the law school in June. An exciting new initiative we are offering this year is articling positions with the Tech Law Clinic and Dal Legal Aid for two students who will spend six months at each of the clinics. The Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society was very supportive of the idea, and our goal is to continue this initiative in future years. It is an excellent example of the kind of opportunities we can create for students with the generosity of our alumni donors.

Our new faculty, featured on page 11, come to us with a wide variety of research and teaching interests, including property law, criminal law, Indigenous knowledge and justice, private international law, critical race theory, labour law, and corporate governance. We are also pleased to welcome Kelsey Jones as the new Director of our Indigenous Blacks and Mi’kmaq Initiative, and equally pleased that Michelle Williams, the former Director of our IB&M Initiative, has joined us as a full-time faculty member.

Initiatives to help our students through these trying times have been high on our list of priorities. As we have shared with you over the past few months, we established an emergency bursary fund and created additional paid internship and research assistant summer positions. This allowed us to provide relief for students who suddenly found themselves without summer jobs and with unanticipated expenses.

So, while I cannot say it is business as usual here at Weldon, we are, like you, doing what we have to do and adjusting to our current circumstances to keep getting the job done. From everyone here, we wish you all the very best. Stay safe and stay healthy, and we look forward to seeing you in person (Zoom is good too, but in person is better!) when that is possible. Thanks for all that you do to make it so easy to write great stories about our law school and its wonderful alumni.

It will come as no surprise to you that COVID has been affecting our lives in many ways. We have been keeping you informed over the past few months about what we are doing to navigate our way through these uncertain times. Like so many, we are working from home and trying to stay safe and healthy while still getting the job done. Having managed the quick switch in March to online learning, much of our time and energy is now directed to redesigning our teaching for predominantly online Camille Cameron, Q.C. delivery this year. We have a great working group in place that Dean and Weldon Professor of Law has been supporting faculty in these efforts, and the university Schulich School of Law 4

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CELEBRATING OUR ALUMNI COMMUNITY Dear alumni family,

Through all of the challenges associated with this pandemic, you have continued to support us in many ways. You have As I reflect back over the last year, I can’t help but smile thinking volunteered to be a student mentor, teach a class, or organize about the good work we accomplished and the fun an event in your community. You have hired our students we had. Despite an abrupt and troubling end to the academic – doubling the number of internships available to students year, we have many things for which to be grateful and who found themselves without summer jobs. You have given celebrate. I look forward to the day when we can gather again financially – either directly to law school initiatives or through and look back upon this period in history. your class giving projects. You have truly embodied the Weldon Tradition of unselfish public service.

Last year, we were able to bring together law alumni in Halifax, Toronto, Vancouver, St. John’s, New York and London, UK. We On behalf of Tammi Hayne and myself, we would like to had events planned this spring for Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary personally thank you for all you have done and continue to and Yellowknife, that unfortunately could not take place. do for your law school. We look forward to providing you with We had over 150 alumni gather for our annual Law Alumni life-long learning, engagement, networking, recognition and Reunion Weekend where we featured Anne McLellan as our celebration opportunities over the next year – however that guest speaker and recognized Fred Fountain with the 2019 may take shape. We hope you enjoy this year’s edition of Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service. We also inducted Hearsay and always welcome your advice and feedback.

12 esteemed and accomplished alumni into the Bertha Wilson Honour Society. Last year, our Indigenous Blacks and Mi’kmaq Sincerely, Initiative celebrated its 30th anniversary and we were delighted to join in a celebration that welcomed many alumni back to Halifax. This year, marks the 50th anniversary of the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service as we plan to recognize many valued alumni for their work and impact.

Darren Dick Director, External Relations Schulich School of Law

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EMBODYING THE WELDON TRADITION In the Weldon Tradition, the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University has always been known for and proud of its students and alumni who share a commitment to unselfish public service. Ever since the law school’s opening ceremonies on October 30, 1883, as the first university law school in any of the common law provinces of Canada and across the British Commonwealth, alumni have embodied the Weldon Tradition in the spirit of our first Dean, Richard Chapman Weldon (Dean 1883-1914).

A national law school with a global reach, our law students come from, and contribute to, every region, as well as travel and work in all corners of the world. Many achieve the highest pinnacles of leadership; alumni hold every form of government office, teach in law schools, innovate in the provision of private and public sector legal services, achieve in the business community, advance policy in the executive branch of government, render decisions on courts, and offer service to non-governmental bodies and not-for-profit and community organizations.

The Dalhousie Law Alumni Association (DLAA) thanks you for your involvement. You can become further involved at the law school through mentorship, volunteering, events in the community, donating time and resources, or by attending or organizing a class reunion or a social gathering in your part of the world.

The DLAA recognizes extraordinary achievement by sponsoring three awards each year: The Alumni Teaching Award, the Bertha Wilson Honour Society Award, and the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service. We appreciate receiving your nominations over the years and look forward to further nominations detailing exemplary service among law alumni.

We are proud of the positive impact of Schulich Law alumni in numerous areas including law reform, adjudication, legal services, and community engagement, here and around the world. The school and its alumni embrace interdisciplinary opportunities within the university community, value the creation and dissemination of new knowledge, and are firmly committed to legal reform, systemic improvement and innovation, natural justice, and continuous learning.

We value the contributions of the founding communities in Nova Scotia, the Mi’kmaq Nation, Acadians, African Nova Scotians, and European-British. The school opens its doors to the whole world.

At the heart of all of this are those who go out into the world, the alumni. It has been a pleasure to meet many of you at various events. I look forward to meeting many more of you!

Congratulations to the Class of 2020 who now join the 7,000 plus alumni in the global community. The Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University continues to play an extraordinary role in the fabric of Canadian legal education. As an alumnus, no matter what your year, you are part of that fabric.

The DLAA has chapters worldwide, and invites alumni to join one, or start one in your area. Currently, DLAA chapters exist in Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, You are, I think, the most important part! We thank you.

Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, I thank you.

Quebec, Saskatchewan, Southeastern Ontario (Ottawa), Southern Ontario (Toronto) and the Yukon; and, globally in Warmest regards, Asia (Singapore), the Middle East (Israel), and the United Kingdom (London).

Mary D. Hamblin President Dalhousie Law Alumni Association

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DALHOUSIE LAW ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE NATIONAL PRESIDENT

Mary Hamblin (’99) maryhamblin@gmail.com

BRANCH PRESIDENTS & VICE-PRESIDENTS YUKON

Katie Mercier (’15) kmerc@hotmail.com

PAST PRESIDENT

Donna Franey (’86) donna.franey@dal.ca

NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

Christopher Buchanan (’11) buchanan.christopher@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-TREASURER

Tammi Hayne lawalum@dal.ca LAW STUDENTS’ SOCIETY PRESIDENT

Meghan Faught, JD Candidate 2021 president@dallss.com LAW STUDENTS’ SOCIETY VP EXTERNAL

Shane Isler, JD Candidate 2021 vpexternal@dallss.com MEMBERS AT LARGE Tony Amoud (’09) tonyamoud@hotmail.com Tyana Caplan (’02) tcaplan@stewartmckelvey.com Douglas Ruck (’77) do.ruck@gmail.com Ansley Simpson (’09) asimpson@cartersimpson.ca

BRITISH COLUMBIA

Stephanie Fabbro (’98) BP stephanie@hamiltonfabbro.com Michelle Yung (’13) VP yungm@bennettjones.com ALBERTA

Brian Beck (’93) brianbeck@shaw.ca

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

Maya Nix (’03) maya.nix@gmail.com UNITED KINGDOM

David Gossen (’03) dlgossen@gmail.com

SASKATCHEWAN

Christina Meredith-Flister (’14) cmeredithflister@theveritasedge.com MANITOBA

Erica Tait (’07) VP etait@gcwllp.com SOUTHERN ONTARIO

Chris Hale (’87) BP cchale@hotmail.com Shannon Portman (’13) VP srepaine@gmail.com SOUTHEASTERN ONTARIO

Ian MacKay (’82) ian.mackay@rogers.com QUEBEC

Nathalie Goyette (’89) ngoyette@dwpv.com

To learn more, visit dal.ca/law

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SCHOOL NEWS

PROFESSORS RECOGNIZED FOR RESEARCH IMPACT In 2019, Professors Jennifer Llewellyn and Matthew Herder both received the Dalhousie President’s Research Excellence Award for Research Impact.

Llewellyn is the Yogis and Keddy Chair in Human Rights Law, Donald R. Sobey Family Foundation Chair in Restorative Justice, and Director of the Restorative Research, Innovation and Education Lab. Her teaching and research are focused on the areas of restorative justice, truth commissions, international and domestic human rights law, and Canadian constitutional law.

Herder (LLB ’03, LLM ’06) is an associate professor in the Faculty of Medicine’s Department of Pharmacology with a cross-appointment in the Faculty of Law. He is also the director of the law school’s Health Law Institute and a Canadian Harkness Associate in Health Care, Policy, and Practice. His research interests cluster around biomedical innovation policy, with a particular focus on pharmaceutical drugs.

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PRO BONO DALHOUSIE WINS ISANS AWARD Schulich Law’s student pro bono legal information clinic was awarded the Immigrant Services Association of Nova Scotia’s (ISANS) Award for their efforts to help newcomers with legal issues. The award recognizes exceptional and innovative efforts in welcoming immigrants to Nova Scotia and helping them successfully integrate into the community.

Pro Bono Dalhousie @ Schulich Law has partnered with ISANS to provide legal information clinics since 2005. Professor Constance MacIntosh helped launch the project after recognizing that there was a need for access to legal information for refugees and immigrants.

Each year the student volunteers help 30 to 65 newcomers, often former refugees, with information about citizenship, travel documents, and the rights and obligations of permanent residents. More than 120 students have participated in the program since its inception, with some going on to pursue careers in immigration law.

PROFESSORS COUGHLAN AND CRAIG AMONG MOST INFLUENTIAL LAWYERS Professors Steve Coughlan and Elaine Craig were named to Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers list, which highlights the important and significant work of jurists across the country.

CANADA AND JAPAN UNITE TO DISCUSS THE OCEAN’S FUTURE The world’s oceans connect us all.

This truth was evident at the first Canadian-Japanese Scholarly Exchange on the Law of the Sea at the Schulich School of Law on December 6-7, 2019.

Coughlan (’85) was recognized The first event of its kind in the Government/Nonin Canada, hosted by the Profits/Associations category. Marine & Environmental Law He led the efforts of Canada’s Institute, brought together criminal law academic Canadian and Japanese law of community in advising the the sea experts to exchange Department of Justice on views on international ocean changes that led to the governance. passage of Bill C-51, which The gathering was led by removed outdated offences Professor Aldo Chircop (JSD from the Criminal Code. ’88), Canada Research Chair Craig (LLB ’04, JSD ’10) was recognized in the Human Rights, Advocacy, and Criminal category for her work toward making the legal profession and the legal system more accountable for the harms it causes to survivors of sexual violence. In 2019 she published her awardwinning book Putting Trials on Trial: Sexual Assault and the Failure of the Legal Profession.

in Maritime Law and Policy at Schulich Law and Mr. Toru Hotta, Director of the Law of the Sea Section for Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the two-day event, participants tackled a wide range of topics including ocean governance and sovereignty, the Arctic, seabed mining and human rights and the law of the sea.

NEW JOINT ARTICLING OPPORTUNITY The Dalhousie Legal Aid Service (DLAS) and Technology and Innovation Law Clinic (TILC) have collaborated on an articling opportunity that will give students experience in different clinical contexts.

The Shared Articling Program will allow two graduating students to spend six months at each clinic.

At TILC, articling students will offer early stage legal information and advice for technology start-ups. The aim is to help start-ups overcome their unique legal challenges, while providing students with knowledge and experience in this growing area.

At DLAS, articling students will have an opportunity to give back to the community by providing legal services to low income Nova Scotians.

DLAS works in both traditional legal areas, including family and criminal law, and non-traditional areas, such as welfare, landlord and tenant, public housing and pension law.

CAMERON AND LITKE RECEIVE Q.C. DESIGNATION

SCHULICH LAW DOMINATES IN SPORTS AT LAW GAMES

Schulich Law students brought home the Sports Cup at this year’s Law Games at Université Laval. Law Games is an annual event that brings together law students from across Canada to participate in competitive moots, sports and social events. It’s the largest gathering of law Cameron joined the Schulich School of Law as Dean in 2015 students in the country and after holding senior roles at the is a fun way for them to get to know their peers and meet University of Melbourne and City University of Hong Kong. their counterparts at other Canadian schools.

Before working in academia, This year’s victory makes it a she was a practicing lawyer back-to-back win for Schulich and consultant and worked Law in the Sports category, on a number of international with the team also taking development projects. the top prize at the 2019 Litke has represented clients Law Games at Université de and mentored students at Sherbrooke.

Dalhousie Legal Aid Service Fourteen of Nova Scotia’s top lawyers were recently awarded the prestigious Queen’s Counsel (Q.C.) designation in recognition of contributions to the legal profession. Among them were Dean Camille Cameron and Dal Legal Aid’s Susanne Litke.

since 1999. Her work is focused on reforming laws that unfairly impact vulnerable members of society.

Six Schulich Law alumni also received their Q.C. designation: Victoria Rees (’87), Kenneth C. Greer (’93), Demetrius Kachafanas (’95), Lora MacEachern (’95), Mark Gregory Gosine (’98) and Perry F. Borden (’02).

The Schulich Law team’s 38 members secured their win by placing first in floor hockey, flag football and capture the flag; and second in soccer, inner tube water polo, volleyball and basketball.

LAW GRAD HIGHLIGHTS FEMALE REPRESENTATION IN NEW BOOK Sarah Dobson (’20) is shining a light on female representation in Nova Scotia’s Legislative Assembly in a new book exploring the stories of all the women elected in the province’s history.

On Their Shoulders: The Women Who Paved the Way in Nova Scotia Politics will be a collection of 50 stories about the female representatives past and present detailing their journeys to office, the inequalities they overcame, memorable moments and achievements, and advice they would give young women interested in politics.

Dobson and co-author Grace Evans hope that by sharing these stories they will inspire other women, especially those from diverse backgrounds, to run for public office and begin building a government that represents all Canadians.

Proceeds from the book will fund a scholarship for young women pursuing a career in politics.

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CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE Colin Jackson and Diana Ginn receive Schulich Law’s top teaching awards Teaching is at the heart of Schulich Law’s mission. We are known for our committed professors who give students an outstanding legal education, while making them feel welcome and supported in our close-knit, collegial community. The winners of this year’s teaching awards are truly an inspiration to our students.

DALHOUSIE LAW ALUMNI TEACHING AWARD – PROFESSOR COLIN JACKSON

HANNAH AND HAROLD BARNETT EXCELLENCE IN TEACHING AWARD – PROFESSOR DIANA GINN

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 in consultation with two representatives from the Dalhousie Law Alumni Association.

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 the Teaching Awards committee, chaired by the LSS Vice-President Academic. This is Professor Ginn’s fourth time receiving the award - she was previously recognized in 2005, 2012 and 2014.

Professor Colin Jackson (LLM ’13, PhD ’20) has been on both sides of the classroom at Schulich Law, and it shows in the empathy and concern he has for his students. He became a Professor in 2018, and in 2019 he was one of the inaugural recipients of the Class of 1967 Award for Innovation in Teaching.

“I’m thankful everyday to get to come to work and teach brilliant, thoughtful, curious law students in a building that’s jam-packed with incredible teachers who I admire,” says Jackson. “Schulich Law has always been a place that’s committed to excellent and innovative teaching, so to be recognized for teaching here is an incredible honour.”

“Professor Ginn always goes above and beyond to make sure that our class is understanding the course material,” says nominator Madison Ranta. “Whether it’s going over some practice questions together in class after a particularly tricky topic or encouraging students to submit their answers to old exam questions to her for personalized feedback, she is open to working with students to improve their grasp on property law.

You can tell that she empathizes with first year law students and wants to do her best to make us feel at home at Dal.”

Professor Ginn’s response to receiving the award is evidence of her caring approach. “I love teaching, and am very grateful to Third-year student Maggie Day says she nominated professor be recognized for something that I enjoy so much,” says Ginn.

Jackson because he really cares about his students. “He changes “Interacting with students is always the highlight of my job, and up each of his lessons so that we can learn the material in of course this spring, my thoughts were with all our students, as different ways. This helps keep me engaged with the material the academic year ended so differently than expected.” and remember it come exam time. He also makes great jokes and keeps things light and fun. He is super excited to teach all SOCIETY OF THE YEAR AND THINK TANK AWARD of the classes he teaches which makes me more eager to learn.”

Our annual teaching awards event also recognizes the student Professor Jackson’s other nominator, third-year student Jenna society of the year and the winner of the Dalhousie Journal Shaddock adds, “He cares about our understanding more than of Legal Studies (DJLS) Think Tank Award. This year, three anything and is selfless with his time. Without the individual student societies tied for the top prize: the Dalhousie Feminist help he provided me I would not have gone into my exams so Legal Assoication (DFLA), the Dalhousie Black Law Students’ confidently.”

Association (DBLSA) and the Dalhousie Indigenous Law Students’ Association (DILSA). Second-year student Maria Rizzetto received the DJLS Think Tank award for her project “Defective Umbrella? Examining non-consensual intimate image sharing within court reasoning.”

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NEW FACULTY FOR 2020 MICHELLE WILLIAMS Michelle Williams is already part of the Schulich Law community, having served as Director of Schulich Law’s IB&M Initiative for more than 15 years. She earned her LLB at the University of Toronto, her LLM at NYU and also holds a Bachelor of Social Work from Dalhousie. Her research interests include African Nova Scotian Law, critical race theory and practice, and criminal law. She is actively engaged in advocacy for African Nova Scotians, and serves on a number of committees both at Dal and in the broader community dedicated to equity, diversity and inclusiveness. Williams will be teaching African Nova Scotians and the Law and Criminal Justice in the 2020/2021 academic year.

SHERRY PICTOU Sherry Pictou has accepted a joint tenure track position with the Schulich School of Law and School of Public Administration, Faculty of Management. She holds a BA from Saint Mary’s, a BEd from Mount Allison and an MA (Education) and Interdisciplinary PhD from Dal, and is currently an Assistant Professor in the Women’s Studies Department at Mount Saint Vincent University. Her research interests include decolonizing treaty relations, social justice for Indigenous women, Indigenous women’s role in food and lifeways, and Indigenous knowledge and food systems. She is a former Chief for her community, L’sitkuk (water cuts through high rocks) known as Bear River First Nation, Nova Scotia.

SARA ROSS Sara Ross completed her BCL and LLB with a major in Commercial Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at McGill University, her LLM from the University of Ottawa and her PhD at Osgoode Hall. She also holds a BA with Distinction in French from the University of Alberta, and a BA Honours with Distinction from McGill. Her research looks at the intersection of law, culture and the city. Ross will be deferring her appointment until 2021 to take on a Banting Fellowship at Schulich Law, supervised by Professors Sara Seck and Jamie Baxter. She will be teaching Private International Law in the 2020/2021 academic year.

LIAM McHUGH RUSSELL Liam McHugh Russell earned his JD at the University of Toronto, his LLM at McGill and his PhD at the European University Institute. He also holds a Bachelor of Mathematics from the University of Waterloo. His research is focused on the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) approach to informal employment, the World Bank’s influence on global business regulation, and the impact of the American Law Institute on corporate governance. He recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship with the Labour Law and Development Research Lab at McGill. In the 2020/2021 academic year, he will be teaching Business Associations, Labour Law and will be coaching the Labour Arbitration moot team.

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ADVOCATING FOR THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN Mukisa Kakembo’s internship experience taught her about more than the law

BY STEPHANIE HURLEY

The Schulich School of Law Internship Program started in 2009 with a small number of internships funded by The Schulich Foundation. Thanks to their generosity, many other donors were inspired to contribute to the program. Just over a decade later, it has grown to be the largest paid summer internship program for law students in the country. Since its inception, 240 students have completed summer internships in over 80 organizations in Canada and around the world with more than $1.2 million in funds awarded. An internship not only provides a meaningful work experience for students but can also help shape their career path.

Mukisa Kakembo was awarded the Pink Larkin Internship in 2019, a summer internship in law for a first-year diversity student. She spent her summer working at the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia, a local non-profit organization that engages with vulnerable women to foster personal empowerment and address the root causes of criminalization.

Her goal going into her internship was to learn to advocate for human rights. “As a student in the Indigenous Blacks and Mik’maq Initiative, I want to use my future legal career to work on issues of equality and equity, to meaningfully support my community.”

Kakembo achieved her goal and more. “My internship gave me the opportunity to provide legal support for women in Nova Scotia and advocate for the rights of diverse cis and LGBTQ+ women. I gained experience in the field of prison law, criminal law, civil law and family law. It was a unique opportunity to work with clients and support them through some of the most difficult circumstances of their life. It was an emotional, yet very empowering journey.”

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Her main role was to provide legal research, analysis, and assistance to clients, the staff lawyer, and the executive director.

Her duties included conducting research to improve women’s access to justice, meeting with clients, assisting women in finding legal representation, helping women in completing record suspension applications, filing FOIPOP applications, and finding housing for women transitioning out of prison.

Kakembo’s internship also gave her the opportunity to learn about and work on access to justice issues. She felt fortunate to be able to attend the Imagining Black Justice event organized

by El Jones, which was an educational one-day workshop addressing issues of justice affecting Black Canadians.

However, her role was about more than legal work. She was able to support women on a personal level. “The relationships I built with both the staff and clients gave me a much wider understanding of the impact of criminalization, and which community supports are needed to build women’s resilience so that they can be successful in the future. I gained invaluable skills that have made me even more passionate about working towards social justice in the field of law.”

In fact, the highlight of Kakembo’s internship was helping to get women out of prison and connecting them to the resources they needed to support their reintegration into society. This experience impacted her both personally and professionally, helping her face her own learned bias about people who have been criminalized.

“ As a student in the Indigenous Blacks and

Mik’maq Initiative, I want to use my future legal career to work on issues of equality and equity, to meaningfully support my community.”

MUKISA KAKEMBO

PHOTO CREDIT: NIMROD MATTHIAS

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Since 2009 Schulich Law’s Internship Program has PLACED

240 STUDENTS

AWARDED

$1.2M IN FUNDS

“I gained a new perspective by talking to clients about their lives.

Seeing the complexity of their backgrounds and experiences reduced any stigma I may have had towards criminalized people.

I got to witness people’s journeys and see how the Elizabeth Fry Society empowers them to heal, pursue higher education, and find employment when given the proper environment. Overall, the highlight of my experience was gaining the skills to be a resource for our clients.”

Working at the Elizabeth Fry Society showed her the unique challenges women face within the criminal justice system, teaching her to apply a feminist lens when analysing law enforcement and legal institutions.

“The clients I worked with had faced trauma, were living in poverty, or had health issues. This experience made me think more critically about the principles of our criminal justice system, and the lack of support for rehabilitating offenders,” says Kakembo. “Most wanted to improve themselves, but they didn’t have the money nor resources. When people are empowered with the tools they need to thrive, they have more to give back to their families and communities. If the criminal justice system gave those who have been criminalized the opportunity to get the help they need, we would undeniably have a stronger society.”

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HELPED

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ORGANIZATIONS

This experience affirmed her belief that the criminal law system needs deep systemic change to better address women’s needs.

Particularly, change that would address the needs of Indigenous and Black women, who she believes require a more holistic and culturally appropriate approach. “This internship motivated me to fight to change the meaning of justice to one that prioritizes rehabilitation and reconciliation, rather than punishment.”

Before her internship Kakembo was not interested in practicing criminal or civil law, but now sees how working in these fields can improve access to justice.

“My internship sparked my interest in anti-discrimination work, human rights work, and litigation. I’m now also interested in law reform and using the law to make institutional change.” She says that working with the Elizabeth Fry Society has expanded her options for the areas of law she would like to pursue.

“This experience shaped my worldview and allowed me to go into second year with new perspectives on the law, and a new analysis of the criminal justice system, its functions, its rationale, and how it impacts people’s lives.” says Kakembo. “I learned how to carry out legal advocacy work and protect people’s rights, which was truly a dream come true.”

Kakembo’s first year internship showed her that there is an entire field of women’s rights and feminist litigation that ultimately led to her second year internship at the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund. She starts her third year at Schulich Law this fall.

THINKING AHEAD New online app helps Nova Scotians write personal directives

BY STEPHANIE HURLEY

Jocelyn Downie, a professor at Dalhousie’s Schulich School of Law, is making it easier for Nova Scotians to let their health-care wishes be known.

Last year, Downie and the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS) started to develop a personal directive app — the first of its kind in Canada. The website-based app can be accessed via the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia.

Downie says there are at least three good reasons to have a personal directive.

An advance directive, or personal directive as it is called in Nova Scotia, is a document through which an individual sets out who “First, it is a way to make sure that your wishes they want to make health and other personal care decisions on their behalf when they have lost decision-making capacity; what and values are respected when you are not able to make health and other personal care decisions should be made on their behalf; and their personal beliefs and values to help guide those who are making decisions decisions for yourself. Second, it is a great on their behalf.

The COVID-19 pandemic serves as a reminder of the importance of being prepared.

“The need for personal directives has always been with us,” says Downie, who also serves as the James S. Palmer Chair in Public Policy and Law at Schulich Law. “We were not anticipating this pandemic at all. It is just incredibly fortuitous that we have the app ready now because of both the increase in the number of people facing health-care crises and the need for physical distancing.”

Downie and Dal Law grad Victoria Apold (’01) began to explore the idea as part of Downie’s Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Fellowship. They were experimenting with new ways to solve seemingly intractable problems in end of life law, policy and practice.

“We decided that a useful project would be to develop a free template personal directives form for Nova Scotia,” explains Downie. “We wanted to take the mystery out of it and make it easy and free to do. While working on this project, we stumbled upon the LISNS online wills app. It struck us that they already had an impressive platform and we could make our template accessible and user friendly by building on their platform. It was a perfect match!”

gift you can give to your loved ones that takes the weight of making the decisions off their shoulders. Third, it reduces moral distress for health-care providers — if they know what you would want, it avoids putting them in the middle of conflict over what your wishes were.”

Through the website app, Nova Scotians are guided step-bystep through the process of filling out a personal directive online from their own home or while in a healthcare or long-term care facility. Once the directive is completed online, it can be downloaded immediately or the app can e-mail it to the person.

Once it is signed and witnessed, it is valid.

Downie says the app is now more important than ever.

“Today’s circumstances may prompt a lot of people to do something they have been putting off or did not know how to do and it will help protect them not only during this pandemic but well beyond.”

To find the app, please visit the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia at legalinfo.org

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RIGHT FROM THE START Celebrating the tenacity and optimism of the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service

BY ELEANOR BRAMAH

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The work it takes to create a better, more equitable world is never complete. Dalhousie Legal Aid Service (DLAS) is celebrating 50 years of that dedication and hard work. Work that is just as important, just as relevant today as it was 50 years ago. Perhaps, some might argue, even more so.

If there is a theme that runs through the kinds of stories that are told about DLAS, it is this: Every person who has spent time there as a client, as a staff member, or as a student, believes that there is always something—and someone—else to keep fighting for.

But to say that DLAS is only about the fight is far from the whole story. DLAS balances optimism with realism. Tenacity with acceptance. All in service to making progress that is tangible and real, whether that serves a single person or thousands of people fighting an unjust system.

After educating and shaping over 2000 students, this is a moment to reflect and celebrate in the history of DLAS. It is also a moment to look to the future, and the next 50 years of change that its staff, students, clients, and community will create in the lives of people here in Nova Scotia and across the country.

This is a story that’s far from over. But in its telling, we can recognize what’s already been achieved and strengthen the resolve of those who will shape the stories to come.

IN THE BEGINNING In the summer of 1970, the Halifax Neighbourhood Centre alongside students from the law school at Dalhousie University were spending their days—and likely evenings—inside, away from summer’s freedoms, doing something new.

They were creating what would become the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service (the Clinic, as it’s often called) because they felt and heard what the community in the North End of Halifax needed. The community was crying out for access to justice for those experiencing barriers to legal services. And Dalhousie’s law students believed they could do something about it.

“The real movers and shakers behind the establishment of the Clinic were students from the law school,” says Dick Evans, a former Clinic director, who was instrumental in shaping the vision and structure of DLAS for its future. When the Clinic was founded, by and for its community, it became the first university-based clinical law program in Canada. From its inception, and thanks to the dedication of its many champions, the Clinic’s mission has always been clear: · To provide legal aid services for persons who otherwise would not be able to obtain legal advice or assistance.

· To conduct research, provide information, make recommendations and engage in programs relating to legal aid and law reform in the province of Nova Scotia. · To provide an educational experience in the solution of legal problems for students enrolled in the Faculty of Law of Dalhousie University who participate in the work of the Service (the Clinic).

The early days of the Clinic were undeniably different from today. For instance, Evans remembers that just before he joined the Clinic, there was not an existing director in place and the students were rather short on supervision. “When I arrived in June of 1975, Sarah Mackenzie, a newly called lawyer and recent hire was holding down the fort, along with just five summer students.” Like every new organization, the early DLAS team had to not just think outside the box, but sometimes do things in a less-than-traditional fashion.

Rollie Thompson (’78) can attest to this. Thompson is currently a member of the Board of Trustees. He’s acted as both the Clinic board’s chair and vice-chair, and as a student in 197778, he sat on the board as a student member. And, most importantly, he was the Clinic’s executive director from 19821985 and reprised this role from 1991-94 alongside Evans.

“Even when I wasn’t actively at the Clinic, I was still involved,” Thompson says. “I’d take cases, consult with lawyers, and stay in touch with clients.” So to say he is intrinsically woven into the fabric of the Clinic may be an understatement.

He remembers his first case at the Clinic—a two-day custody trial. “I had no idea what I was doing,” Thompson laughs. “But the learning experience for students has improved dramatically over the years and so has the standard of practice. The students are the ones who make it possible for DLAS to handle its incredible caseload.”

Donna Franey (’86) the Executive Director of DLAS for the past 25 years, remembers the organized chaos of the Clinic’s early days as well. “One of the students was involved in a family case and the judge ended up ordering the client’s belongings to be delivered to DLAS,” remembers Franey. “Sometimes the Clinic is the only way to make something work for someone who needs help. It can be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants experience.”

Within this unique atmosphere, the principles that were shaping the Clinic’s culture, were clear and true: to provide access to justice, enact important law reform, and to educate and develop young lawyers.

This early clarity brought with it remarkable drive and dedication to the community from everyone at the Clinic. In 1976, Evans and Doug Kane, a community development worker, helped the Clinic evolve from an advisory board to include nine VOLUME 41 · 2020

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community representatives. An important change ensuring that the perspective of the people the Clinic serves remains at the heart of its mission, its work, and the students it teaches.

What’s worth fighting for

Lori McCurdy (’94) says that what’s special about the Clinic is the ability for students to create change. “It goes beyond the academic,” she says. “We were exposed to various experiences of communities we might not otherwise have been aware of and learned that we could do something to contribute to changing those experiences - improving those experiences.”

“I remember the first time I advocated on behalf of a family who was facing challenges with their kids being taken by child services.

While I don’t remember the specifics of the law and principles of the case anymore, what I do remember is the significance of it. The level of responsibility I felt in dealing with people’s lives, and how it made me feel advocating for people who were up against more significant and well-resourced parties.”

“One thing that’s remained consistent is the drive from students – Jack Graham (’88), Q.C. and staff to help clients,” Thompson says. “Motivation has never been an issue. Everyone wants to do right by their clients.”

“I wasn’t certain I wanted to continue at law school in third year. I didn’t know what I was going to do with the degree. Starting to do Franey agrees. “The students work so hard and form such a real work on women’s and youth issues in the criminal legal system bond with the clients. It’s human nature for the more established really set the course for what I have done in the ensuing 36 years.” team to worry about new students coming in—that they won’t – Senator Kim Pate (’84) treat the clients as well as the past students did. But that’s never the case. Students always see that people are people, no matter where or who they are. And every person deserves to be treated Courage changes everything with the same dignity.”

“I had this old metal desk in my office, and when one of my first child welfare clients came in to prepare for a hearing, she banged The Clinic’s impact on its students can’t be understated. Not that old desk so hard it scared everyone in the office. All she wanted only because of the practical experience it provides, but because was to get her kids back into her care, but she needed decent of the values and ideals it imparts. clothes and a haircut to go to court. So we got her sorted out and she went into the hearing with so much more confidence. I think And powerful values stick. that confidence helped her be successful.”

– Donna Franey (’86)

A TEACHER OF HUMANITY AND HUMILITY

Today, the true picture of those who study law is significantly more diverse and representative of the society in which we live. The people studying law come with more varied and unique backgrounds, and may come with an understanding and experience that aligns with clients at the Clinic too.

This wasn’t always the case. Over the years the Clinic opened many young eyes to the reality and truth of Nova Scotian communities, and the injustice, poverty, and inequality that still exist. “Many law students that come from backgrounds of privilege are suddenly immersed in poverty law,” says Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice John Bodurtha (’95). “We are privileged to be learning the law and it teaches students the opportunities a law degree presents to advance the causes of marginalized communities.”

It is clear that an experience at the Clinic teaches so much more than the law. It clarifies what is worth fighting for. It imparts courage and confidence. It highlights the inevitability of loss. And it demonstrates, every day, the power when people come together.

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The reality of losing “There’s one thing that comes with being a legal aid lawyer, and it’s that you lose a lot more than you win. Early in my career, another legal aid lawyer told me that we should always be cynical about the process, never be cynical about the clients. That stuck with me. The process can grind you down, and it’s the clients that keep you sane.”

– Rollie Thompson (’78)

The power of the collective “We need to stand up for social justice, we need to work toward an equitable society. And when we bring law, business, and community together we can have collective impact.”

– Rodney Small “There are so many hard workers at the Clinic who sometimes go unseen, but who are so passionate about trying to make a difference in the lives of their clients. Some clients come in with so many problems, and everything the team does is to benefit the client and help them through whatever they’re facing. It’s something I’ve never experienced to the same degree anywhere else.”

– Heather McNeill (’94)

THE ONE AND THE MANY The stories that have shaped the Clinic are often singular.

A story of one client, one case, one relationship. They are a memory or moment.

But the truth is that these individual stories represent so much more, and one of the Clinic’s many strengths has been its ability to be the bridge between the one and the many. For a small staff, the Clinic has brought successful cases to the Supreme Court of Canada on three separate occasions.

“It really is the little engine that could,” says Justice Bodurtha. “Some of the cases the Clinic has been involved in are remarkable and it deserves to be recognized and supported for these achievements.”

ACCESSING JUSTICE CAN LEAD TO BROAD, MEANINGFUL CHANGE Rocky Jones (’92) is a legend not only in Nova Scotia’s legal system, but in the social justice landscape as well. His legacy is exemplified in his work with Rodney Small, who was tried in Youth Court before Judge Corrine Sparks (’79).

His case centered around an interaction between Small and a police officer.

Though both he and Jones didn’t know it early on, Small’s case would end up representing so much more in Canadian law, connecting dots between racial bias, policing, justice, civil rights, judicial impartiality and more. While Judge Sparks—notably the first Black judge in Nova Scotia—had found Small not guilty, the Crown’s reaction to the ruling led Jones and Small all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. This experience fundamentally changed Small’s life, and ultimately, set legal precedents when it came to racial bias in policing across the country.

“Rocky was the real deal, a lawyer who was a social advocate too,” Small remembers. “We had a real relationship, and it was bumpy sometimes because I was rough around the edges. But he had so much positive energy, so when I wanted to back away from the case, Rocky was strong for me.”

RODNEY SMALL OUTSIDE COMMON GOOD SOLUTIONS IN HALIFAX. PHOTO CREDIT: WILL YANG

Today, as a leader in his community, Small also focuses on sharing the history of his neighbourhood and bringing people together to create change. “Dalhousie Legal Aid is a pillar in this community. It gives space for real dialogue and is truly representative of the people it serves,” he says. “I was lucky to have a lawyer in my life who understood my situation.

Who knew my community and was in my community.”

Shawna Paris-Hoyte (’94), Q.C. and 25-year veteran of DLAS as a staff lawyer, acknowledges just how meaningful this case was. “It has had an enormous impact,” she says. “It gave the Supreme Court of Canada voice to the issue of race and bias.

And twenty-three years later, our team continues this work today, giving voice to things like racial injustice in street checks and other social issues.”

This is just one story—one of many that represent the change and impact that DLAS has had. What can’t be denied: The Clinic’s ongoing legacy of ensuring the legal rights of underrepresented communities both in Nova Scotia and in Canadian law.

Raised in Uniacke Square, Rodney is now the Director of ONE North End and part of Common Good Solutions, an organization in Atlantic Canada developing strategies to build equitable policies to improve the lives of poor and marginalized communities.

“Back then, I was ready to leave Nova Scotia,” Small says. “I was going down a dark path. But when I read the decision about my case on the front page of the newspaper, I knew it was my time, and that I needed to pull myself in a new direction.”

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REFORMING LAW IMPACTS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE THROUGH A SINGLE IDEA

COMMUNITY IMPACT IS REALIZED BY INTEGRATING DISCIPLINES, PEOPLE, AND ISSUES

Institutional power is slow and difficult to impact. It’s hard to criticize, dismantle, or move bureaucracy forward.

Even when addressing broad change at the institutional level, the issues DLAS tackles are often ones of basic human survival, issues connected to poverty, health, shelter, human rights, discrimination and so many more.

But Dalhousie Legal Aid Service has done it. Many times over.

Today, for instance, Nova Scotia has some of the best rules and regulations in the country governing credit, collections and disconnection by Nova Scotia Power, thanks to the tireless work of Thompson and former DLAS caseworker Jeanne Fay, among many others.

“There was a fundamental truth in the argument that we fought to have recognized,” says Thompson. “If the Utility and Review Board was going to give permission to raise rates, then regulations had to evolve too. There needs to be more protection for low-income communities, and eventually we came out with a set of rules and regulations that could continue to be improved.”

Franey says that the Clinic works to prioritize more of these kinds of cases, digging down to systemic problems to create change. “When you see something time and time again, our team looks for the root of the issue,” says Franey. “Whether it’s an adult protection matter, ensuring that the government puts the welfare of the person ahead of their own interests, or a human rights inquiry about whether disabled people are being unnecessarily institutionalized, removed from their communities and losing their autonomy, we are doing transformative work.”

The teamwork that imbues everything DLAS does is also something Franey emphasizes. “We have community legal workers, lawyers, and students out there working with people all the time,” she says. “So often the community comes to us and tells us where we need to focus attention so that we not only create meaningful law reform, but also contribute to tangible change in the community we serve.”

Paris-Hoyte understands that fact on a fundamental level.

“We are, in many ways, the last stop for people whose everyday existence is threatened,” she says. “Our connection to the Dalhousie School of Social Work means we can work collaboratively to address bigger social issues—we help fuse law and social work together. And the gaps between these two things have the greatest impact on marginalized communities.”

Perhaps the best example of this fusion is the Clinic’s contribution to Bryony House. In 1978, the Clinic helped create the first transition house in Nova Scotia providing emergency services for women affected by intimate partner abuse. And early in Bryony House’s history, two members of the DLAS team left the Clinic to work with Bryony House full-time.

“The Clinic began outreach sessions there once a month with residents,” says Franey. “Many of these women had never had to find housing, or try to get income assistance, or deal with criminal law or peace bonds. Our team was learning along with the Transition House Association how best to protect people and what services they needed.”

Paris-Hoyte believes you need these kinds of embedded relationships with the community to make a real difference. “A lot of legal aid Clinics hire social workers,” she says. “But DLAS has long-standing connections and a very diverse team when it comes to legal and life experience. And when your community legal workers have a background in social work, it adds a special lens to everything we work on.”

Senator Pate, who has spent four decades advocating on behalf of marginalized and victimized Canadians, agrees. “The importance of having a social worker attached to the Clinic helped me see that we weren’t just looking at court cases, but we were looking at important public policy areas.” Put simply, the Clinic builds bridges.

The Clinic’s resilience and tenacity also ensures that things get done.

DONNA FRANEY, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DLAS.

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THE THINGS THAT LAST

A BEACON OF TOMORROW

Whether it’s a scared client, a young student, or an overextended lawyer, those who enter the Clinic may enter feeling alone.

The cases and people who will come next to Dalhousie Legal Aid Service are unknowable. But while the specifics might be cloudy, the principles shaping the Clinic’s future remain steadfast.

That feeling doesn’t last long.

“For fifty years, DLAS has been providing an essential service to our community, making legal information and advice available The importance of the work, the dedication of the team, and the to people who would not otherwise have that access. It has also sense of making a difference all work together to create bonds given thousands of law students a great opportunity to apply that stand the test of time. Whether a lawyer has just started their learning, acquire valuable lawyering skills, and gain an their law career or has been practicing for decades, the impact understanding of the challenges – and not only legal challenges of the Clinic never leaves.

- that are faced by so many people,” says Schulich School of Law Dean Camille Cameron. “As we look to the next 50 years, Katie Brady (’19) says that her Clinic experience helped her we are committed to continuing to support and champion the reconnect with why she wanted to study law in the first place.

Clinic so that it can carry on this work, work that can make a big “I wanted to help people,” she says. “I lost that clarity in law difference in the lives of clients, students, and the community.” school and it was only after my legal aid experience that I regained that focus that allowed me to find the people in the The Clinic will teach. It will open eyes, reveal truth, build stories I’d hear in class.” character, and push students and clients to be and do things The connections between classroom theory and the real world also became clear to Dinyar Marzban (’81), now a Q.C. and family law attorney in Vancouver, during his time at the Clinic. “One of my Clinic lawyers was Sarah Mackenzie,” he remembers. “She was always calm, always smiling, but really tough too. Once she sat with me for hours going through an affidavit, correcting tense, grammar, clarity of thought.

I probably learned 75 percent of my drafting skills in that one session with her, from having an experienced lawyer go through a real affidavit with me.”

Ellen Williams (’20) shares this perspective.

“You don’t get the human component of law from textbooks,” she says. “Being able to communicate with someone in times of stress is a learned art, and you need to be their rock. The hands-on experience at the Clinic got me ready for the real world.”

they didn’t think they could. It will be generous with its knowledge, to individuals and to its community, sharing what it learns and bringing ideas and people together.

It will open the avenues to justice for those who have no other way and be a voice for those who need one. It will illuminate the patterns of injustice that should demand our attention and the legal changes we can make to improve our society and the lives of every citizen.

It will continue to serve the community that has nurtured it for the last 50 years. Amid all the wins and the losses, all the frustrations and the steps forward, DLAS will unite those striving for justice in all its forms. And, ultimately, it is a very special place in our community, representing the people of Nova Scotia who are fighting for a better world.

“It was fun too,” says McCurdy. “You were with like-minded people doing meaningful work, applying legal principles— sometimes in creative ways—and you always felt supported.”

The richness of human experience is woven throughout the history of DLAS. Every person who has experienced it, used it, learned from it, brings some of its optimism and hope with them on their own journey.

PHOTO CREDIT: WILL YANG

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IB&M INITIATIVE WELCOMES NEW DIRECTOR Kelsey Jones carries on the IB&M legacy

BY TRUDI SMITH

IB&M Initiative changed my life, “ The and it created a community of support and friendship as I navigated law school.

It strengthened my voice and confidence to better advocate for myself and others.”

KELSEY JONES

In July 2020, the Schulich School of Law named Kelsey Jones (’14) the new Director of the Indigenous Blacks and Mi’kmaq (IB&M) Initiative. With her appointment, Jones joins a lineage of directors that have been integral to the success of the Initiative – playing a critical role in mentoring and supporting students, while also acting as the public face of the program and advocating to bring change to the legal community.

Professor Michelle Williams served as director from 2004 to 2020, helping to build the Initiative into an award-winning program that is recognized nationally as a model for access to legal education and the legal profession. After Williams left the Initiative to lead Dal’s African Nova Scotian strategy and take on a tenure track role at the law school, The Honourable Aleta Cromwell (’98) stepped in to take her place. Cromwell has now been appointed as a judge in Nova Scotia’s provincial and family courts.

One of the things that Jones is most looking forward to in her role as director is working with students and helping them develop their own voice. Jones joins Schulich Law from St. Francis Xavier University where she served as the African Descent Student Affairs Coordinator. In addition to her experience supporting students through their post-secondary journey, she also holds a Masters in Education from StFX. “I am eager to help students achieve their goals and see them reach their fullest potential,” says Jones. “I want IB&M students to know that there is someone dedicated to their success as they traverse law school and the legal profession.”

As a graduate of the IB&M Initiative, Jones knows first-hand that it provides much more than academic support­—the students, faculty and staff are a community and help each other during challenging times. “When my mother passed away during my third year of law school, it was the hardest time in my life,” says Jones. “It was the IB&M Initiative that provided me with the support I needed to grieve and the tools to be academically successful. It was the IB&M community that gave me the strength to continue with law school, and it is because of the IB&M Initiative that I am here today”.

Jones sees the career trajectories of IB&M grads like Cromwell as an indicator of how the Initiative is changing the face of the legal profession and justice system in Nova Scotia and beyond. She describes her own experience in the program as transformative saying, “The IB&M Initiative changed my life, and it created a community of support and friendship as I navigated Jones sees her return to Weldon as a homecoming, saying “It law school. It strengthened my voice and confidence to better feels wonderful being back at the Schulich School of Law as the advocate for myself and others.”

Director of the IB&M Initiative. I still remember the intimidation I felt on the first day of law school as a student; however, as I walked through Schulich Law's doors as the director, I felt no intimidation, only a strong sense of duty to the legacy of the Initiative. A legacy that I am genuinely honoured to uphold.”

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The IB&M Initiative celebrated their 30th anniversary with a reception held at the St. Mary’s Boat Club on November 22, 2019.

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PHOTOS BY ADAMS PHOTOGRAPHY 1. (From left) Michelle Williams, Sabre Lee, Melvin Mulo, Kali Roberton, Shaniqwa Thomas, Michael Stevenson, Valerie Armstrong, (Front) Jah’von Delaney 2. Craig Paul, Houston Barnaby (’19) 3. Michelle Williams, Olabisi Akinkugbe, Maria Dugas (’15) 4. Abel Begashaw, Dakota Bernard, Eyoab Begashaw 5. Naiomi Metallic (’05), Donna Gauvin (’97) 6. Dean Camille Cameron, Shawn Swallow, Michelle Williams, Darren Dick, Aldo Chircop 7. Folami Jones, Naomi Alleyne, Maria Dugas, Desiree Jones (’20), Fenessa Wiliams (’19), Adjua Atwell 8. Aldo Chircop, Heather McNeill and her husband Dave 9. Jessica Upshaw (’10), Alisha Brown-Fagan (’12), Hon. Aleta Cromwell (’98), Alicia Arana-Stirling (’05), Melisa Marsman (’05) and Misty Morrison (’08) VOLUME 41 · 2020

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DALHOUSIE LAUNCHES FIRST EVER INTERNATIONAL RESTORATIVE JUSTICE LAB Lab will be led by Schulich Law Professor Jennifer Llewellyn In June 2020, Dalhousie University launched the first ever international lab focused on restorative justice, with the support of the Donald R. Sobey Foundation. The Restorative Research, Innovation & Education Lab (RRIELab), located in the Schulich School of Law, will be led by a fully funded chair held by Professor Jennifer Llewellyn, a distinguished global leader in restorative justice.

The initial focus of the RRIELab lab will be on accelerating the growth and development of restorative justice as a key component to transform the justice system in Canada; supporting the development of restorative cities around the world; and responding to institutional abuses and failures.

Restorative justice is a human-centred approach to justice that is focused on understanding and responding to impacts and needs of affected individuals and communities. It is not only about responding when things go wrong, it is also about how to make things go right more often. This proactive and future focused approach brings people together to find meaningful and lasting justice solutions.

“The need for restorative justice is not new, indeed systemic and historical injustices mark the experience of marginalized and racialized communities around the world,” says Llewellyn, who is also the Yogis and Keddy Chair in Human Rights Law at Schulich Law.

“In this moment in our history, as we confront the pandemics of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism, we can see clearly that our current ways of doing things are not working. The urgency of a new and different way of imagining and doing justice — doing right by each other — cannot be allowed to pass by this time. We must support and sustain this new vision of justice to ensure it makes a difference throughout our systems, organizations and institutions. I am so proud and honoured that we are embarking on this journey and pledge my commitment to create and support the connections and capacities leaders need in communities, governments and the private sector to work together to reimagine what justice requires and how to achieve it.”

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The RRIELab will build on Llewellyn’s extensive work and advocacy for restorative justice. She has published on both the theory and practice of restorative justice, been scholar in residence with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and was director of the Nova Scotia Restorative Justice Community University Alliance: a collaborative research partnership between university and community partners focused on the institutionalization of restorative justice. She is currently director of the International Learning Community on a Restorative Approach, an international collaboration of researchers, policy makers and practitioners supporting jurisdictions committed to being restorative communities.

“On behalf of our entire Dalhousie community, I would like to thank the Donald R. Sobey Foundation for its generous support of the RRIELab, and to Professor Jennifer Llewellyn for her groundbreaking work in restorative justice,” says Deep Saini, Dal president. “I am deeply appreciative of the work of the Donald R. Sobey Foundation and Professor Llewellyn, who is making a vital contribution here in Nova Scotia and internationally to ensure a restorative approach to protect the health and wellbeing of everyone in our community.”

Some of the ways the RRIELab will support justice transformation in communities, systems, institutions and organizations across Canada and beyond include: • Providing strategic support for applying a restorative approach to diverse organizations • Leading research in restorative justice to demonstrate tangible outcomes and impact • Building capacity for growth and innovation in the use of a restorative approach • Designing education and training on a restorative approach • Creating a network of experts from around the world to collaborate and build knowledge • Supporting collaboration across sectors in government, community and the research community • Developing public education resources • Being a home to the Smart Justice Network of Canada, which engages in non-partisan advocacy and knowledge mobilization for a smarter fairer justice system (smartjustice.ca).

PHOTO CREDIT: WILL YANG

Internationally, the RRIELab will lead the International Learning Community, a network of practitioners, policymakers and researchers supporting local communities and cities around the world committed to being “restorative communities.”

“The establishment of the RRIELab will position Dalhousie and, indeed, Nova Scotia, to become a global centre of restorative approaches to justice,” said Rob Sobey of the Donald R. Sobey Foundation, which first entered into partnership with the RRIELab to fund its chair in restorative justice in 2017. “Our foundation is incredibly inspired by and proud of Professor Llewellyn’s leadership. Advances in this field are needed now more than ever. This visionary work will now have a true home in Nova Scotia where it can be nurtured and grow to support international needs and focus areas.”

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HELPING START-UPS GET STARTED

Technology and Innovation Law Clinic benefits clients, students, and the community

BY STEPHANIE HURLEY

In September of 2020, the Schulich School of Law will be contributing to the local entrepreneurial ecosystem in a new way. The initio Technology and Innovation Law Clinic will be fully operational, acting as a resource for technology start-ups seeking early-stage legal services, while training students to act and advise in innovation and start-up matters. Made possible by a generous donation from Stewart McKelvey Lawyers, the Tech Law Clinic is the only clinic of its kind in Canada.

The Tech Law Clinic will help break down the barriers that prevent entrepreneurs from seeking legal advice and information including cost, accessibility, transparency, and knowledge. By offering timely, virtual, cost-effective access to legal services with flexible payment for start-ups, the clinic will help address the current accessibility gap in the marketplace.

Jacqui Walsh, the clinic’s director, brings a diverse background in social science, law, business and technology to the role. She has worked in a law firm, as a sole proprietor, and as in-house counsel for small technology start-ups. For the past decade, she has taught entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy in a business program.

“I like to give back and share my knowledge and experiences with those who could benefit from it most. I think this is why I have always been interested in the technology start-up community,” says Walsh who is originally from Newfoundland. “In many ways, this position is the culmination of all of my past experiences and passions. I am keen to engage with students and advocate for the important overlap between business and the law and how an understanding of this intersection is extremely valuable to early-stage technology companies.”

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Walsh says technology start-ups, students, and the community will all benefit from the Tech Law Clinic. In fact, some early-stage technology start-ups throughout Nova Scotia have already been accessing their services. “Over the past four months, we didn’t miss a step with clients even though we could not be in the same room, showing how important it is to offer these services virtually, especially in the tech industry.” In anticipation of the first cohort of student legal advisors joining the clinic in September of this year, Walsh has been accepting clients since early February.

Jason Wolfe from Urban Lighthouse Farm Inc. was one of the clinic’s first clients. “Being a new entrepreneur, it was important to work with experienced legal professionals that understand the crucial details required to launch a successful start-up,” says Wolfe. “My experience working with the Technology and Innovation Law Clinic was remarkable. Their legal counsel gave me the confidence I needed to navigate through the business startup process.”

The Tech Law Clinic will also help to increase the number of law school graduates who are comfortable acting and advising in innovation and start-up matters and across traditional disciplines. Students will develop the skills they need to thrive in a rapidly changing legal industry. They will learn about the unique nature of start-up companies, how to engage in the practice of start-up law, and how to use technology to provide more efficient and effective services.

Lydia Bugden, CEO and Managing Partner of Stewart McKelvey, sees education as one of the most important functions of the clinic, saying “While lawyers will always require deep knowledge of the law, modern legal practice and the evolving needs of clients demand lawyers with a broadened skill set that includes technology, data analytics, process improvement, design thinking, pricing and project management.”

PHOTO CREDIT: NICK PEARCE

The clinic will create a new cohort of graduates with significant knowledge of and experience in technology, business and intellectual property. While the actual clinical course begins in September 2020, students have already been involved in various ways including summer internship opportunities and a joint articling experience between the Technology and Innovation Law Clinic and Dalhousie Legal Aid Service.

Third-year student Ella Hanthro will be joining the clinic this fall.

“New technologies, client demand, and the pandemic are rapidly changing the legal profession and putting immense pressure on lawyers and law firms to adapt to our evolving environment,” says Hanthro. “Creating a clinic that specializes in technology and innovation demonstrates Schulich Law’s commitment to preparing students for real world challenges.”

Walsh says that the larger community of Nova Scotia will be the ultimate beneficiaries of the Tech Law Clinic. “Helping technology start-ups de-risk and scale during their vulnerable years will lead to more success stories resulting in more jobs, more innovation, and more skilled workers in the area. Our goal is to be one of many support catalysts working to grow the culture of innovation in Atlantic Canada.”

To learn more, visit dal.ca/initiolawclinic

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WHERE HAS YOUR LAW DEGREE TAKEN YOU?

BY ALLISON LAWLOR

CAITLIN REGAN Law is all Caitlin Regan (’14) ever wanted to do.

“At age 11, I told my mom I wanted to be a lawyer,” she says.

Thirty-one years after her father, Geoff Regan (’83), a long-time MP and former Speaker of the House of Commons, graduated from Dalhousie with his law degree, Regan completed law school and took the next step toward fulfilling her childhood dream.

“I’d always been interested in both fairness and justice and being able to give a remedy to people who had been wronged,” she says.

The idea of being a litigator and practicing the art of persuasion excited her. “You could persuade justice to happen by the force of your words.”

Regan was thrilled to act as counsel to the Maritime Link.

Completed in 2017, the $1.5-billion project consists of two subsea cables that run 170 km across the Cabot Strait between Cape Ray in Newfoundland and Point Aconi in Nova Scotia with the capacity to carry 500 MW of electricity. Owned

by NSP Maritime Link, a subsidiary of Emera Newfoundland and Labrador, the Maritime Link was built to carry electricity generated from the Muskrat Falls hydro project in Labrador into Nova Scotia and onto markets in New England.

When she’s not working in the traditionally male-dominated field of construction, she’s doing commercial litigation. “I am somebody who kind of lives my work. It is not a nine-to-five job,” she says.

Despite being part of a close family of influential Nova Scotian politicians, including her mother, Kelly Regan, who serves as the MLA for Bedford and the province’s minister of community She set out to become a Crown prosecutor and became one, but services, she is adamant that politics is not in her future. eventually she was drawn to private practice and construction “The answer is a hard ‘No’,” she says when asked if she plans to law. She is still technically a part-time Crown attorney, but her follow in her family’s political footsteps. private practice now consumes her working days.

Overlooking the Halifax Harbour from the offices of the law firm Cox and Palmer, Regan spends a great portion of her time dealing with disputes involving construction projects. She has acted for owners, general contractors, and subcontractors, advising her clients on claims some of which are more than $100 million.

“I love construction,” she says with a laugh, never believing she would say those words and mean them.

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Mentoring young female lawyers is one of Regan’s passions. At her firm and through the Dalhousie Feminist Legal Association, she is paired with young lawyers and female legal students.

She encourages them all to be bold and to not shy away from a stimulating and demanding career in private practice.

“One big thing I always tell them: ask for opportunities,” she says. “If you work hard and look for opportunities, you will be able to build a rewarding career.”

“ Whenever I talk to students, I always encourage them to look beyond the traditional legal sphere.”

JUSTIN PON

JUSTIN PON Justin Pon (’18) may be the first lawyer in his family, but he isn’t feeling pressure to excel in a field none of his relatives have gone before; instead he is excited to be taking a new path - using his law degree to leverage technology, and disrupt old concepts of law.

“You’re so much younger than we expected,” they tell him.

“I look a lot younger than I am,” he adds with a laugh.

equity-related global legal and tax compliance issues to help them reduce their risk. He also leads North American business development for his group. This part of his job often takes him to the United States. Standing in a boardroom, surrounded by a company’s financial officers, he often gets a similar reaction.

“Traditionally law has not been a minority-dominant profession,” says Pon, who speaks Cantonese and is now learning Mandarin, a language that he believes will be an asset for his work. “Having that mentorship network, along with their advocacy to further Asian Canadian special interests in the community, has been something that I like being involved in.”

Growing up in Calgary, Pon dreamed of becoming a lawyer.

The legal shows his parents watched on television, like Law and Order, made the job look glamorous. But Pon’s practical side “Whenever I talk to students, I always encourage them to look led him first to become an accountant. After graduating from beyond the traditional legal sphere,” says Pon. “There are a lot of the University of Calgary, he worked as a legislative auditor for interesting ways you can use your legal degree.” the Auditor General of Alberta. He liked the work, but couldn’t ignore the call of law.

Pon has found one. Last summer, he joined Shareworks by Morgan Stanley. Working from the company’s Calgary office, “The farthest east I had been was to Toronto before Dal,” he he immediately became immersed in the world of global says. “I was like a fish out of water when I first arrived.” intelligence, lending guidance to multinational clients on how Coming from a close Asian-Canadian family and being a to manage the complex world of compliance for their global minority at law school was initially hard. He soon got involved equity plans. in the national coalition, the Federation of Asian Canadian “Literally everyone asks me what I do for work,” he says.

Lawyers. Still part of the organization, he now serves as treasurer of its western chapter. Providing a good source for mentorship “A client might call me and say, ‘I want to offer stock options in and networking, he is also part of its efforts to increase equity Japan. What do I have to do?’.” among Asian-Canadian legal professionals and to increase diversity on the Bench.

Pon provides the information his clients need to manage

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“ My community has always been super

important. It is like an extended family.”

JALANA LEWIS

JALANA LEWIS Growing up in Halifax’s north-end neighbourhood not only shaped Jalana Lewis (’13) as a person but determined her life path. She drew inspiration from the people around her who had risen above the racism and barriers facing their African Nova Scotian community and found ways to elevate others.

Before that, she worked as the political campaign manager for Lindell Smith. In 2016, she helped the lifelong-resident of north-end Halifax win in a landslide to become the first African Nova Scotian to win a Halifax city council seat in almost 20 years.

“They were all doing things that revolved around helping their Lewis lives in Toronto – where she divides her time between community,” says Lewis. “I knew I wanted to do the same thing.” policy work focused on improving systems and access to justice, and research for NFB documentaries - but still considers Law was Lewis’s route to that goal. She is not a practicing lawyer, Halifax home. but every day she uses the analytical, writing and research skills she learned at law school in her social justice work.

“My community has always been super important,” she says “It is like an extended family.”

“I went to law school so that I could have lots of options,” she says.

Halifax is where her mother, a retired education assistant, and her father, a cab driver, still live. It is also the life-long home of Lewis is part of a project called the African Nova Scotian Youth her 98-year-old grandmother. A humble woman who raised Lab doing what she loves: engaging and working collaboratively nine children, Lewis considers her a mentor. with the community where she grew up. The goal is to find solutions to the question: how do we decrease rates of “We are a bit alike,” she says. “We’re a little reserved but we’re unemployment among young African Nova Scotians? The reliable. We’re always the same.” community has a disproportionately high number of young Valedictorian of her graduating law class, Lewis humbly explains people who are out of work. was not based on her marks, but the extracurricular work she “It is very close to my heart,” says Lewis. “This is the most threw herself into. Organizing inclusive fundraising events with important work I do.” the Dalhousie Black Law Students’ Association, gave her the opportunity to give back to the community and learn essential Last year, she worked as chief researcher for the Report on skills she uses in her work: planning, project management and Lord Dalhousie’s History on Slavery and Race. She was part of a making space for everyone. team examining the university’s historical connections to slavery and racism and suggesting actions the institution could take in Being able to bring disparate groups of people together is not response to the report’s findings. only something Lewis is good at - it fits with her philosophy: don’t try to do things on your own.

“Drawing in others and tapping into their expertise saves a lot of time.”

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“ My relationships with people

are what I am most proud of.”

LAUREN MILLS TAYLOR

LAUREN MILLS TAYLOR Having clerked with the country’s highest judges, Lauren Mills Taylor (’16) set out to work with lawyers at the top of their profession in private practice.

In 2018, she joined the small, yet growing civil litigation group at Toronto-based Henein Hutchison LLP. Working alongside lawyers like Scott Hutchison, the firm’s partner, she knew she would have an opportunity to be part of important, high-profile cases and a chance to make an impact in the world. “I am learning so much from people who are great at what they do,” she says.

She is currently part of an immigration-related, class-action lawsuit focused on the length of time people spend in detention; she is also working pro bono alongside Hutchison and Mary Eberts, a trailblazing lawyer and human rights advocate, on a case that involves the Ontario government’s cut to funding for families of grown children with severe autism.

Before joining the firm, Mills Taylor worked as a clerk to Justice Malcolm Rowe at the Supreme Court of Canada, calling it one of the best experiences of her life. Working with the 36 other clerks was a highlight and a privilege.

Both of Mills Taylor’s parents studied law at Dalhousie, but law wasn’t the career she initially envisioned for herself. She studied international relations at the University of British Columbia and later development studies at the London School of Economics before working in Uganda with a youth-focused non-profit called Restless Development. For six months, she lived in rural villages teaching young people everything from changes in puberty and gender roles to leadership skills. The experience taught her that working behind the scenes on systemic change is where she could likely make the most lasting impact.

“I’ve always had a public service bent as to where I want my career to go,” she says.

Throwing herself into the work she loves, leads to long hours.

Her close relationships and a love of music keep her grounded.

At Dalhousie, she sang with the Acapellants, performing for students and faculty. Now in her free time she is teaching herself how to play guitar and playing upbeat songs on her ukulele.

“You can’t actually be stressed when you play the ukulele,” she says.

Previously, Mills Taylor articled at the Alberta Court of Appeal, A question she was asked during a past job interview still causes in the province where she grew up and where her mom, Michelle her to pause: what are you most proud of?

Christopher (’86) was appointed Medicine Hat Provincial “I was quiet, and then I said: my relationship with my husband,” Court’s first female judge in 2018. she says. “My relationships with people are what I am most “She is a huge role model,” she says of her mom. “She is kind of proud of.” incredible. She puts 100 per cent into everything.”

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AN ADVENTUROUS SPIRIT At the age of 94, John Commerford went skydiving for the first time. It’s just the latest adventure for someone who has always embraced opportunities in both his personal life and career as a military lawyer

BY JANE DOUCET In 2018, Major (Retired) John Commerford (’51) celebrated his 94th birthday by fulfilling his teenage dream: he went skydiving.

“It was an enjoyable, exhilarating experience that I will never forget,” he says. “I wasn’t scared, I was appreciative—it gave me something to boast about! I didn’t tell my doctor, because the year before he had told me not to do it. And you know what they say about parachuting—if you don’t succeed the first time, you don’t have to worry about trying again.”

Commerford has carried that adventurous spirit with him throughout his personal life, as well as in his careers in the military and the legal profession. When he applied to attend law school at Dalhousie, he had a clear plan: he wanted to be a military lawyer to defend young soldiers who were up on charges. That’s because he had been such a young soldier himself. Soon after his 17th birthday in 1941, he reported to Camp Aldershot in Nova Scotia for basic training in the Canadian Armed Forces. There, his mischievous nature got him into trouble.

For a time, Commerford, who had grown up in Sandy Point, Newfoundland, and Halifax, delivered messages as a runner.

His commanding officer, a major and a lawyer, didn’t appreciate the young man’s attitude. On one occasion, Commerford stuffed a message into his tunic and took a short cut. When his CO saw the piece of paper sticking out of his coat, he wrote up Commerford for being out of uniform, failing to salute him properly and not following the prescribed route. As punishment, he was confined to barracks for seven days.

“The CO was judge and jury in that case, and that bothered me,” says Commerford. “I felt that it wasn’t fair or right. So I decided that when I graduated from law school, I would defend young soldiers who got in trouble.”

Commerford’s desire to be a paratrooper was dashed when a bike accident on the training base took him out of the running, so he was transferred to artillery. He became a Bren gun instructor and sailed to England in 1943, where he shot at Nazi warplanes from installations along the English coast. Soon after D-Day, he waded ashore at Juno Beach and helped liberate occupied Europe.

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BUILDING A CAREER AND FAMILY After decommissioning, Commerford took advantage of the education benefits offered to veterans and enrolled at law school when he was 24. His favourite class was Public Law. “I thought Public Law knowledge would be helpful as a military lawyer, and it was,” he says. “I found it and all of the other classes challenging, because I was a terrible speller—so bad, in fact, that one professor told me that I had to learn to spell the common words at least!”

His marks improved after he married a Halifax business secretary named Marian who edited and typed his papers. He first met her at a Dalhousie ball. Although they had noticed each other, Commerford didn’t speak to Marian or ask her to dance.

“I wanted to,” he says, “but I was there with a wartime veteran friend, and I didn’t want him to feel obliged to ask Marian’s friend to dance.”

Thankfully, fate intervened when the pair found themselves on the same streetcar after the dance. “Marian invited me to sit across from her,” says Commerford. “Afterward, I called it The Streetcar Named Desire.” They had their first date the next day and married in 1949. The first of their five children was born the following year.

After graduation, Commerford re-enlisted in the military and rose to the rank of lieutenant. He and Marian were expecting their second child, Joan, when the Korean War erupted. The Canadian Forces offered to promote him if he agreed to serve as a lawyer. He thrived in his career as a lawyer with Ottawa’s Office of the Judge Advocate General, which oversees the administration of military justice, where he often defended soldiers at courts martial. He served on bases in Kingston and Germany and at headquarters in Ottawa.

“I enjoyed being a defence lawyer,” says Commerford. “The defence lawyer puts forward everything good about the person he’s defending, while the prosecutor puts out all of the evidence.

I didn’t like to prosecute anyone.”

A NEW CHAPTER After retiring from the Canadian Forces when he was 48, Commerford took a job with Veterans Affairs, where he often represented those who had been denied pensions, retiring from that role when he was 69. One of his proudest moments was winning a pension for the widow of a soldier who had been poisoned by mustard gas in the Second World War and later died of lung cancer. “That was the best and most rewarding part of my career,” he says.

“My father really does have a heart of gold,” says his daughter Joan. “He has always supported the downtrodden or the misjudged, and he’s a very honest fellow. He feels that there is good in everyone, and that it’s just a matter of finding it.”

Today Commerford lives with Marian in the Perley and Rideau Veterans’ Health Centre in Ottawa. There, he exercises regularly, plays cards, sings in a choir and enjoys visits with family and friends.

Over the years, Commerford attended some class reunions in Halifax, where he reminisced with former classmates and professors about the positive experiences he had while he was there. “I consider Dalhousie to be one of the best universities in Canada, and its law school is noted for the Weldon Tradition of unselfish public service,” he says. “I put the Weldon Tradition into practice by handling appeals of military veterans and widows. Throughout my life, I have enjoyed helping people in any way I could.”

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TAKING THE NEXT STEP

Two grad students share how Schulich Law is helping shape their future

BY ALLISON LAWLOR

“Her response decided it for me,” he said. “She showed genuine interest.” The idea of further pursuing his legal studies in Canada was not only exciting to Okanga but now seemed within the realm of possibility.

Keen to work with Brooks, Okanga came to Canada, believing she could bring out the best in him as a researcher. “It has happened,” he said.

This year, Okanga successfully earned his Master of Laws degree and was one of five candidates accepted into Schulich Law’s PhD (Doctor of Philosophy in Law) program for 2020.

He intends to pursue his doctorate with the same vigor and determination as he did with his Master’s degree.

“Hard work is very important for anyone who is keen to excel,” he said. “You should set objectives and plan how to go about achieving them. Once you set objectives, stay humble and self-driven – you are likely to reach them.”

OKANGA OGBU OKANGA

The Schulich School of Law has a stimulating and robust graduate program, offering the Master of Laws (LLM) and the Doctor of Philosophy in Law (PhD) degrees. This program comprises a vibrant, collegial, and close-knit intellectual community of bright, motivated students from around the world. It combines personally tailored study plans with close supervision from some of Canada’s finest legal minds.

Okanga Ogbu Okanga arrived in Halifax from Nigeria in August 2019 to pursue his Master of Laws degree. Eager to delve deeper into taxation, he had been practising at a private firm in Lagos since becoming a lawyer four years before. Focused primarily on dispute resolution, he discovered his interest was piqued whenever his legal work involved tax disputes and advising clients on tax law. It was, however, as an undergraduate law student at the University of Nigeria that Okanga’s interest in tax law was first ignited. There he was taught by a professor who had also studied at the Schulich School of Law. Wanting to learn more about Nigeria’s tax system, as well as global tax policy, he started reading everything on the subject he could find. “Tax law is an ocean,” he said. “Despite the odds, I am excited to explore the width of it.” He decided to take his pursuit of tax beyond the shores of Nigeria. Canada became the target destination.

Schulich Law’s Graduate Programs have been around for a long time and play a key role at the school. In 1951, the Master of Laws degree was established; the PhD program followed three decades later. In a typical year, the program has 15 places for Master’s students, and three places for PhD students.

“Research and graduate studies are very important for a faculty,” said Lucie Guibault, Schulich Law’s Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and the Associate Director of the Law and Technology Institute. “Our students are enthusiastic and curious; they have a broad range of experiences and interests in diverse areas of law and policy.”

Graduate students gain knowledge and skills for careers in academia, private practice, national and international governmental organizations, counsel for NGOs and enterprise, and more. In their chosen fields, they make extraordinary contributions to legal knowledge, policy, and research at home and abroad.

She added: “The Weldon tradition [of unselfish public service] is to give back to the community. Our graduate students are finding new ways to do that through their research.”

Graduate students like Okanga are also the people Dalhousie University needs if it wants to remain committed to keeping research at the forefront of the institution, said Guibault.

As Atlantic Canada’s leading research-intensive university, Okanga wrote to Professor Kim Brooks, who holds the Purdy Dalhousie conducts more than $168 million in research Crawford Chair in Business Law and teaches taxation. In annually; it is also part of the U15, a collective of some Canadian his email, he outlined his desire to research an aspect of tax administration in Nigeria that focuses on what happens when tax universities, which together undertake 80 per cent of all administrators change tax positions, how taxpayers are affected, competitive university research in the country. and the remedies that exist for those taxpayers. Brooks wrote him back.

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“In many ways, PhDs drive the research that is being done at an institution,” said Guibault. “Graduate students play a big role in research.”

Karinne Lantz is deep into her doctoral study looking at access to health care, human rights and international law. “My goal and my dream have always been to focus on international law,” she said.

In 2019, she returned to Nova Scotia, where she did her undergraduate degree at Saint Mary’s University, to start Schulich Law’s PhD program. Hoping to have it completed in 2023, she would like to settle in Halifax to work, raise her two young children, and be close to her parents and two sisters.

After working in labour and employment law at a Bay Street firm in Toronto, earning her Master of Law degree from the University of Cambridge and teaching at the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan, Lantz is certain now that she wants a career in academia. “It is the perfect blend for me. I like teaching and also pursuing my own research and writing.”

By having a strong graduate program, Schulich Law attracts engaged students like Lantz whose research and enthusiastic belief that they can change the world, not only brings energy to the faculty but adds to their knowledge base, said Guibault.

“Ideally, all the knowledge that is created as part of the research will be used in the context of teaching.”

KARINNE LANTZ. PHOTO CREDIT: DANNY ABRIEL

Recently, Lantz wrote publicly about some of these issues as part of a new Dalhousie initiative aimed at empowering researchers to shape public discourse and policy called OpenThink. Lantz is one of 10 PhD students who are actively sharing their research and ideas through blogs and social media.

She is excited to be an “OpenThinker”. “I am a very firm believer in public engagement and outreach and education,” said Lantz.

“International law does not often make headlines in Canada, but I think it should,” Lantz wrote in a recent OpenThink Blog.

“Increasingly, international human rights law is informing litigation in an attempt to address personal, local, national, and global challenges.”

Okanga’s doctoral research is also taking him deep into international law, but instead of looking at access to health care, A strong graduate program also provides the school with top legal researchers who might one day become faculty. Professor he is looking at how international norms can play a role in the design of a just international tax system, especially in an era of Colin Jackson is a good example. He earned both his LLM (’13) globalization, digitization and rampant international tax abuse. and PhD (’20) from the law school.

Through his research works and social media commentary, “By attracting good candidates in different fields, you encourage Okanga has become more of an active voice on these topics, especially from what he considers a rather underrepresented your research to keep moving and hopefully you are also in a better position to recruit good candidates as faculty members,” African perspective. said Guibault.

“It’s a game of many cards…but the cards are not held equally,” said Okanga. “It is important that the rules are not only effective Since starting her PhD last year, Lantz continues to delve but fair. That is partly why they are so difficult to design. There further into her research exploring the role of international has to be a conscious and genuine effort towards attaining law in securing the right to health for vulnerable populations these pillars.” in Canada, Australia and abroad. She is also interested in the broader issues around how international law is perceived in the Canadian legal system, human rights, and how international law Okanga hasn’t decided yet whether he will return to Nigeria, where his father is a law professor, after completing his adapts and evolves with changes in society. To help guide her, Lantz is working with Professor Constance MacIntosh, an expert doctorate. Passionate about his country and finding positive avenues to help solve problems with the new knowledge he is in health law and indigenous health governance, and Professor acquiring at Schulich Law, he remains open to possibilities. “I am Rob Currie (’98), an international law expert. versatile. I have learned in life to never say ‘never’,” he said. “I think the best thing is to have options, to do what feels right and to give back.”

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LEAVING HIS MARK Hugh Kindred’s name is synonymous with international law for generations of Canadian law students and practitioners

BY TRUDI SMITH 2019 was a banner year for Schulich Law Professor Emeritus Hugh Kindred. An accomplished 45 year career in international law teaching and scholarship at Dalhousie culminated in two prestigious tributes – receiving the Canadian Council on International Law (CCIL) John E. Read Gold Medal and having the definitive text on international law from a Canadian perspective named in his honour.

Kindred’s interest in international law can be traced back to the first year of his LLB degree at the University of Bristol.

After taking a course on the topic, his fascination with international law led him to pursue every opportunity in the area. He earned an LLM in international and soviet law at the University of London, and then travelled to the US where he added international economic law in a further LLM at the University of Illinois.

and practitioners. The first published volume to approach international law through a Canadian lens, the book has been cited by courts at all levels across the country - including the Supreme Court of Canada – and is referred to throughout the English speaking world.

After editing five editions of the book over 30 years, including the 7th and 8th with colleagues Saunders and Currie, Kindred, already retired, passed it on to them. He says he was “amazed” when he learned the 9th edition in 2019 would be renamed Kindred’s International Law in his honour. “It’s ironic,” he says, “that now that I have nothing to do with the book, it’s named after me!” According to his co-editors, nothing could be further from the truth. In their preface to the 9th edition, Saunders and Currie wrote “The entire book still bears the imprint of his work, which is a major reason for its continued use and authoritative status in Canada and internationally.”

A few months after the publication of Kindred’s International Law in August, Professor Kindred travelled to Ottawa with his wife Sheila to receive his second honour of 2019 – the CCIL Read Medal. The medal commemorates the life and work of John Erskine Read, Q.C., a former dean of the Dalhousie Law School, and the only Canadian elected as a judge on the International In 1971, Kindred began teaching at what was then called Court of Justice. The medal is awarded to those who have made Dalhousie Law School. He recalls his first day of work, when a outstanding contributions to international law and policy in colleague greeted a nervous young student by calling out: “Hello Canada. It is not awarded each year – it is only given when the Bruce – great to see you at law school!” It was then that Kindred CCIL wants to recognize an individual with exceptional merit. understood the Dal law school community was special. “I had Past recipients have included former dean of the law school never known a professor who approached a student in such a Ronald St. John MacDonald and Douglas Johnston, founder of warm and friendly way. I sensed immediately that Dal would be a the Marine and Environmental Law Program. good place for me. The relationships that are built here between “I was astounded to learn that I’d won the award,” says Kindred. the student body and professors are extraordinary.”

“It’s moving to be recognized by my peers and legal practitioners That nervous student on his first day was Professor Bruce across Canada.” The award ceremony featured speeches Archibald (’74), and he’s just one of the students that Kindred from CCIL board member Pierre-Olivier Savoie and Danaan has had a huge impact on during his teaching career. His former Hawes of Emond & Co, publisher of Kindred’s International Law. students are a “who’s who” of international law in Canada The award was presented by Katie Sykes of Thompson Rivers – including Schulich Law Professors Phillip Saunders (’84), University’s Faculty of Law, the last student Kindred supervised.

Rob Currie (’98) and Aldo Chircop (JSD ’88). “With most Sykes’ speech was a fitting tribute to Kindred’s professional and law students, it’s hardly teaching,” he says modestly, “You just personal legacy. “Today, Canada is a global leader in international point them in the right direction.” Kindred worked full time at law, both academically and in the policy arena. That is in no Dalhousie until his retirement in 2008, and then continued small part thanks to the teaching and scholarship of Professor to teach, write and supervise graduate students part time Kindred. He combines this lifetime of tremendous scholarly until 2016. accomplishments with rare personal qualities of warmth, kindness, modesty and gentleness.”

It was during his early teaching career that Kindred first encountered a book titled International Law, Chiefly as Kindred returned the favour in May of this year when he tuned Interpreted and Applied in Canada. He wrote a review of the in to the law school’s virtual convocation ceremony to cheer book in 1983. “I diplomatically said ‘This book is a gold mine of Sykes on as she received her PhD. He also has some advice for knowledge, but it is the job of the editor – not the reader – current and future law students, “Get involved. Study the law to do the mining.’” When Kindred became the editor shortly hard for sure, but you’ll learn as much through engagement with afterwards, he remained true to this philosophy, creating a book your classmates and faculty members as you will from books.” that became an essential for generations of students, scholars 36 |

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“ It’s moving to be recognized by my peers

and legal practitioners across Canada.”

HUGH KINDRED

PHOTO CREDIT: WILL YANG VOLUME 41 · 2020

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A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE

A life-changing diagnosis didn’t stop Kelly Serbu from excelling on the ice or in the courtroom

BY ELEANOR BRAMAH

One might think that a lawyer who played competitive junior hockey would see things in black and white—you either win or lose on the ice and in court.

But that’s not how Kelly Serbu (’96) sees the world.

His perspective is entirely unique. At the age of 18, Serbu was diagnosed with Stargardt, an incurable genetic disease where the centre of the retinas degrade over time, eventually leading to blindness. “At the time of my diagnosis, I didn’t even know what legally blind meant. But I knew it’d change everything for me.”

Suddenly, Serbu couldn’t be the teammate others could rely on for drives to and from practice. He lost his license. He could no longer see the board during his first university classes. But what might have stalled someone else, only fuelled his drive.

Determined not to be perceived as different, he kept playing hockey and kept pursuing an added passion: Law. NAVIGATING A NEW WORLD When considering his professional path, Serbu was initially attracted to the law because it spoke to his fiercely independent spirit. “I thought about being a teacher, but for me, the big reason I picked Dalhousie and law over education was the ability to work for myself. I could be more independent and open my own business.” The law was a sphere where he could drive his own success.

Today, when he’s working with young players as a part of his association with Canadian Blind Hockey, they always ask him incredulously, “Wasn’t law school a lot of reading?”

“I never thought about it,” he says, laughing, “I just did it.”

Throughout his time at law school, Serbu says his professors and fellow students were incredibly supportive, making accommodations when needed or sharing notes. After a pause, he adds, “The team at the print shop made a real difference for me. They went above and beyond, always making sure I had enlarged notes and class materials.”

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Serbu’s experience as a part of Dalhousie Legal Aid in his final years of university helped reinforce the sense of community at the school, and provided important on-the-ground experience until his graduation. “It was amazing to have real client work and cases through things like Dalhousie Legal Aid,” he remembers.

“In university and outside it, I think my experience was different from visually impaired people who were diagnosed earlier than I was,” Serbu says. “I had a sense of self-sufficiency, driving my friends around, playing on sports teams.” So where others may have seen challenges, he simply kept moving forward, never letting his diagnosis stop him.

Even now, he says many clients often have no idea that he’s visually impaired when they first meet and work with him. “I used to be more guarded about it than I am today,” Serbu says.

He’d gloss over reading things when clients were in his office and make sure to know the case and relevant documents before they arrived. “I didn’t want people to think I couldn’t represent them because I’m blind.”

JUSTICE FOR ALL Serbu’s sense of justice has helped shape his career for decades, even while he was in criminal court as a defense attorney.

“The law isn’t about stats,” he says. “I don’t ‘win’ or ‘lose’ in court, which is the way some people see it.”

Serbu sees his job as providing the relevant information the court needs to make a decision. If the court sees the information he presented in a different way, he doesn’t believe that’s a loss. “It just means the court interpreted it differently.

And it’s important for everyone to have representation so our legal system operates efficiently.”

Justice and championing the causes of others became an even greater theme in his career as it evolved. From 2009 to 2019, he was part of the Indian Residential Schools Adjudication Secretariat, traveling to Indigenous communities across Canada and helping to tell the stories of survivors.

PHOTO CREDIT: JOHN KEALY/SPORTSNET

“I didn’t always feel connected to my Indigenous background,” Serbu says, who has Métis heritage. But with an aunt who attended a residential school, that work was especially meaningful for him. “It was incredible,” he says. “And unique because of the way it was structured, where only adjudicators could ask questions to claimants, so it was a really interesting experience.”

As that work was wrapping up, he moved on to another important cause, conducting interviews as a part of the Nova Scotia Home for Coloured Children case. Then in 2017, in the span of two days, Serbu received both his Q.C. from the Minister of Justice for Nova Scotia and was selected by Michel Bastarache C.C., Q.C. to join his Merlo-Davidson team to help assess claims submitted by females under the class action suit against the RCMP for gender-based workplace discrimination and harassment.

“I’ve always liked standing up for people,” says Serbu. “Even as part of my hockey team or as a kid, I didn’t back down from a fight.”

That desire to stand up for others continues to shape his career today.

FROM COMPETITIVE SPIRIT TO COMMUNITY SPIRIT Serbu’s work has helped give a voice to those whose voices might be silenced or diminished. But his work to bring awareness to important issues within society does not end in the courtroom. Alongside his professional work, today he also gives an immense amount of time to those in the visually impaired community, particularly as the new president of the Canadian Blind Hockey Association.

“Until I started working with Blind Hockey, I wasn’t really open about being visually impaired,” Serbu confides. “But working with them was— for lack of a better word—eye-opening.”

Never having spent a lot of time with other visually impaired people, he began to hear how few had the educational or athletic experiences he’d had access to when he was young.

The independence and confidence he gained from those experiences is something he wants to pass on to others. “I’m an advocate for Blind Hockey and for the visually impaired community because I know how tough it is being the only kid who can’t see the board and not wanting to tell anyone.” His mission is to make sure any visually impaired child feels like they can participate in sport, all they need is the opportunity.

Serbu’s work with the Blind Hockey Association also perfectly captures his advice to young lawyers and law students. A self-professed workaholic, he’s found a better balance in life by committing time and energy to a community and sport he is passionate about. “Whatever your passions are, or however you identify your community, take the time to give back,” he says. “It can be great to step away and do something completely different.”

It’s how Serbu keeps his perspective fresh, no matter what arena he’s in, on the ice or in the courtroom.

VOLUME 41 · 2020

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INTRODUCING LAW+ Giving students a competitive advantage

BY STEPHANIE HURLEY In September of 2019, Schulich Law’s Career Development Office (CDO) launched an innovative new program called Law+.

The program complements students’ first class legal education, by helping them build the skills required to gain a competitive advantage in today’s complex and evolving legal services market.

In its first year, more than 65 students registered for the program.

“The level of interest from students, employers and alumni in the pilot year of the Law+ program surpassed our expectations,” says Kelly Tracey, Senior Career Advisor at Schulich Law and Coordinator of Law+. “The program enabled participating students to learn key skills, navigate unique challenges, and discover innovative practices driving the law profession today.”

Law+ gives students the opportunity to develop and reflect upon their strengths through a series of skill-development workshops, professional practice sessions, and careerdevelopment programming delivered by industry experts with a range of diverse backgrounds. In its pilot year, 14 sessions were offered on a variety of topics ranging from persuasive writing to storytelling to resilience to the business of a law firm.

“The storytelling session taught me useful skills to share my experiences in a more meaningful and favourable way, while still maintaining my authenticity,” says third-year student Darren Gill. “Like all of the Law+ sessions, I learned skills that will be useful not just in law school, but in my career and beyond.”

Students create a personalized experience by selecting programming best suited to their unique goals and interests from a menu of options. Each session fits into one of four focus areas: engaging with authenticity, expectations of practice, impactful communication and effective career management.

Participants who complete the requirements of the Law+ program receive recognition through the Dalhousie University Co-Curricular Record.

Law+ also gives employers and alumni the opportunity to build genuine relationships with Schulich Law students in a collegial learning environment. The majority of sessions offered last year were led by industry partners, who generously shared their experience and expertise with students.

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PENNY THAM (’84) LEADS A LAW+ SESSION CALLED “IN-HOUSE OR OUTSIDE/ WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE?”. PHOTO CREDIT: WILL YANG

“Law+ puts Schulich Law students in the driver’s seat when it comes to career orientation and preparation,” says Chris McKenna, Bennett Jones LLP, who led a session in resiliency.

“The program allows students the opportunity to learn some of the core skills needed for future practice and success in the legal profession. As an employer, having students exposed to these skills early on only helps reinforce the curriculum we provide during early firm training, better assisting in how those students will adapt to the student program and life within practice.”

Recent graduate Nancy Li (’20) helped organize a Law & Tech Panel for Law+ comprised of innovation leaders that leverage technology to gain a competitive edge in the legal industry. “Speakers provided thoughtful insights about practice management that, as a student, I found invaluable,” she shares.

“The event provided a glimpse into the evolving legal landscape that stretches beyond the walls of a classroom.”

The CDO is already thinking of ways to build on the success of the Law+ program as it enters its second year.

“Our goal is to ensure the program becomes a staple at the law school,” says Tracey. “We plan to further engage our national partners on a wide range of topics and deliver more interactive sessions that generate dynamic and reflective learning for students.”

SCHULICH LAW’S RESPONSE TO COVID-19

Law school community rises to challenges caused by the pandemic In the wake of a global pandemic, the Schulich School of Law has worked hard to support students and to lessen their financial burden through these uncertain times.

EMERGENCY BURSARY FUND The Schulich Law Emergency Bursary Fund was set up in April to assist students with unanticipated expenses as a result of the pandemic. Since then, we have awarded 146 bursaries totalling more than $143,000. This would not be possible without the contributions of our generous and loyal donors.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES In addition to the bursaries, we have added 85 employment opportunities for students: 39 research assistantships and an additional 46 internships.

All together the Schulich Law Annual Fund will support $650,000 in student employment initiatives, and together with our endowed internship funds we will have supported a total of 124 opportunities.

FACULTY RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY Our faculty members have been hard at work in research and advocacy related to the pandemic in the areas of health law, human rights and environmental regulations. Some examples include: • Professor Elaine Gibson has been researching and speaking about state quarantine powers in times of pandemic, as well as the need for provision of personal protective equipment to help care providers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

• Professor Joanna Erdman has been working with International Planned Parenthood Federation/Western Hemisphere on pandemic-related mobility restrictions and their impact on sexual and reproductive health services in Latin America and the Caribbean.

• Professors Matthew Herder (LLB ’03, LLM ’06) and Sheila Wildeman (’99) recently received a CIHR Grant. They will address how the pandemic has restricted access to a safe supply of substances and will develop evidence-based recommendations to support access to safe supply.

• Members of the Health Law Institute, led by Professors Matthew Herder and Constance MacIntosh, received a grant from the NS COVID-19 Health Research Coalition to identify solutions that can be implemented to address health law- and policy-related deficiencies and gaps that have been caused or revealed by COVID-19.

• Professor Adelina Iftene has been doing a great deal of advocacy and writing related to decarceration during the pandemic.

• Professor Sheila Wildeman has been working to ensure that the rights of individuals with disabilities living in institutions are considered in pandemic planning.

• Professor Constance McIntosh has been advocating for the rights of Indigenous communities who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.

• Professor Meinhard Doelle (LLB ’89, JSD ’05) has been exploring the negative impact of the pandemic on the economy and the environment.

• Professor Emeritus Wayne MacKay (’78) has been providing media commentary on a wide-range of issues related to the pandemic.

• Professor Jocelyn Downie has been examining issues around Coronavirus triage protocols and end of life issues arising from the pandemic.

A big thank you to our alumni and faculty for stepping forward in these particularly difficult times.

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 2019 recipient of the Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service

BY JANE DOUCET

ALUMNUS FRED FOUNTAIN Fred Fountain, CM, LLD (’74), was named the 2019 recipient of the Schulich School of Law’s Weldon Award for Unselfish Public Service. He is a lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist and former chancellor of Dalhousie University.

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.

“We congratulate Fred, whose leadership, philanthropic spirit, and unwavering commitment to the public good make him an ideal candidate for this prestigious award,” says Schulich School of Law Dean Camille Cameron. “The impact he has had is extensive, from health care and education to social services and the arts.”

Fountain was a founding partner of Halifax law firm Franklin, Mitton, Fountain & Thompson and later counsel to the law firm Burke, Thompson. Since 1985, he has been chairman, president, and CEO of The Great Eastern Corporation, an investment company founded by his grandfather Fred C. Manning in 1941.

At Dalhousie, Fountain served for many years on the board of governors, chaired the Faculty of Management Advisory Board, and served on the Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation Board. With his wife, Elizabeth, he co-chairs the Dalhousie Arts Centre Campaign, and they provided a lead gift of $2 million.

For his philanthropy, especially in the field of the arts, in 2008 he was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada. In 2013 he and Elizabeth donated $10 million to Dalhousie to establish the Fountain School of Performing Arts.

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Fountain has been quoted publicly saying that giving is a creative act that takes time, thought, energy, and empathy, and that he considers his most significant gift to be his time. He chooses projects where he thinks he can be most helpful and does his best to achieve the desired impact. For this and so much more, he is an exemplary Weldon Award recipient.

In addition to his career achievements, Fountain is an engaged community volunteer. Currently he is an honorary trustee of the QEII Foundation and a former trustee of the National Gallery of Canada. Previously, among many other roles, he was a chairman of the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and on the boards of the Scotia Festival of Music and World Wildlife Fund Canada.

He has led many fundraising campaigns and made major contributions to many others.

Fountain has received honorary doctorate degrees from Dalhousie and Acadia. He is proud to be among the many noted graduates of Dalhousie Law School’s Class of 1974.

PHOTO CREDIT: NICK PEARCE

2018-2019

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 2018 – 2019 Bertha Wilson Honour Society Inductees

Dr. Eric M. Adams (’01)

Emma Halpern (’06)

ALBERTA

NOVA SCOTIA

Vice Dean and Professor of Law at the University of Alberta, Faculty of Law

Executive Director, Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia

Glenn Anderson, Q.C. (LLB ’85, LLM ’03) NOVA SCOTIA

Lawyer, Nova Scotia Department of Justice

The Honourable Tamarin Dunnet (’74) ONTARIO

Justice, Supreme Court of Ontario

Dr. Elizabeth F. Judge (’01) ONTARIO

Professor of Law, Faculty of Law, University of Ottawa

Brenda Picard, Q.C. (’85) PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

Executive Director, PEI Human Rights Commission

Dr. Edgar Gold, CM, AM, Q.C. (’72) AUSTRALIA

Author, academic, and Master mariner

VOLUME 41 · 2020

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LAW SCHOOL ALUMNI AMONG INAUGURAL 2019 AURUM AWARD RECIPIENTS The Aurum Awards recognize Dalhousie alumni for their outstanding achievements and innovation, community engagement and leadership, and contributions to the social, cultural and economic well-being of society

BY FALLON BOURGEOIS MEGAN LESLIE (’04) A PASSION FOR JUSTICE

HEATHER MCNEILL (’94) DEDICATED TO HELPING OTHERS

As a Dalhousie law student, Megan Leslie (’04) embraced the Weldon Tradition through her work on behalf of low-income families through the university’s Legal Aid Service. As a New Democrat Party member representing Halifax in parliament, she introduced a bill to ban microbeads and seconded a bill to expand Canada’s Human Rights Act to protect the transgender community. And now as president and CEO of World Wildlife Fund Canada (WWF-Canada), she is focused on restoring vital habitat and reversing the decline of wildlife species nationwide.

When most people retire, they take up a hobby, or travel the world. Not Heather McNeill (’94). Since winding down a 21year career as a Dalhousie Legal Aid lawyer in 2019, McNeill has been, as she puts it, “working full time plus-plus” as Legal Advisor of the Enhanced Child Family Initiative at the Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative Negotiation Office, and with several community initiatives and organizations. And it is clear she wouldn’t have it any other way.

and sitting on my porch, I want to look out there and see thousands of Canadians mobilizing and inspiring each other to seek justice in many different ways.”

McNeill’s work earned her a 2019 Aurum Award, which she sees as an opportunity to inspire others.

“I believe the Creator has put me on the earth to serve and I These are just a few of the many undertakings and achievements get great pleasure out of that,” McNeill says. “Sometimes, I’m that earned Leslie a 2019 Aurum Award. helping in small ways. Sometimes, it’s something bigger. But anything I can do to help make this world better, I will do.”

“My goal has always been to work on issues of justice,” Leslie says. “For me, that means environmental, social, and Inspired by the example set by her mother, who always economic justice. I want to see more equity. I want to see extended herself to help those in need, McNeill continues to rights being upheld. I want to see a clean environment. I’m exemplify true Weldon Tradition in her devotion to making a very mission driven.” difference, particularly for First Nations communities in Nova Scotia. The Millbrook Band member is a board member with One mission that Leslie has been dedicated to recently is Tawaak Housing, which is helping Aboriginal peoples in securing developing a strategic plan for WWF-Canada to address the affordable shelter off the reserve. She is a member of the main drivers of wildlife loss, including climate change and Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative Advisory Council and industrial activity such as mining. It follows on a significant the IB&M Standing Committee at the Schulich School of Law. victory for the organization – the federal government’s She is also putting her Dalhousie background to good use with announcement it will ban oil drilling and mining in marine the Truth and Reconciliation Commission working group at the protected areas. Leslie says she is happy to have played a role in Nova Scotia Barrister’s Society and, perhaps most notably, making this momentous decision possible. with the Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative, supporting Mi’kmaq efforts “I hope, through my work, I’m helping to create a movement of to develop a governance model for Mi’kmaq child welfare in Nova Scotia. future leaders,” Leslie says. “In thirty years, when I am retired

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“I have always believed you lead by example,” she says. “When people see or know that you are doing what is right or what is needed, they might follow in your footsteps. That’s what’s important to me – to see others pick up that thread.”

through my work, I’m helping to create “ Ia hope, movement of future leaders. In thirty years, when I am retired and sitting on my porch, I want to look out there and see thousands of Canadians mobilizing and inspiring each other to seek justice in many different ways.”

MEGAN LESLIE

PHOTO CREDIT: MEGHAN TANSEY WHITTON

have always believed you lead by “ Iexample.

When people see or know that

you are doing what is right or what is needed, they might follow in your footsteps. That’s what’s important to me – to see others pick up that thread.”

HEATHER MCNEILL

VOLUME 41 · 2020

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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, 2019 and March 31, 2020 1949

1960

1966

1970

Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: David J. Waterbury, Q.C.

Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Robert Lyall

Total Class Giving........................... $6,213 Class Participation............................... 16% Participating Donors: F. Garrick Homer Hon. Arthur M. Lutz Hon. K. R. MacDonald Stuart MacKinnon Hon. J. A. MacLellan

Total Class Giving......................... $11,030 Class Participation............................... 16% Participating Donors: Peter Dey, Q.C. Paul Murphy, Q.C. John Myers Richard Thompson

1951

1961

Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Maj (Rtd) John A. Commerford

Total Class Giving.......................... $3,520 Class Participation............................... 19% Participating Donors: George Caines, Q.C. Richard Cashin Hon. Paul Creaghan Milton H. Grant Boyd Lowery David Matheson, Q.C.

Total Class Giving..........................$4,344 Class Participation............................... 15% Participating Donors: Hon. Douglas Cook Hon. Pat Curran Mary Dawson, Q.C. Pierre M. Hebert Clifford Hood, Q.C. Ceri Hugill George MacDonald, Q.C. James (Skip) Oliver Dennis Y. Perlin John M. White

1950

1953 Total Class Giving....................... $16,700 Class Participation............................... 13% Participating Donors: Hon. Justice Hiram Carver Harold F. G. Stevens, Q.C. Hon. Ronald C. Stevenson Herbert Wyman

1954 Class Participation.................................5% Participating Donors: Kenneth Lund Joel Matheson, Q.C.

1955 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Hon. A. J. Stone

1956 Class Participation.................................5% Participating Donors: Sir Graham Day Hon. Peter Power

1957 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: C. Patricia Harris, Q.C.*

1958 Class Participation.................................8% Participating Donors: Edwin Harris June Nudelman Karlin

1959 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Robert K. Carleton 46 |

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1962 Total Class Giving...........................$2,575 Class Participation................................17% Participating Donors: 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, Q.C.

1967 Total Class Giving......................$208,431 Class Participation............................... 18% Participating Donors: Hon. Leo Barry John C. Lovett, Q.C. Janette M. MacDonald Arthur Miller, Q.C. Hon. George J. Mullally Ernest G. Reid, Q.C. David Ritcey, Q.C. Dennis M. Starzynski, Q.C. John A. Yogis (LLM), Q.C.

1968

Class Participation............................... 10% Participating Donors: Harold MacKay, Q.C. G. Brian Purdy, Q.C.

Total Class Giving.........................$27,475 Class Participation.............................. 20% Participating Donors: Donald R. Brown, Q.C. Heather Grant Richard A. Henderson Hon. Arthur J. LeBlanc, Q.C. Hon. D. William MacDonald, Q.C. William R. McColm David H. Reardon, Q.C. David H. Sohmer Harry D. Thompson, Q.C. William E. Wells

1964

1969

Class Participation.................................6% Participating Donors: Hon. William Fitzgerald David Morris

Total Class Giving...........................$4,765 Class Participation............................... 14% Participating Donors: Brian Bruce Morris J. Haugg, Q.C. Steve Konchalski Paull N. Leamen Ronald A. MacDonald Robbie MacKeigan, Q.C. John McFarlane, Q.C. David A. Milner Robert B. Waind

1963

1965 Total Class Giving.......................... $2,650 Class Participation............................... 18% Participating Donors: George Cooper Arthur Donahoe, Q.C. Hon. Gerard Hawco, Q.C. C. Thomas LeBrun, Q.C. Ian H. MacDonald, Q.C.* Hon. Theodore E. Margeson, Q.C.

1971 Total Class Giving......................... $12,225 Class Participation............................... 13% Participating Donors: Tom Boyne, Q.C. Hon. M. A. Cameron Donald W. Clark Hon. Judge Bill Digby Donald Gibson Walter A. McEwen, Q.C. Derry Millar Peter A. S. Milliken Douglas Moores, Q.C. Tarcisio Nella Hon. H. J. Puddester David Wallace, Q.C. Hon. Justice Robert Wright

1972 Total Class Giving.......................... $9,930 Class Participation................................ 11% Participating Donors: Cherry G. Ferguson William J. Leslie, Q.C. Hon. J. Vernon MacDonald Hon. Justice George Macintosh Hon. Thomas Marshall, Q.C. J. Fraser B. Mills Dolores M. Morrell Jeffrey L. Schelew Clifton Prowse, Q.C. Hon. Janet Prowse Hon. Justice Greg Warner Hon. Judge Jim Wilson

1973 Total Class Giving........................... $1,950 Class Participation.................................8% Participating Donors: Michael Bird Brian Gibson Raymond F. Glennie, Q.C. Hon. Robert B. Hyslop Thomas W. Patience Hon. Justice Jamie Saunders Hon. Justice Nicoll M. Scaravelli Hon. Maurice G. Smith, Q.C.

1974 Total Class Giving........................$46,433 Class Participation............................... 14% Participating Donors: Prof. Bruce Archibald, Q.C. John W. Chandler, Q.C. Mary Clancy Hon. Brent Cotter Hon. Tamarin Dunnet Hon. Deborah Gass James Gregg, Q.C. Paul D. Jardine Mark Johnson Hon. Beryl MacDonald Hon. Justice James MacPherson Hon. A. Anne McLellan David Meadows, Q.C. Connie Munro Dan O’Connor John Plowman, Q.C. Hon. Elizabeth Roscoe Paul Stokes, Q.C. Robert C. Strother

1975 Total Class Giving..........................$5,840 Class Participation.................................9% Participating Donors: Bruce M. Graham Gregory S. Hildebrand Beatrice Fejtek Hines Brian Langille Laurie S. Pascoe Hon. Paul J. Pearlman F. T. Mark Pujolas Hon. Justice Heather Robertson Wendell Sanford Michael Schelew

1976 Total Class Giving......................... $12,010 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: Hon. Jean-Louis Batiot Roberta J. Clarke, Q.C. Linda M. Gaudet David C. Hicks Mary A. Kimball Andrew Love V. A. (Bud) MacDonald, Q.C. Brian MacLellan, Q.C. Hon. M. Clare MacLellan Timothy Matthews, Q.C. Stephen Mattson, Q.C.

Hon. Linda Oland Robert M. Purdy, Q.C. Lynne Redden Gerry Roy John Stringer, Q.C. Anthony L. Sweet Jim Titerle

Marian McGrath Paul D. Michael, Q.C. Hon. Justice Rosemary Nation (LLM) Maureen O’Connell David N. Ross Alan Tufts Raymond Wagner

1977

1980

Total Class Giving...........................$11,417 Class Participation............................... 14% Participating Donors: Hon. Robert Barnes Harold Barnett Hon. Nancy Bateman Robert Booth, Q.C. Janice M. Bruni Steven Enman Hon. Justice Kenneth C. Haley Peter A. Love 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 Harold M. Smith, Q.C. James W. Stanley Robert Stewart Hon. Judge Tim White

Total Class Giving...........................$7,476 Class Participation............................... 10% Participating Donors: Kenneth L. Baggs, Q.C. D’Arcy DePoe Valerie Dyer Anna Fried P. R. Hames Stuart Koskie Mark MacDonald, Q.C. James MacLean Donald MacLennan Anthony Pylypuk Patricia L. Reardon Mark S. Rosen Alison W. Scott Randy Smith

1978 Total Class Giving...........................$4,381 Class Participation............................... 13% Participating Donors: Robert D. Annett Frank Archibald James G. Battin Bernard J. Butler Elizabeth Callaghan Joseph A. Cameron James A. Chisholm Elizabeth Ellis Anne Emery David S. Green Kari J. LeLacheur Valerie Macdonald Mary E. Meisner, Q.C. Don Roger Hon. Judge Peter Ross Claude Samson (LLM) Hon. Margaret J. Stewart Shirley Strutt, Q.C. Tom Strutt

1979 Total Class Giving.........................$19,285 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: Andrew Brands Hon. Judge Marc Chisholm Kim L. Chong (LLM) Hon. Judge Anne E. Crawford John Cuthbertson, Q.C. Keith R. Evans, Q.C. Randall C. Fleming D. Suzan Frazer S. Donalda MacBeath Brian Maltman

1981 Total Class Giving........................... $8,123 Class Participation............................... 14% Participating Donors: Jeff Berryman (LLM) Barbara H. Campbell Patrick I. Cassidy, Q.C. Hon. Judge Steven D’Arcy Margaret Dickson K. Sara Filbee Marjorie Hickey, Q.C. Peter K. Large J. Scott MacKenzie, Q.C. Arthur Oliphant Paul Radford, Q.C. Barry J. Ryan Clifford J. Shaw, Q.C. Philip J. Star, Q.C. Paul L. Walter, Q.C. Vance Wirth Rhonda Wishart

1982 Total Class Giving...........................$4,775 Class Participation.................................9% Participating Donors: Clare F. Barry Brian W. Downie, Q.C. Kenneth Godfrey Scott P. Gray Kerry M. Harnish Hon. Justice Lois Hoegg Ian MacKay Linda Rankin Toshimi Sembo Shauna Sullivan Curley, Q.C. Hon. Chief Justice Michael Wood

1983 Total Class Giving..........................$8,003 Class Participation................................ 11% Participating Donors: Colin D. Bryson, Q.C. Brian W. Derrah Guy Desmarais Trinda L. Ernst, Q.C. Daryl Fridhandler, Q.C. James A. Graham Elizabeth M. H. McCormick Donald Allan Landry Christopher W. Morris M. Lynn Murray, Q.C. Scott Norton, Q.C. Charles Reagh Hon. Geoff Regan Hon. Robert T. F. Smith A. Christina Tari Art Theuerkauf, Q.C. Natalie Vukovich

1984 Total Class Giving........................ $29,535 Class Participation................................ 11% Participating Donors: Janet M. Chisholm Clare Christie John S. Fitzpatrick, Q.C. Peter Gorgopa Mark A. Greenberg Shirley Lee Robert R. MacArthur Hon. Justice Gillian Marriott Douglas McLean Ken Mills Jim Musgrave, Q.C. Mary C. Parker Maureen Reid Penelope Tham Jeremy A. Thomas (LLM) Hon. Chief Judge Pam Williams

1985 Total Class Giving.......................... $9,395 Class Participation................................ 11% Participating Donors: Deborah Amour Brenda Christen Prof. Steve Coughlan Hon. Judge Pamela Goulding Charlotte Hatfield 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 Dean D. Pietrantonio Samy F. Salloum

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1986 Total Class Giving...........................$5,925 Class Participation................................. 7% Participating Donors: Hon. Judge Michelle Christopher Linda Dolan Barry G. Fleming Hon. Justice Theresa Forgeron Ian Hanomansingh Donald B. Jarvis Alex MacFarlane Ronald M. Snyder Nancy Trott Ian C. Wallace

1987 Total Class Giving.......................... $2,550 Class Participation.................................6% Participating Donors: Robert A. Balcom Charlotte Davis Harvey Delaney Margery Fowke Christopher Hale Paul R. Ives John Kulik, Q.C. Yvonne R. LaHaye, Q.C. R. Alexander Neve

1988 Total Class Giving........................... $7,150 Class Participation.................................5% Participating Donors: Marianne L. Alto-Bond E. W. Scott Dickieson, Q.C. Donald J. Dow Gordon Manuel Alnasir Meghji Mark Schmidt Ann G. Wilkie

1989 Total Class Giving...........................$9,100 Class Participation.................................6% Participating Donors: Hon. Chief Judge Peter Chisholm Hon. Judge Stephanie A. Cleary Richard J. Freeman Jessie M. Frost-Wicks Nathalie Goyette Siobhan A. Hanley John R. Manning Sylvain Rigaud Marilyn Sandford

1990 Total Class Giving.......................... $11,597 Class Participation.................................9% Participating Donors: James K. Arends Diana Belevsky Leonard P. Bosschart Todd Burke Christopher English James E. Fisher Gareth C. Howells Donald MacDiarmid Colonel Bruce MacGregor 48 |

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Donald K. MacKenzie Diane L. McInnis Hon. Justice George L. Murphy Hon. Justice Francis P. O’Brien David H. Taylor James D. H. Wood

1991 Total Class Giving.......................... $3,509 Class Participation.................................6% Participating Donors: Steven Baldwin Simon P. Barker Colin J. Clarke Jane Fitzpatrick Myrna L. Gillis Jeffrey Hunt Sean F. Layden, Q.C. Celine Levesque Hon. Justice Diane MacDonald Susan MacKay Andrew C. Staples

1992 Total Class Giving............................$11,115 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: J. Gordon Allen Mike Brady Sheila J. Cameron Peter D. Crowther Andrew M. Grant Dale E. Ives John T. Kalm Geoffrey Litherland Rhea McGarva Toby D. Mendel Dr. Stephen G. A. Pitel T. A. Pratt Karen A. Rose Jorge P. Segovia Darren Stratton Hugh Wright Samira G. Zayid Rodney J. Zdebiak

1993 Total Class Giving.......................... $15,212 Class Participation................................ 11% Participating Donors: Brent W. Barrie Brian Beck Subrata Bhattacharjee Eric Bremermann Matthew Certosimo Gary B. Dukeshire Andrea J. Duncan Graham Flack John F. Fox Frederick L. Glady Joan Hatch Erin Iles Roger Lee Leonard J. MacKay Peter MacKenzie Sarah L. MacKenzie Vicki Stokoe Scott Warwick

1994 Total Class Giving........................... $5,210 Class Participation................................12% Participating Donors: Mary Birdsell Cynthia L. Chewter Glenn C. Dodge Jane D. Harrigan (LLM) Lale N. Kesebi John Le Blanc Daphne C. Loukidelis Jennifer A. MacLellan, Q.C. Tyna Mason Mik Maxino (LLM) Garry A. McCay S. L. McCurdy Heather A. McNeill, Q.C. Patricia A. Neild David C. Perlmutter Greg Shirley Robert K. Smithson Eric Taylor

1995 Total Class Giving............................$3,173 Class Participation.................................3% Participating Donors: Jennifer G. Carmichael Anneke Driessen van der Lieck Jay Maw Andrew Stephens John Underhill

1996 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Zarah E. Walpole D. Scott Worsfold

1997 Total Class Giving.............................$1,175 Class Participation.................................4% Participating Donors: Cheryl Canning Susan E. Carruthers Vincent C. Kazmierski Robert F. MacDonald Lisa C. Osoba Duaine W. Simms

Kevin K. Rooney Prof. Sheila Wildeman

2001 Total Class Giving...........................$3,100 Class Participation.................................3% Participating Donors: Joe Burke Andreas E. Kuntze Hon. Sandra Oxner (LLM) Andrew Wilson

2002 Total Class Giving........................... $2,261 Class Participation.................................3% Participating Donors: Level Chan Patricia E. Doyle-Bedwell (LLM) Leigh Lampert Andrew J. Wadden

2003 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Maegen Giltrow Chris Peddigrew Julia Tremain

2005 Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Naiomi S. Metallic Matthew Owen-King

2006 Total Class Giving............................. $450 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Francis Durnford Lisa Filgiano Michelle Kellam Julien Ranger

2007 Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: Peter Dostal Aaron Hirschorn Jennifer Ko

1998

2008

Total Class Giving..........................$2,005 Class Participation.................................4% Participating Donors: Paula Boutis Prof. Robert J. Currie Paul Falvo Sean Foreman Julienne Hills Peter J. Salah

Class Participation.................................2% Participating Donors: William Callaghan Jarvis Googoo Mark Watton

1999 Total Class Giving......................... $4,003 Class Participation.................................4% Participating Donors: Sunny Ho Harry Korosis Blair I. Levinsky

2011 Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Teresa-Anne Martin

2012 Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Laura Neals

2013

ESTATES

Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Cameron L. Foster Jalana Lewis

Estate of Alex Ross Estate of R. B. Viscount Bennett Estate of Douglas Coombes Estate of Eleanor Joyce Dickey Estate of C. Patricia Harris Marie MacInnes Alter Ego Trust Estate of Sarah Wolff

2014 Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Elizabeth Marie McIsaac

2016 Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Kelsey Croft

2017 Class Participation..................................1% Participating Donors: Christina Macdonald Mary B. Rolf Kathleen Tanner

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.

FRIENDS OF THE LAW SCHOOL Quenta Janine Adams Colin R. Arnold Edward Badovinac Jennifer K. Bankier Mary Lynn Campbell Daniel M. Campbell Sarah Nichole Chiasson Jennifer Chow George Clarke Constance M. Darby Kelly Dodge Stanley Dwyer Gordon S. Earle Jo-Anne Embree Dick Evans Tommy Faulkner Jeanne Fay Patricia Fordham Jane Fraser & Paul Deveau Brennen Geller Gerald* Godsoe, Q.C. & Dale Godsoe, CM Hans Gosine Bill Hayward Robin Hunter John Joyce Marsha Kagan Karen Kavanaugh Lucy Kerr Jean F. Knickle Jean K. Lawrence Rita Levato Christine M. MacInnes Audrey Macklin John MacLatchy Lana M. MacLean Roy Matsui Elizabeth Marie McIsaac Janet C. McKinlay Virginia Gayle Minnaar Geoffrey K. Mitchell Michael & Barbara Morin Rob Murray Wendy Parker Beth Parker Alison & Gordon Patterson Darrel Pearson Phil Pothier Gillian Pullen Isabel M. Reid Claudine (Pothier) Renault Sherrolyn Muriel Riley James A. Rooney Risa Rotenberg Leslie Sigurdson Joan Simpson Donna Smythe Jennifer Strasberg Thomas H. B. Symons Lisa Tanner Susan Wayne Anne Lambert & Tom Welch James Welch Margo Welch Frederick* & Eve Wickwire Michelle Williams Mitch Williams

ORGANIZATIONS Bereskin & Parr LLP Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP Borden Ladner Gervais LLP (ON) Boyne Clarke LLP Burnet Duckworth Palmer LLP Canadian Energy Law Foundation Canadian Judicial Council Cape Breton Barristers’ Society Canadian Bar Association Dalhousie Faculty Association Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg LLP Deveaux International Governance Consultants Inc. Dinyar Marzban Law Corporation E. W. Scott Dickieson Barrister & Solicitor Fasken Martineau DuMoulin LLP Gowlings LLP Henderson & Henderson PC International Association of Women Judges - Canadian Chapter J. S. Fitzpatrick Law Inc. Jewish Community Foundation of Montreal Law Foundation of Nova Scotia Lenczner Slaght Lenehan Musgrave LLP McCall MacBain Foundation McCarthy Tetrault McInnes Cooper Michelle C. Christopher Barrister & Solicitor Miller Thomson LLP Moores Andrews Collins The Black Female Lawyers Network Osler Hoskin & Harcourt LLP Patterson Law Philip J. Star Q.C. Inc. Pink Larkin Schwab Charitable Fund Shodan Investments Ltd. Smithson Employment Law Corp.

Stewart McKelvey Subrata Bhattacharjee Professional Corporation The Calgary Foundation The Donald R. Sobey Foundation Thomson Reuters Tiller Holdings Ltd. Torys LLP W. Donald Goodfellow, Q.C. Waind Management & Consulting

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A TARGETED APPROACH John Wilmot and John Cuthbertson fundraise for the James S. Palmer Chair

BY ALLISON LAWLOR John Wilmot (’80) and John Cuthbertson (’79) learned quickly that if you want to raise a large sum of money, it helps to have a remarkable person behind your cause.

If they hoped to get a $25,000 donation or more from each donor, they knew they had to make a good case. They emphasized that as a personal friend of Palmer’s their donation would honour him in a meaningful way and help to fulfill his When Dean Camille Cameron asked the partners at Calgarydream of creating a forum for public discourse and public policy based Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP to raise close to $1 research that stretched across the country. In 2008, Palmer million to help establish the James S. Palmer Chair in Public and his wife, Barbara established a similar Chair at the University Policy and Law and bring its endowment to $4 million - it was an of Calgary. The letter also emphasized the generosity of Palmer easy decision. and his family, who gave millions of dollars for the Palmer Chair.

“You just could not say ‘no’,” says Wilmot.

Not only were all three men graduates of the law school, but Palmer was a mentor at their firm and a leader in business, tax and international law. Having helped develop Alberta’s oil and gas industry, Palmer was a trusted advisor to governments and corporations. He was passionate about progressive public policy and above that - he was exceptionally generous, giving to schools, the arts and social service groups.

“He was a larger-than-life kind of guy,” says Wilmot. “He had a real vision.”

“When you’re asking someone for money, they want to know how much you’re giving,” says Cuthbertson.

They thought a direct approach would be most effective and they were right. Of the approximately $870,000 they raised in a year of fundraising, $500,000 came from three donors.

In the second stage of their fundraising, they targeted a larger group of people who knew Palmer, but not as well. They were asked for smaller gifts.

When Schulich Law Professor Jocelyn Downie was appointed Dalhousie’s inaugural James S. Palmer Chair in Public Policy and Law in 2018, an evening of thanks for the donors was held in Calgary at Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP. Downie and members of the Palmer family were there. Wilmot and Cuthbertson knew then that their fundraising efforts had helped to make a remarkable vision a reality.

After the law school announced a $3-million gift from the Palmer Family Foundation to establish the Chair, Wilmot and Cuthbertson set out to raise another million for the endowment to ensure its longevity. In 2017, they enlisted the help of a successful business leader in Calgary who was a major fundraiser “It wasn’t easy,” says Wilmot. “But it was an easy story to tell.” and knew Palmer. His advice: target your fundraising.

The first step in their campaign was to compile a list of about 40 of Palmer’s friends, business associates and political connections. Next, they crafted a letter to send them, with the law school’s help.

“The initial letter wasn’t the kind you receive every day in the mail,” says Cuthbertson. “It was personalized. It identified the personal relationship they had with Jim.”

JOHN CUTHBERTSON

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JOHN WILMOT

TOP OF THE CLASS Class of ’74 becomes the first law class to raise $200,000

BY STEPHANIE HURLEY Schulich Law alumni have always been at the top of the class when it comes to giving back to the law school that helped shape their careers and lives.

That desire to support the next generation of students is personified by the impressive contributions of the Class of ’74. This past September, at their 45th anniversary reunion, they were honoured for being the first law class to reach the $200,000 giving milestone.

In 2009, they launched a series of Schulich School of Law bursaries. Presented to students in need, each bursary is named for a beloved law school professor who taught during the class’s tenure: Bill Charles (LLB ’58, LLD ’01), Innis Christie (’62), Peter Darby (’58), Murray Fraser, Hugh Kindred, and John Yogis (’64).

“We picked these professors because they had a special relationship to our class,” says Mary Clancy (’74), who served as a Member of Parliament from 1988 to 1997. “They earned our respect, our admiration, and our lifelong affection and gratitude, and these bursaries are a small tribute for all that they gave us.”

“We got a great legal education, at a great law school, from great teachers, at a modest cost, and a great start in our careers. The Class of 1974 gift tries to honour all of this and helps students for whom the cost of attending law school is a lot greater now. It is our way of saying ‘Thanks’,” says Cotter.

However, they are not done yet. They have future plans to grow the fund as they know how much their support means to Schulich Law students.

“Although the times are perilous and the sorrows many, it gives respite in this time of isolation to recall the wonderful years at the law school, the generosity of our classmates and the example and expertise of our faculty,” says Clancy. “Let’s hope we can meet again in person at our 50th!”

At the 2019 LAWbster dinner in Halifax, lead volunteers Clancy, Jim Coleman (’74) and Brent Cotter (’74) accepted the award from Dean Cameron and one of the 2019 recipients, Addison Leigh on behalf of their class. Leigh then addressed the room.

“It’s incredibly encouraging to know that the program you are currently in has produced so many successful and generous individuals. There is nothing that requires you to give back, and yet here you are at what is truly an exceptional milestone.

Although the bursaries are monetary gifts, they really are more than that. It’s a message saying, ‘We made it, so can you, and here’s a little help.’”

The Class of ’74 remains committed to making it possible for the next generation of students to succeed.

FROM LEFT: Justice Jill Hamilton, Gordon Greenwood, Connie Munro, Glenn Smith, Jim Coleman, Anne McLellan, Brent Cotter, Mary Helleiner, Mary Clancy, Paul Jardine

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CULTURE OF GRATITUDE Class of ’90 reaches $100,000 giving milestone

BY ALLISON LAWLOR The Law Class of ’90 has reason to celebrate. Through their generous donations, the alumni are not only helping the next generation of students succeed, but they are being recognized for having reached a significant giving milestone.

“In the coming years, I would like to see the endowment grow to a level that would support granting meaningful awards annually to one student in each of the three undergrad classes of the law school,” says MacDiarmid.

Leading up to their 30th anniversary reunion, they became the second class in the law school’s history to reach $100,000 in contributions. Since establishing the Law Class of 1990 Memorial Award in 2006, the class has raised $107,345.

Recent grad Reagan Siedler (’20) was so thankful for having received the Law Class of 1990 Memorial Award in 2020, he wrote a thoughtful letter to the class.

“Our class endowment gives us an outlet for meaningful and enduring support to the law school and its students. We’re not done yet!” says Don MacDiarmid (’90). “One hundred thousand dollars is simply a nice round number. It is not a destination. I hope that we will continue to grow the Law Class of 1990 Memorial Award.”

The class was scheduled to be awarded the Dean’s Cup in recognition of their achievement at their 30th anniversary class reunion in October. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event had to be cancelled.

Fourteen years ago, several graduates of the Class of ’90 were searching for a meaningful way to commemorate a classmate who died tragically in a ski accident when the idea to create the memorial award was hatched, says MacDiarmid.

After Linda Putnam was killed in 2005, when an avalanche roared down a mountain near the Austrian resort of St. Anton am Arlberg, law school friends and classmates discussed how they could honour her memory. Instead of creating an award in Linda’s name, they decided to establish one that would commemorate the class.

“I was thrilled to be the recipient of your scholarship this year as it became more or less the entirety of my net worth,” says Siedler. “I am very appreciative for the support I’ve received through the school as I know this degree would be impossible without it. I will remember your help in future years when I, hopefully, am in a position to give back as well.”

Siedler’s letter was a poignant reminder to MacDiarmid of why the award is important and how it inspires a culture of gratitude and giving among Law students and alumni.

“The Law 1990 Class Award was built upon the pride that we have in our class and the admiration that we have for our classmates,” says MacDiarmid. “It is also a means of expressing gratitude for the doors that have been opened for us through our legal education.”

The award was first granted during the 2012-2013 academic year; the recipient received $2,000. Having grown substantially since then, MacDiarmid expects the annual award to be close to $5,200 this academic year.

FROM LEFT: Roger Proctor, Leonard Bosschart, Peter Rumscheidt,

Sarret Smith

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SOURCE OF INSPIRATION Grateful for his legal education, Ronald Stevenson has been loyally supporting Dal for 50 years

BY FALLON BOURGEOIS Ronald Stevenson (’53) can’t recall the specifics of his first gift to his alma mater. Not surprising as it was nearly 60 years ago. He does however remember what motivated him to do so.

And it’s the same reason he’s been a loyal Dalhousie donor for a half century.

“I’ve always been grateful to Dalhousie for the grounding I got in legal education,” says Stevenson. “It contributed to the success I had practicing law and as a judge. To me giving back is a way to show my appreciation.”

In December, Stevenson was recognized as the newest gold member of the MacLennan Society. Only the fourth living person to reach the milestone, gold members are recognized for 50 years of consistent giving (in a 60-year span). It’s an honour Stevenson appreciates.

“The great thing about the MacLennan Society is that it celebrates people not for the amount they’ve donated, but for their consistent support over the years.”

Stevenson has loyally supported the law school and in recent years has been inspired by his youngest daughter, Sarah Stevenson, associate university librarian at the Killam Memorial Library to expand his giving to Dal libraries.

A native of New Brunswick, where Stevenson has spent most of his life, he graduated from Dalhousie’s School of Law in 1953.

That same year he was admitted to the New Brunswick bar and began his legal career.

Stevenson describes his early career working in a “small practice” where the most rewarding part of his work was helping people. “In those days we didn’t worry about billing hours, we were more concerned about finding the most inexpensive way to fix our client’s problems. That’s where I got the greatest satisfaction from my work.”

And just as Stevenson reached nearly 20 years practicing law, he was appointed to the Court of Queen’s Bench in New Brunswick in 1972. He welcomed the new challenge and savoured the opportunities that came with moving from a small practice to the court room.

RONALD STEVENSON PICTURED WITH HIS GRANDDAUGHTER

“As a judge you face a new problem every day. Over the course of your career you face a variety of cases and each one brings a different challenge. You never stop learning as a lawyer—I’ve been a law student for 70 years now,” Stevenson says reflectively.

Stevenson remained a judge for 22 years before retiring at 65.

A father of three daughters and several grandchildren and great grandchildren, Stevenson says he’s been fortunate to enjoy a long, healthy retirement. He’s displayed the Weldon Tradition of unselfish public service as an active and dedicated volunteer with the Anglican Church, including serving as the Chancellor of General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada.

Over the years he’s kept in touch with classmates and still recalls the camaraderie amongst the class of 39 students, likely the reason for the connection they’ve maintained, adding that survivors still get together from time to time.

“Last year we had a mini reunion and Dean [Camille] Cameron joined us. In fact, just yesterday I had a phone call from one of the fellows who attended.”

As for his years of loyal giving to Dalhousie, Stevenson hopes the example set by those recognized by the MacLennan Society, at any level, may inspire younger alumni to support Dalhousie regularly however modestly or generous.

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THE WELDON PROFESSORS Professor OLABISI AKINKUGBE teaches Contracts and JudicialDecision Making, International Trade Law, and International Human Rights Law. He is an Editor and Co-founder of Afronomicslaw Blog - a blog dedicated to the analysis of all issues relating to international economic law in the Global South. He co-organized the 2019 Purdy Crawford workshop. His stream theme was Sustainable Development Goals, Trade, Investment, and Inequality. He is currently planning a workshop in September 2020 on Theoretical and Methodological Approaches for the Study of International Economic Law in the Global South. The workshop builds on an earlier online symposium.

Professor NAYHA ACHARYA teaches Civil Procedure, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Ethics, and Introduction to Law for undergraduate students. Her central research focus right now is ADR, in particular, mediation as a dispute resolution process. She also writes about procedural theory generally, and has written and presented at a workshop on higher education teaching and learning this year.

Professor Emeritus BRUCE ARCHIBALD published Capabilities Approaches and Labour Law through a Relational and Restorative Lens in Brian Langille (ed) The Capability Approach to Labour Law and Restorative Regulation of Criminality at Work in Canada in the volume Criminality at Work, edited by Alan Bogg, Jennifer Collins, Mark Freedland and Jonathan Herring. Both books were published by Oxford University Press. He is enjoying the freedom from regular teaching which flows from his new emeritus status and the privilege of supervising graduate students and doing bits of research.

Professor KIM BROOKS is grateful to have been able to get to know many of the members of the graduating class of 2020 and is sorry she missed out out on raising a glass to them in person in May. She was delighted with the hard work of the Bowman moot team and with students in tax, international tax, and the Dalhousie Law Journal courses. She’s excited about the launch of our renovated Business Law Specialization.

2019-2020 was the ‘year of Japan’ for Professor ALDO CHIRCOP. On behalf of MELAW, he was convenor of the first Canadian-Japanese Scholarly Exchange on the Law of the Sea for leading subject scholars from across Canada and Japan, with generous support of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). He was also MOFA guest at ocean law workshops in Kobe and Tokyo and gave a keynote address at a virtual conference in Sapporo.

Professor STEVE COUGHLAN brought out a new book, co-authored with Alex Gorlewski (’13), entitled The Anatomy of Criminal Procedure: A Visual Guide to the Law. The book takes a unique approach, setting out the rules of the criminal justice system in seventy separate annotated flowcharts. The book functions on a stand-alone basis, but is also a companion volume to Steve’s Criminal Procedure, the fourth edition of which appeared this year. Two of Steve’s other books Detention and Arrest, and Canadian Law Dictionary, originally authored by John Yogis (’64) were cited by the Supreme Court of Canada this year. In addition, he was chosen by Canadian Lawyer as one of the Top 25 Most Influential in the Justice System for 2019.

Professor ROB CURRIE was delighted to see the publication of two textbooks: Kindred’s International Law: Chiefly as Interpreted and Applied in Canada, 9th ed (co-edited with colleague Phillip Saunders), published in the fall of 2019; and the third edition of International & Transnational Criminal Law (co-authored with Joseph Rikhof), published January 2020.

He is also pleased to be teaching a new experiential learning course, Criminal Appeals Practice, which he co-created with Schulich grad Lee Seshagiri (’06).

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Associate Dean, Academic MICHAEL DETURBIDE was busy organizing the transition of classes and examinations online in 2020. He taught Business Associations, and was acting Director of the Law and Technology Institute in 2020. He chaired the Studies Committee and was a member of the Academic Committee and Admissions Committee.

His new book (with Professor Teresa Scassa of the University of Ottawa) entitled Digital Commerce in Canada was published in April by LexisNexis.

Acting Dean RICHARD DEVLIN has continued to serve as Chair for the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics. In that role, in collaboration with the Board of Directors, he has provided feedback to Canadian Judicial Council on revisions to the Ethical Principles for Judges. In particular, CALE has argued that the Principles should: 1) be reconstituted as a code of conduct, 2) address Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples; 3) include an explicit duty of judicial confidentiality, 4) pursue a larger discussion of judges’ obligations to promote access to justice; 5) endorse technological competence; and 6) provide guidance on post-retirement return to practice.

Professor JOCELYN DOWNIE was excited to launch two new courses in public policy and law. First was an intensive course that brought students and major players together to explore the case study for this year - the process of changing abortion policy on Prince Edward Island.

Second was a seminar that she co-taught with Laurel Broten (President and CEO of Nova Scotia Business Inc. and former Ontario Minister of Environment, Children & Youth Services, Women’s Issues, Education, and Intergovernmental Affairs). She also released a personal directives app to enable Nova Scotians to ensure their health and other personal care wishes are followed when they can longer speak for themselves (in collaboration with the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia - see legalinfo.org “online apps”).

Professor MARIA DUGAS teaches Legal Research and Writing and Torts.

In October she presented at a judicial conference run by the National Judicial Institute. She was also a panelist at the Canadian Association of Black Lawyers’ Annual Conference held in Halifax, speaking about alternative legal careers. This summer she plans to continue her work in Critical Race Legal Theory, looking at issues around racism in sport.

Professor ELAINE GIBSON had a busy year teaching tort law and damage compensation, medical malpractice, public health law, and introduction to legal ethics. She has been researching and speaking about the failures of the tort system to provide adequate redress to victims of medical malpractice and, in recent months, state quarantine powers in times of pandemic, as well as the need for provision of personal protective equipment to health care providers during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Professor DIANA GINN continues to publish in the field of law and religion. Along with three co-applicants, she has received a SSHRC Connections Grant to explore possible links between how public schools teach about religion, and students’ understandings of citizenship. She is involved with an Access to Justice Project on procedural fairness before administrative tribunals, and continues to update the Nova Scotia Real Property Practice Manual. This year, Professor Ginn taught Property Law and ADR.

In addition to the course on Intellectual Property, Professor LUCIE GUIBAULT took over the teaching of two courses on Law and Technology and Entertainment Law. She joined a research group on IP and the Right to Research, led by the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property at the American University. She also prepared a report for Canadian Heritage on the feasibility of implementing an Extended Collective Licensing regime for online music streaming services.

Research Associate and Lecturer ANTHONY ROSBOROUGH taught Copyright Law, the Fox Moot and select lectures in Intellectual Property I. He co-authored a chapter on copyright and perceptual disabilities with Professor Lucie Guibault while collaborating on several other projects.

He was awarded the Cloch Prize for his LLM dissertation on the Right to Repair and Canadian Foundation for Legal Research grant to survey the preparedness of Canadian Small Claims courts to hear intellectual property claims.

Professor ADELINA IFTENE taught Criminal Law, Evidence and Imprisonment and Prison Policy. Her book, Punished for Aging: Vulnerability, Rights and Access to Justice was published by the University of Toronto Press in August 2019. The Schulich School of Law hosted the book launch, opened by Senator Kim Pate (’84), in October 2019. Adelina also gave book talks at four other law schools across the country.

Associate Dean, Research SARA SECK led the climate justice stream of the Purdy Crawford workshop, and moderated the Wickwire legal ethics panel on business and human rights. She supervised researchers in projects on responsible business conduct for UN Environment’s Environmental Rights Initiative and a SSHRC-Impact Assessment Agency Knowledge Synthesis Grant. Publications include articles in Climate Policy, Sustainability, and Amnesty International. Forthcoming in October is the co-edited Cambridge Handbook on Sustainable Development and Environmental Justice.

Professor COLIN JACKSON continued teaching Taxation I, Secured Transactions, Sale of Goods, and Bankruptcy & Insolvency, and was thrilled to receive this year’s DLAA & LSS Award for Excellence in Teaching Law. He also finished and defended his doctoral thesis, Into the 'Vortex of Legal Precision': Access to Justice, Complexity, and the Canadian Tax System and graduated with Schulich Law’s class of 2020.

Professor ARCHIE KAISER continues teaching in the Criminal and Mental Disability Law areas and as Faculty Advisor for Pro Bono Dalhousie, while maintaining his Legal Issues class in the Department of Psychiatry. He is an executive member of HaliFIX, which operates a privately funded Halifax Overdose Prevention Site and still serves with People First Nova Scotia and the Nova Scotia Association for Community Living, organizations which advocate for persons labelled with an intellectual disability.

Professor JODI LAZARE taught Constitutional Law and Introduction to Legal Ethics. She published research on the gendered economic consequences of marriage breakdown and judicial reliance on the Spousal Support Advisory Guidelines in the Canadian Journal of Women and the Law and has a forthcoming article in the Queen’s Law Journal on determining ownership of companion animals upon family breakdown. In October 2019, in partnership with Animal Justice, she co-organized the inaugural Canadian Animal Law Conference, a sold-out event.

Professor CONSTANCE MACINTOSH was delighted to teach some of her favourite courses this year, including Indigenous Governance, Contract Law, and Immigration and Refugee Law. Research highlights included co-editing a special collection of articles on current issues in migration law, and workshopping ideas on how to bring together the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Professor Emeritus WAYNE MACKAY completed the 4th edition of his Teachers and the Law book. It was published by Emond-Montgomery publishers in February of 2020. He also remains active in the McGill University led iMPACTS SSHRC funded national project on sexual assaults at universities, including doing a presentation (by Skype) to a conference on sexual assault law at McGill Law School in February 2020. He serves as expert legal advisor to the Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS) on their Workplace Sexual Harassment Project and contributed the lead segment to their online training for lawyers on this project in March 2020. He continues his regular CBC column on legal matters for Info AM and comments widely on all legal matters on local and national media, including many comments on legal issues arising from COVID-19.

Professor ROLLIE THOMPSON retired in June 2020. This past year, along with Shelley Hounsell-Gray, he taught a course in Child Protection Law, only one of four such courses taught in Canada. He will become a professor emeritus, but he plans to continue researching, writing and speaking at conferences, as well as editing the Nova Scotia Civil Procedure Rules and the Canadian Family Law Quarterly. No rocking chair yet.

Professor DAVID VANDERZWAAG had another productive research year. His co-editing of the Research Handbook of Polar Law and the Research Handbook on Ocean Acidification continued with upcoming publication by Edward Elgar. He co-organized a panel, Transboundary Fisheries Governance in an Era of Changing Oceans at the Integrated Marine Biosphere Research (IMBeR) Open Science Conference in Brest, France, in June 2019. He co-authored Saving the North Atlantic right whale in a changing ocean: Gauging scientific and law and policy responses in Ocean and Coastal Management.

Professor SHEILA WILDEMAN enjoyed a year of her retired spouse’s fine cooking. This gave her the energy to, among other things, obtain a SSHRC Partnership Engage grant (My Home, My Rights: Exploring Human Rights in Community Living). This will enable Sheila and Ruth Strubank/NS Association for Community Living to work with a team of Participatory Action Researchers with intellectual disabilities, using artsbased methods to explore human rights and community inclusion and create an advocacy resource based on what we learn.

Professor MICHELLE WILLIAMS taught African Nova Scotians and the Law; served as lead of Dalhousie’s African Nova Scotian (ANS) Strategy: and was appointed as a Dalhousie Provost Fellow. She organized the IB&M 30th Anniversary events; continued her work with the ANSDPAD Coalition and the ANSA2J Judicial Committee; and joined the Board of CCLISAR. After 16 years serving as Director of the IB&M Initiative, she moved into a tenure-track position with the Schulich School of Law on July 1, 2020.

Professor Emeritus FAYE WOODMAN came out of retirement briefly this spring to teach Equity and Trusts and found her students keener and smarter than ever. She co-edited the 4th edition of The Law of Trusts with Mark Gillen at Victoria and authored several chapters on taxation of trusts, succession and estate planning, and constructive trusts. She continues as a representative on the Pension Advisory Committee of the Dalhousie Plan and as occasional advisor to the Law Reform Commission.

Professor ANDREW FLAVELLE MARTIN joined Schulich Law on July 1, 2019. He taught Public Law, Introduction to Legal Ethics, Legal Profession, and Advanced Legal Research. He’s continued his long-term project on legal ethics for government lawyers and the Attorney General, focusing this year on the implications of federalism and activism for government lawyers. He also worked on the application of Gladue principles in the professional discipline of Indigenous lawyers and in administrative law more generally.

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THE GRAPEVINE

1964

1980 DONALD OLIVER has been appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.

1965 JAMES COWAN has been appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.

1969 JOHN YOUNG received an honourary degree from Saint Mary’s University at the Fall 2019 Convocation.

LEE COHEN was recognized by the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society with its 2019 Distinguished Service Award.

1981 BRIAN CASEY has been admitted as a Fellow to the Litigation Counsel of America.

He practices with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS.

1983 DEBORAH SMITH was appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nova Scotia.

1971 MICK RYAN, partner with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax, NS office, was appointed the Chair of Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada for a two-year term. He is the first individual from eastern Canada to fill this role.

1973 LAWRENCE FREEMAN, partner with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax, NS office, was elected Chair of the Board of Governors at Saint Mary’s University.

1974 BRENT COTTER has been appointed an independent Senator representing Saskatchewan by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He is the former Dean of Law at the University of Saskatchewan.

1977 SUSAN HOOD, retired Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice, is the chair of Nova Scotia’s Criminal Review Board.

RAYMOND MORSE has been appointed Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court Family Division. He will preside in Truro, NS.

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1984 DAVID COLES has been named a Fellow to the Litigation Counsel of America. He has also been named Regional Chair of the Supreme Court Advocacy Institute (Atlantic Region). He practices with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS. KEVIN LATIMER, partner with Cox & Palmer’s Halifax, NS office, has been elected Chair of the Board of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

KEN MILLS is practicing litigation with Blake Cassels and Graydon after serving as the Calgary office’s managing partner for 16 years.

1985 STEPHEN COUGHLAN was named one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers for 2019.

GAVIN GILES, partner in McInnes Cooper’s Halifax, NS office, was recognized for his 20-year history of voluntary service to the Canadian Red Cross when he was invested into The Order of the Red Cross, Officer Level. This is the second highest honour the Red Cross bestows on its volunteers.

KATHRYN RAYMOND of BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS has received a part-time appointment to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.

KAY RHODENIZER continues as counsel to MDW Law in Halifax, NS but has moved her home office to New Minas where she is expanding family law/estates practice to the Annapolis Valley and Bridgewater areas.

JOHN WILKINSON was awarded the 2019 John Hackett Memorial Award by the Canadian Association of University Solicitors (CAUS). The award was established to recognize significant contributions and is presented to a member who has earned the respect of the association and has demonstrated a dedication to goodwill, friendship and rigorous legal scholarship in university legal issues. He is a Partner with WeirFoulds LLP’s Toronto, ON office.

1986 MICHELLE CHRISTOPHER was appointed Judge of the Provincial Court of Alberta on November 6, 2018. She is the first female judge of the Judicial District of Medicine Hat. She sits in all seven of the courts in the province’s southern region, including Medicine Hat, Brooks, Lethbridge, Taber, Pincher Creek, Fort Macleod and Cardston.

1988 JACK GRAHAM was appointed Chair of the Board of Directors of McInnes Cooper. He is a partner in the firm’s Halifax, NS office. He was also re-elected for a record fifth term to the Board of Directors of the International Tennis Federation. He also serves as Director Emeritus on Tennis Canada’s board.

ANDREW MACDONALD was appointed Chief Crown Attorney, Special Initiatives. This role is responsible for the technological management of cases.

1990 GLEN NOEL has been appointed Judge of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador.

1991 ANDREW FRASER has been admitted as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America.

He is a partner with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax, NS office.

1994

HEATHER MCNEILL was recognized by Dalhousie University with a 2019 Aurum Award. This alumni award celebrates the meaningful work that alumni 1987 are making in our communities. After spending 21 years working as a Dalhousie ROBERT BALCOM graduated Legal Aid lawyer, she is now Legal Advisor of from the Faculty of Law, University of Toronto at the 2019 the Enhanced Child Family Initiative at the Mi’kmaq Rights Initiative Negotiation Office.

Fall Convocation with a Master of Laws specializing in international business law. He is the General Counsel of Wittington 1995 Investments, Limited, a holding company of PAMELA MARCHE has been appointed a the Weston family. Prior to his current role, Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court Rob held senior legal positions with George Family Division. She will preside in Sydney, Weston and Loblaw Companies. He lives NS. in Toronto with his wife, Shari, and their 3 children, Leah (’18), Brett and Carlie.

CANDACE THOMAS was named a Chatelaine 2019 Woman of the Year. She was also appointed Nova Scotia’s Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Minister of the Office of Social Innovation and Integrative Approaches.

In July 2019 she was elected Chair of Dalhousie University’s Board of Governors.

1996

2000 RAY ADLINGTON is a partner with Miller Thomson’s London, ON office.

LORI BEVAN has joined the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board.

ROBERT DYSART was appointed a Judge of New Brunswick’s Court of the Queen’s Bench Trial Division.

DENISE MENTIS-SMITH has been named Second Vice President of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society. She was also appointed to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission. She practices at Harris North Law in Bedford, NS. SAMUEL MOREAU was appointed Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court Family Division.

1997 KIM JOHNSON has joined MDW Law in Halifax, NS as counsel.

PAUL MORRIS has been appointed a Justice of the Nova Scotia Supreme Court Family Division. He will preside in Pictou, NS. MICHEL SAMSON, counsel with Cox & Palmer’s Halifax, NS office, was appointed to the 2019 Board of Directors for Marine Renewables Canada.

JUDY WHITE is the Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Human Rights Commission. She is the first Indigenous woman to fill the role. She is also the Assistant Deputy Minister of Indigenous and Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat with the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

1998 ALETA CROMWELL was appointed Judge of the Provincial and Family Court of Nova Scotia on July 9, 2020.

JIM ROSSITER is the President of the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society. He is Legal Counsel with the Department of Justice (Canada), Environment Legal Services.

2005

PETER STANHOPE is a partner with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS.

JASON COOKE, partner with Burchells LLP in Halifax, NS, has been appointed Chair of the Halifax Regional Municipality’s Halifax Peninsula Planning Advisory Committee.

ELIAS METLEJ, partner in 2007 McInnes Cooper’s Halifax, NS office, was recognized as 2019 PAUL SAUNDERS, Practice Lebanese Professional of the Innovation Partner in Stewart Year by the Nova Scotia Lebanese Chamber of McKelvey’s Halifax office, Commerce at its Annual Cedar & Maple Gala. received a Lexpert Rising Star: Leading Lawyer Under 40 Award, recognizing his role as a trailblazer in the legal landscape 2002 across Canada PERRY BORDEN was appointed Judge of the Provincial and 2010 Family Court of Nova Scotia on July 9, 2020.

GARNET BROOKS is a partner with Burchells LLP in Halifax, REBEKAH POWELL is a partner NS. with Barteaux Durnford in Halifax, NS. IAN BROWN is a partner with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS.

2003

2004 ELAINE CRAIG was named a member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Launched in 2014, the College is Canada’s first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for scholars who have demonstrated a high level of achievement at an early stage in their career. She was also named one of Canadian Lawyer’s Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers for 2019.

MEGAN LESLIE was recognized TERRANCE SHEPPARD

by Dalhousie University with was named the Canadian Bar a 2019 Aurum Award. This Association – Nova Scotia alumni award celebrates the Branch Treasurer. It is a one-year meaningful work that alumni are making in our term, after which he will be appointed Vice communities. She is the President and CEO President and then following that, President. of World Wildlife Fund Canada.

He practices with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS. SARAH MACINTOSHWISEMAN is the CEO of the Pictou County Regional Enterprise Network.

2014

NAIOMI METALLIC was awarded the 2019 Order of Merit from the University of Ottawa.

2015

2001

MATTHEW HERDER was named a Member of the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.

Launched in 2014, the College is Canada’s first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for scholars who have demonstrated a high level of achievement at an early stage in their career. He also received a Dalhousie University President’s Research Excellence Award at the second-annual Dalhousie Legacy Awards.

MEAGHAN STRUM has been named partner at Burchells LLP in Halifax, NS.

JASON MAY has joined Burchells LLP in Halifax, NS as a senior immigration lawyer.

SANDRA MCCULLOCH is a partner with Patterson Law’s Truro and Halifax, NS offices.

SCOTT MCGIRR is practicing with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS in the areas of Canadian immigration, refugee and citizenship law.

SAMANTHA ALLEN is a prosecutor with the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service.

MICHAEL BERRIGAN is a prosecutor with the Nova Scotia Public Prosecution Service.

BRENDAN SHERIDAN is an associate with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax, NS office.

2016 MICHAEL BOURGEOIS is an associate with Wickwire Holm in Halifax, NS. JESSIE CHISHOLM is an associate with Bailey & Associates in Dartmouth, NS. LAUREN MILLS TAYLOR clerked at both the Alberta Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada. She’s a member of both the Alberta bar and the Ontario bar and is now practicing in Toronto with Henein Hutchison LLP. LAUREN MURPHY TURNER is practicing with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS. ANDREW TAILLON has been named Director of Professional Responsibility for the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society.

CASSIE TAYLOR is an associate with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS.

2012 SARAH MCINNES is a partner with McInnes Cooper’s Halifax, NS office.

MICHAEL MURPHY is a partner with McInnes Cooper’s Halifax, NS office.

2013 DANIELLE DAIGLE is a partner with McInnes Cooper’s Halifax, NS office.

JUSTIN KING has been named partner at St. John’s, NL firm, O’Dea Earle.

KATIE ARMSTONG is working in the Sydney, NS office of the Workers’ Advisers Program.

ASHLEY HAMP-GONSALVES is practicing with Burchells LLP in Halifax, NS.

2017 KRISTIN DOBROSKY is a sole practitioner at Dobrosky Law in Halifax, NS. NICK HOOPER is an associate with Wagners in Halifax, NS. CAITLIN PLUMMER is an associate with Dumke Law in Bridgewater, NS. JESSICA ROSE is an associate with Dumke Law in Bridgewater, NS.

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2018 TANISHA BLACKMORE is a solicitor with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice.

KODY BLOIS is Member of Parliament for Kings-Hants, Nova Scotia.

JAMES BRAY is an associate with Fenton Smith Barristers in Toronto, ON. AMANDA BROUSSEAU is an associate with DCL Law in Dartmouth, NS. PATRICK BROUSSEAU is Associate Legal Counsel at Emera Energy in Halifax, NS. WILL CANN is an associate with the Charlottetown, PE office of Stewart McKelvey.

JEFF COLUMBUS is practicing with Sampson McPhee in Sydney, NS. BRITTNI DEVEAU is an associate with Atherton Nicholson in Dartmouth, NS. KATE DEWEY has just completed a six-month placement at the Guyana Legal Aid Clinic as part of the Young Lawyers International Program.

ASHLEY DOOLEY is counsel with Intact Insurance in Halifax, NS. PETER FAOUR is an associate with Cox & Palmer in Halifax, NS. LOGAN GRANT is an associate with Taylor MacLellan Cochrane in Kentville, NS. ASHLEY HILL is a Regulatory Affairs Officer with the Government of Yukon.

MARK HOLDEN is an associate with Walker Dunlop in Halifax, NS. NICO JONES is an associate with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax, NS office.

GRACE JOTHIRAJ is counsel with Tax Law Services at the Department of Justice Canada.

TERENCE KATERYNYCH is regional counsel with the federal Department of Justice.

A. MEAGHAN KELLS is an associate with BoyneClarke LLP in Dartmouth, NS.

JORDAN PREMO is Deputy Judge Advocate and Legal Officer for the Canadian Armed Forces in Halifax, NS.

MALIAN LEVI is Governance Coordinator with Mawiw Council Inc. in Fredericton, NB.

NADIA SHIVJI is a legal intern with Lawyers for Human Rights in South Africa.

BHREAGH MACDONALD is an associate with Blois, Nickerson & Bryson in Halifax, NS. BRENNAN MACDONALD is an associate with Burchells LLP in Halifax, NS.

KENDAL STEELE is an associate with Rosen Kirshen Tax Law in the firm’s Toronto, ON office.

JULIANNE STEVENSON is a clerk with the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal in Halifax, NS.

DYLAN MACDONALD is an associate with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax, NS office

MYLES THOMPSON is a lawyer with the Nova Scotia Department of Justice in Halifax, NS.

JENNIFER MACDONALD is an associate with Patterson Law in Halifax, NS.

DANIEL VANCLIEAF is practicing with McInnes Cooper in the firm’s Halifax, NS office.

NORA MACINTOSH is a social justice support worker with Nova Scotia Legal Aid in Cape Breton, NS. KIMBERLY MACLACHLAN is an associate with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax, NS office.

SHANE MCCRACKEN is an associate with The Breton Law Group in Sydney, NS.

SAM WARD is an associate with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax, NS office.

PRIMROSE WATSON was recognized as one of the Most Inspiring Immigrants in the Maritimes for 2020 by My East Coast Experience. She immigrated from Sri Lanka in 2007.

MITCHELL MCDADE is practicing with Farrow Hicks Law Inc. in Upper Tantallon, NS.

ALICIA WILBERT is an associate with Cox & Palmer in the firm’s Halifax, NS office.

NATHAN MCLEAN is an associate with Burchell MacDougall LLP in the Halifax and Wolfville, NS offices.

KEISHA WRIGHT is an associate with Stewart McKelvey’s Halifax, NS office.

M. KATHLEEN MITCHELL is an associate with the Halifax, NS office of Stewart McKelvey.

MOLLIE MORRIS is an associate with Weldon McInnis in Halifax, NS. LISANDRA NARANJO HERNANDEZ is an associate with Valent Legal in Halifax, NS. KELLY O’BRIEN is an associate with Sampson McPhee in Sydney, NS. SCARLETT O’SHEA is an associate with Torys LLP in Toronto, ON. MELISSA PIKE is an associate with McInnes Cooper in Halifax, NS.

2019 SARAH BYRNE is an associate with Stewart McKelvey in St. John’s, NL. MEGHAN FOLEY is an associate at Roebothan McKay & Marshall in St. John’s, NL. JACOB GLOVER is an associate with Burchells LLP in Halifax, NS. SHANNON HALE will be clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada with Justice Brown beginning in August 2021.

DANIELLE KEATING is an associate with Burchells LLP in Halifax, NS. NEALA KIELLEY is an associate with Cox & Palmer in St. John’s, NL. VANJA MITROVIZ is an associate with Burchells LLP in Halifax, NS.

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ANDREA NEAL is an associate with McInnes Cooper in St. John’s, NL. EMILY WANG will be clerking at the Supreme Court of Canada with Justice Kasirer beginning in August 2021.

IN MEMORIAM time reservist, he held various positions in the Canadian November 26, 2019. He Armed Forces (Militia) and attended St. Mary’s University was most recently appointed and Dalhousie law school and Honorary Colonel of the 1st began practising law in 1954, GORDON HODGES (Halifax-Dartmouth) Field eventually becoming one of MCCONNEL (’54) died on July Artillery Regiment. He was Nova Scotia’s most active 24, 2019. He graduated from also actively involved with the labour lawyers throughout Mount Allison University and Canadian National Institute the 1960s. In 1963 he was then Dalhousie University for the Blind and served on elected to the House of with his law degree. In 1962 he the King’s College Board of Commons as a member moved his family to Kitchener- Governors. In 2004-2005 of Parliament and elected Waterloo, ON and became he was named Honourary Leader of the Nova Scotia assistant counsel with Mutual President of the Nova Scotia Liberal Party two years later.

Life and later corporate Barristers’ Society.

He then served as MLA for counsel with BF Goodrich.

Halifax-Needham from 1967 In 1969 he was called to the JOHN CARNELL CROSBIE to 1980 and then as Premier Bench and was appointed (’56) died on January 10, of Nova Scotia for 1970 to senior judge for the region in 2020. He attended Queen’s 1978. He returned to federal 1982. He was the first Ontario University where he was politics in 1980, as MP and judge to support restorative awarded the Gold Medal in over the next four years, held justice, a model which has Political Science and Dalhousie various portfolios in the federal been adopted worldwide.

University, graduating as the cabinets of Pierre Trudeau University Medalist in Law. and John Turner. After politics JOHN FRANCIS ROWE He moved on to postgraduate he went into private business (’54) died on May 16, 2019. studies at the University of as a consultant and served He earned his law degree London and London School of as a director of a number of at Dalhousie University Economics and was called to Canadian companies. From and after working many the Bar in 1957. He went on to 1990 to 2014, he was counsel years abroad, he served as become one of Newfoundland to McInnes Cooper and its president of the Halifax and Labrador’s and Canada’s predecessor law firm.

Construction Association. most notable political figures, He volunteered his time with enjoying a remarkable ELEANOR JOYCE DICKEY many organizations including career in public life, serving (’54) died on May 6, 2019. She Rotary International, The in municipal government, earned her bachelor of arts Halifax Citadel Regimental the Newfoundland House degree at Dalhousie University Association and The Halifax of Assembly, the House of and then graduated from law Highland Games Committee. Commons and as Lieutenantschool, where she was one Governor of Newfoundland of only three women in her JOHN WALLACE ALWARD and Labrador. After retiring class. She was an avid skier (’55) died on September from politics he served for and golfer, enjoyed tennis and 1, 2019. After earning his 14 years as the Chancellor of sailing and was a star player bachelor of arts degree Memorial University. He also on the Dalhousie women’s at the University of New worked as legal counsel and varsity hockey team in her Brunswick and his law degree director of several institutions, university years. She was a at Dalhousie University, he community organizations and dedicated volunteer with the practised at the Halifax law private companies. Among his Canadian Cancer Society, firm Daley, Ritchie, Black & honours were Chancellor of Home of the Guardian Angel Moreira for 50 years. A long- the Order of Newfoundland GERALD AUGUSTINE PAUL REGAN (’52) died on

and spent more than a decade with Halifax Meals on Wheels, delivering meals and serving as President.

and Labrador, Honourary Chief of the Newfoundland Constabulary, Honourary Colonel of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, Officer of the Order of Canada, Queen’s Counsel, Member of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Knight of Justice of the Order of St. John. He also held many honourary Doctor of Laws degrees, including one from Dalhousie University.

SALLY LOMAS (’56) died on January 29, 2020. She obtained a bachelor of commerce and a bachelor of laws degree from Dalhousie University followed by a master of laws degree from Harvard University.

JAMES EDWARD DONAHOE (’57) died on October 23,

2019. After earning his law degree from Dalhousie University he worked in the banking industry and rose to senior executive level before his retirement.

MICHAEL DONALD MACDONALD (’57) died

on April 16, 2019. After graduating with his law degree from Dalhousie University he began his career in law in Halifax, practising with Burchill, Smith and Jost.

In 1966, he joined the Edmonton, AB firm, Clement, Parlee, Irving, Henning, Mustard & Rodney (now Parlee McLaws LLP), where he was a partner and litigator for over 40 years. An engaged member of the community, VOLUME 41 · 2020

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he held many board and public service appointments including Chair of the Edmonton Police Commission, Chair of the Royal Alexandra Hospital Board and Chancellor of the Anglican Diocese of Athabasca. He had an intense love of politics, and ran as a Liberal candidate in four federal elections during the 1970’s and 80’s.

WILLIAM BERTRAM WHITE (’57) died on April 27, 2019.

After deciding against a possible career in hockey, he graduated from Dalhousie University with his law degree and went on to practice law in Moncton, NB for 46 years.

JOHN MACLENNAN BUCHANAN (’58) died on

October 3, 2019. After graduating from Mount Allison University with a bachelor D. MERLIN NUNN (’57) of science degree and an died on May 21, 2020. He engineering certificate, he obtained a bachelor of arts earned his law degree at degree and a bachelor of Dalhousie University and education degree from St. practised in Halifax. He was Francis Xavier University elected Premier of Nova and then taught school in Scotia in 1978 and was reManitoba for two years. He elected for three more terms then earned his bachelor of becoming the third longest laws degree from Dalhousie serving Premier in the history University and his master of of Nova Scotia. He was laws degree from Harvard. In sworn into the Queen’s Privy 1960, he began working as Council for Canada by Queen a lecturer at Dalhousie Law Elizabeth II, in recognition of School and joined the law firm of Rutledge, MacKeigan, his role in the patriation of Cragg and Downie, becoming the Constitution along with a number of other provincial a partner in 1967. He was Premiers. In 1990, he was appointed Queen’s Counsel summoned to the Senate in 1972 and in 1973 became a senior partner at Cox, Downie, of Canada and served in the upper chamber for 16 years.

Nunn, and Goodfellow. In 1978, he was appointed as JOSEPH ADRIEN JEAN the first Chairman of the FORGET (’58) died on March Nova Scotia Civil Service 8, 2020. He graduated from Employee Relations Board. the University of Ottawa with In 1982, he was appointed a a bachelor of arts degree and Judge of the Trial Division for then Dalhousie University with the Supreme Court of Nova a law degree. He practiced Scotia. In 1997, Justice Nunn law in Cornwall, ON for many was appointed Conflict of years as a partner in the law Interest Commissioner for firm of Lamoureux, Rouleau the Province of Nova Scotia. and Forget. He was appointed He held the position for 21 years, making him the longest to the Bench in 1976 in Sudbury, ON, transferred serving Conflict of Interest Commissioner in the history of to Cornwall in 1982 and then to Ottawa in 1993. He Nova Scotia. retired after serving over 32 years. He was very active in his community serving as 60 |

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President of the Richelieu Club of Cornwall, as Chairman of the Board of the Cornwall Hotel Dieu Hospital, and as a long-time member of the City of Cornwall Planning Board.

He was also a past President of the Ontario County and District Judges Association.

For many years, he served as a member with the Pension Appeals Board.

CALVIN MURDOCH MAYO (’59) died on November 18,

2019. He attended Maritime Business College and then enrolled at Memorial University and became a member of the Royal Canadian Navy Reserves Naval Training Division. He went on to earn his law degree at Dalhousie University and was admitted as a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland.

DONALD AUBREY MACDONALD (’60) died on

September 30, 2019. He earned a bachelor of arts degree from St. Francis Xavier University and then his law degree from Dalhousie University. After graduation he moved to Red Deer, AB where he practiced law for almost 30 years. In 1991, he moved to Calgary where he started his second career at the Calgary Drop-In Centre. He was a manager of employment services there until his mid 70’s and described those years as some of the best of his life, enabling him to live out his passion for social justice and his belief that everyone is deserving of being treated fairly and with dignity.

DOUGLAS FLETCHER SMITH (’60) died on January 16,

2020. He earned his bachelor of commerce and bachelor of laws degrees from Dalhousie University then practiced real estate law in Ottawa, ON first at Gowlings and then as a partner at Hewitt, Hewitt, Nesbitt, Reid for nearly 25 years.

JOHN LAWSON MACDONALD JONSTON (’61)

died on March 12, 2020. He earned a bachelor of science degree from Acadia University and then a law degree from Dalhousie University. He was appointed Queens Counsel in 1977. He served on numerous boards in Alberta and nationally including a term as President of the Canadian Cancer Society. In 1988 he was awarded the Canadian Cancer Society’s 50th Anniversary Certificate for Outstanding Contributions to the Organization.

IAN HUGH MACDONALD (’65) died on March 17, 2019.

He earned his bachelor of arts degree at St. Francis Xavier University and then his law degree at Dalhousie University. After law school he practiced in Yarmouth, NS until his retirement in 2006.

FRANCIS PAUL FOWLER (’66)

died on February 18, 2020.

He earned his undergraduate degree at St. Dunstan’s University and then went on to receive his law degree from Dalhousie University. He practiced with Benson Buffett PLC Inc. in St. John’s, NL. He was a leader in the community, serving many organizations including the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador,

the Rotary, the Archdiocese, the Neighbourhood Goodwill Center, Gathering Place, Presentation Associate Relationship, Canadian Power and Sail Squadrons, and the Boy Scouts of Canada.

THOMAS JOSEPH O’REILLY (’67) died on November 16,

2019. After graduating from Dalhousie University with his law degree he returned to Newfoundland to practice.

He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1980 and Master of the Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador in 1988. He was a former President of the Law Society of Newfoundland and Labrador, President of the Newfoundland and Labrador Branch of the Canadian Bar Association and a Fellow of the American College of Trial Lawyers. In 2019, at the age of 78, Best Lawyers named him St. John’s Insurance Lawyer of the Year. He also gave his time and expertise generously to his community, serving on many boards and committees over the years and in recent years was an invaluable contributor to the Gathering Place which he championed as providing care, support and compassion to some of St. John’s most vulnerable.

returned to Newfoundland and was a founding partner in the law firm Martin, Whalen, Hennebury and Stamp.

SCOTT IAN BUSHNELL (’69)

died on May 14, 2019. He earned a bachelor of science degree at the University of Guelph, a law degree at Dalhousie University and a masters of law degree at Osgoode Hall. He was a professor of law, first at the University of Western Ontario and then at the University of Windsor until he retired in 2003. Ian proudly published two books: The Federal Court of Canada- A History 18751992 and The Captive Court- A Study of the Supreme Court of Canada. He was also a retired Lieutenant (Royal Canadian Navy).

earning his bachelor of commerce and law degrees from Dalhousie University he moved to Bridgetown, NS where he joined the law firm Orlando and Hicks. He served as Bridgetown Town Solicitor for eight years, Federal Crown Prosecutor for Annapolis County for 12 years and was appointed Queens Counsel in 1988. The majority of his practice was devoted to Divorce and Family Law, Civil Litigation, Estate Practice and Probate and Property Law. WAYNE MORRIS KELSIE (’72)

died on September 11, 2019.

He graduated from Saint Mary’s University with a bachelor of arts degree, and then earned his law degree at Dalhousie University. He worked for many years in the Halifax, NS area prior to BARRIE HAROLD BLACK (’71) moving to North West River, died on September 16, Labrador to work with the 2019. He was an advocate, mentor, connector, confidant, Newfoundland and Labrador Legal Aid Commission. entrepreneur and athlete. He was known for his larger-than- He also worked with the life personality, amazing sense Innu Development Limited Partnership in Happy Valleyof humour, witty banter and Goose Bay, Labrador where great storytelling. he worked closely with the Natuashish and Sheshatshiu MARK JOSEPH GASTON LAROSE (’71) died on February Innu communities.

22, 2020. He earned a MARY MARGARET bachelor of arts degree at HELLEINER (’74) died on Saint Mary’s University, and March 4, 2020. She earned his law degree at Dalhousie her bachelor of arts degree GEORGE DAVID MARTIN (’68) University. After being called from the University of Toronto died on March 23, 2020. He to the Bar, he practiced law and then her law degree from earned a bachelor of arts and in Welland, ON for the last Dalhousie University. She bachelor of science degree 46 years, most recently with was employed by the Nova from Memorial University Flett Beccario Barristers & Scotia Barristers’ Society as and began his first career as a Solicitors. He was involved in Executive Director of the teacher. During the summer politics, sat on the Welland Nova Scotia Law Foundation break he worked as a labourer City Council and also ran for during its early years. in the paper mill in Corner the Provincial Liberal Party.

Brook to save enough money CASTOR HENRY FRANKLIN to attend law school. After DAVID GORDON WILLIAMS (’76) died on May graduating with his law degree COTTENDEN (’72) died on 22, 2019. Before graduating from Dalhousie University, he December 19, 2019. After

from Dalhousie with his bachelor of arts and law degrees, he had a career in his birth country Antigua as a civil servant, and then served in the British Army. He began his law career in Halifax, practising independently until 1992 when he began working as a Crown Attorney in Dartmouth. He was appointed to the Bench in 1996, becoming the first black provincial court judge of Nova Scotia. He sat as a full-time judge until his mandatory retirement at age 70 and continued for another five years after that working part-time. He was a founding member of the Joint Consultative Committee (JCC), chairperson of the Black Learners Advisory Committee (BLAC Report), former president of the Black Lawyers Association of Nova Scotia, Honorary Consulate of Antigua and Barbuda for the Atlantic Provinces, helped establish the Council on African Canadian Education, had an active involvement in the African Caribbean Association of Nova Scotia and the West Indian Commonwealth Society, and was a board member on the Dartmouth Sportsplex and Dartmouth Work Activity Society.

CHRISTOPHER BRUCE CHARBONNEAU (’79) died

on January 29, 2020. After graduating from Dalhousie University with his law degree, he relocated to Kelowna, BC and for much of his career practiced law with the Legal Services Society until he moved on to solo practice dealing primarily with property matters.

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EVELYNE MELTZER (’79) died

on July 19, 2019. She earned her bachelor of arts degree and bachelor of laws degree from Dalhousie University, and went on to graduate with a master of laws degree from the University of Washington. She worked in Canada and abroad in public and private capacities, focusing on international law, coastal and ocean resource issues, international development, human rights and community economic development. She taught at Dalhousie University and Saint Mary’s University, was a visiting professor at the World Maritime University in Sweden and served on the Board of Inquiry for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission.

She participated in negotiating policy and treaties in Canada, and at the UN as a member of several delegations, including the UN Law of the Sea Conference, preparatory meetings to the UN Conference on Environment and Development, UN Conference on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, and the subsequent UN Review Conference. She was also a noted writer, publishing numerous articles and reports, and most importantly, her major 2009 book (with Susanna Fuller), The Quest for Sustainable International Fisheries. She was involved in several non-profit and community initiatives and in recognition of her dedication and service, received the UN Global Citizens Award in 1995. She was honoured by her government and aboriginal colleagues as federal chair of the Nova Scotia Sustainable Communities Initiative from 1999-2002 and in 2010 was 62 |

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recognized by the Canadian Progress Club (Halifax Chapter) as a recipient of the Women of Excellence Award.

PAUL ALEXANDER DANCAUSE (’84) died on

July 5, 2019. After earning his law degree at Dalhousie University he was called to the Bar in Ontario and opened his sole practice in 1997 in the area of wills and estates and estate litigation. He was a member of the Estates Subcommittee in Toronto, presenter of numerous estate-related topics at Continuing Legal Education and CPD conferences over the last 25 years, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Law and former head instructor at the Ottawa Bar Admission Course (Estate Planning and Administration).

with Georgia-Pacific Building Supplies. He then immigrated to Canada and earned his law degree from Dalhousie University and settled in Fredericton, NB to practice law until shortly before his death.

before all levels of Court, including several appearances before the Supreme Court of Canada. After his retirement from CLOC on December 31, 2019, he became counsel with the Public Prosecution Service of Canada.

RONALD DIETER RICHTER (’92) died on June 23, 2019.

FRIENDS OF THE LAW SCHOOL

He earned his bachelor of arts and law degrees from Dalhousie University and practiced law in the Annapolis Valley of Nova Scotia for 25 years.

MILDRED IRENE MACDONALD passed away on

December 12, 2019. Mildred was the former Secretary to the Dean and retired as Administrator after 30 years NICOLE JENNIFER CARDIN of service in 1992. She was a (’13) died on November 1, devoted patron of the arts, a 2018. canoeing enthusiast and avid skier, swimmer and walker.

ROLAND SNELGROVE (’77) Upon retirement she returned died on March 4, 2020. He to Merigomish, NS and earned a bachelor of arts degree at Memorial University enjoyed working in her garden, taking walks and swimming at and then a law degree at CLYDE LESLIE NICKERSON Dalhousie University. He was a Big Island Beach. (’85) died on October 25, partner at Cox & Palmer’s St. 2019. After a long and John’s, NL office and practiced SHEILA WILE died on March 6, 2020. She was Secretarial accomplished career in the in the areas of real estate and Supervisor and Secretary to military, as a police officer, and property law. the Chair of Graduate Studies as a navigator, he graduated until her retirement. During from Dalhousie University with JACK SANDY TSE (’84) died her time at Weldon she was his law degree. He was over 40 on April 27, 2020 after awarded the Rosemary Gill when he graduated and started battling COVID-19 for more Award for outstanding service practicing law. He worked as a than a month. He attended to students. She was an avid lawyer for 20 years, and then Innis College (University of knitter and served for a time returned to military service in Toronto) and then Dalhousie 2001 as commanding officer University where he graduated as the Secretary for the Colchester Scottish Society. for the 357 Barrington Sea with his law degree. He first Cadets. This final military worked as an Assistant Crown She enjoyed Scottish Country Dancing and after retirement service earned Clyde his Attorney in Newmarket, took up bowling, line dancing 12-year Canadian Forces’ ON, and then joined the Decoration.

Crown Law Office – Criminal and was part of a knitting group. She will be fondly (CLOC) in Toronto in the remembered for her famous MAX WILLIAM RICHARDSON late 1990s, where he worked Scottish shortbread she would (’86) died on March 26, 2019. on appeals and special bake and gift to faculty and He served in the US Army for prosecutions. Sandy was a four years and then returned nationally recognized expert in staff during the holidays. home to Missouri to study the law of search and seizure, at Northeast Missouri State electronic surveillance and University. His early working lawful justification. He was a years were spent as an auditor skilled litigator who appeared

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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