Representatives from LSID and BLG hosted the noon-hour event on January 12.
L to R: Jay Dyck, Louise Lee, Kimberley Ho, Laleh Moshiri, Stefanie Wong, Yang Wang, Carina Chiu, Isis Tse, Rebecca Lee, and Jason Yu.
No questions were off limits at "Candid Conversations in Hiring" - a January 12 question and answer session designed to encourage dialogue and educate students on diversity in the legal profession.
The event saw four guest speakers from Borden Ladner Gervais LLP lend their experience and expertise to students: Kimberley Ho, Professional Recruiting Manager, BLG Calgary; Louise K. Lee, Partner, BLG Calgary; Laleh Moshiri, National Director, Diversity & Inclusion, BLG Toronto; and Jay Dyck, previously a BLG summer student, now an incoming articling student.
Throughout the session, students were encouraged to engage in conversation, taking advantage of the rare opportunity to speak with lawyers in an informal and relaxed atmosphere. Among the many items discussed at the session were discrimination in the workplace and holding lawyers accountable, alcohol use in the profession, the implications of parental leave, wage gaps, and BLG's recruitment process.
When discussing discrimination in the workplace, the speakers noted the importance of recognizing unconscious bias, which BLG addresses by encouraging employees to take implicit-association tests. After the test, training is provided to help manage any biases discovered.
The speakers also discussed BLG's parental leave policy, noting that many types of support are available for new parents, including a reintegration program and parental coaching.
Dean Paul Paton, who provided brief welcome remarks at the event, encouraged the students in attendance to take advantage of the opportunity to connect with and learn from the speakers' experiences.
"These opportunities to dialogue about diversity haven't always been available. As students and faculty know, diversity and inclusion in firms and the legal profession has been a personal priority for my Deanship. I'm grateful to Borden Ladner Gervais - a valued friend and supporter of the Faculty - that we share the same commitment to facilitating and fostering a dialogue that is supportive of diversity," he said. "It is important, and indeed in everyone's best interest that we continue to have open and candid conversations like this one."
UAlberta Law would like to thank BLG for sponsoring the lunch and the four BLG speakers for generously donating their time and enthusiasm to our students.