An International Affairs Speed Networking Event was organized by the Edmonton branch of the Canadian International Council and the University of Alberta Career Centre as part of International Week, with UAlberta Law's Professor Joanna Harrington honoured to serve as an invited guest speaker and career mentor. Harrington was among 16 guest speakers who took part in the annual networking event, along with more than 60 student participants from across the university campus.
A tenured full professor at the Faculty of Law, Harrington's own career path has included several unique opportunities, from parliamentary legal work in Britain's House of Lords to service as a lawyer-diplomat with Canada's Department of Foreign Affairs, representing Canada in international negotiations. She has also worked as a consultant with the United Nations Development Programme, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and the Judicial Studies Board of England and Wales (now the Judicial College), and also assists NGO lawyers and lawyers in private practice with the development of legal arguments in appellate proceedings in human rights cases and transnational criminal law matters.
Asked about the speed networking experience, Professor Harrington reported:
"There were so many great questions and while the pace kept you going, the event was a lot of fun. I always make a point in class to encourage law students to have a professional development plan, even if the plan changes every six months, and to build networking events into that plan. So it was great to put one's own advice into action. And hats off to the organizers for bringing together such a diverse group of speakers for the event - hopefully, there'll be another next year."