When Kristine Eidsvik - now a justice of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta - graduated from UAlberta Law in 1983, she successfully achieved her goal of pursuing a career where she would be paid to argue.
Prior to obtaining an LLB, Justice Eidsvik's undergraduate degree was criminology-based in psychology and psychopathology. This degree helped her better understand mental health and mental disorders - a quality that serves her well today as someone who hears many criminal and family law cases.
Justice Eidsvik notes that much of the legal profession has changed since she graduated. With the increase in the use of alternative dispute resolution programs, including judicial dispute resolution, being a litigator has become less about arguing and more about mutual benefit - and saving public resources.
Another major change is the number of women practicing law. In 1983, Justice Eidsvik was the second woman to article at Brownlee Fryett and the first female associate to join the firm of 14 lawyers. In 1986 she moved to Fenerty Robertson Fraser & Hatch (which later evolved into Dentons) as one of the four women among 70 lawyers, and in 1991, she became their first female partner.
Today, approximately one-third of partners, judges, and senior general counsel are women. Justice Eidsvik credits this change, in part, to more robust maternity plans and flexibility efforts at law firms.
One constant in Justice Eidsvik's career has been her interest and attention to mental health. As an articling student, she was on the Mental Health Act Task Force which recommended changes to the legislation. She also volunteered on the Canadian Mental Health Board for years.
In addition to dedicating time to mental health initiatives, Justice Eidsvik served on the Alberta Ballet Board for 14 years, including as Board Chair. As a former dancer herself, she found it fulfilling to dedicate her time (40 hours per week, on top of her litigation practice) and learn about the business of ballet. During her time learning and serving the ballet community, Justice Eidsvik got to know dancers, artistic directors, and worked on large productions with artists such as Joni Mitchell and Elton John. She recommends board membership to all young lawyers as a way to give back and for personal growth. Unfortunately, as judges are public servants and must remain unbiased, her community activities today are limited because judges are prevented from fundraising.
Some of Justice Eidsvik's more notable career highlights include appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada, and having the Court uphold one of her decisions shortly after she was appointed. However, she notes that highlights are temporal. Getting into law school, graduating, and getting a job, especially in a tough market, were major accomplishments for the young aspiring litigator.
Looking back, Justice Eidsvik said that law school was a great time. She was busy - most of her time was spent in the library and in the Canons of Construction office. She also kept in touch with many of her former professors who were a huge influence on her life, such as the Honourable Anne McLellan, Professor David Percy Q.C., the late Professor Freddie Laux Q.C., and Clayton Rice Q.C., who often appears in her courtroom.