James Bond (LLB '95) had no idea his final year of law school would include helping to found a club that still today remains a valued part of the student experience at UAlberta Law.
"I came out just before law school," he said.
At first, Bond said he tried to separate his queer life from his student life, but quickly learned that wasn't possible. As one of a handful of founding members of OUTLaw, he said he had some gay and lesbian friends in law school before the group even existed.
Bond - who has spent most of his career practicing in Vancouver - is now the Vice-President of Enterprise Compliance with Wawanesa Insurance. Previously he was Chief Legal and Compliance Officer with Western Financial Group and President and Chief Operating Officer of Western Life Assurance (Calgary/Winnipeg).
Though he's come a long way since his time as a law student, Bond remembers the early beginnings of OUTLaw, a student organization that promotes a positive atmosphere and provides support for LGBTQ+ students within the Faculty.
At the beginning, the group met a few times a year to provide a safe place for both current and even prospective law students.
Today, he said, it has evolved into much more.
"It's absolutely fantastic. What they're doing goes beyond just offering a safe place."
Bond was recently back at the Law Centre - the first time in nearly five years - for day one of OUTLaw's two-day speaker series (the speaker series is just one of many events held in celebration of UAlberta Pride Week; OUTLaw also held a bake sale, and the inaugural Chancellor's Forum, Pride or Prejudice: Celebrating LGBTQ2 Rights, was March 19.)
"I was surprised - and maybe I shouldn't be - by the turnout," he said, referring to the number of students, staff and Faculty members who were in attendance.
During the panel, he spoke with students about his experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community working in the legal profession. He said his experience has been extremely positive - though he appreciates that may not be the case for everyone.
"I feel privileged, because I am privileged," he said, adding that as a white, educated male, his experience is likely different than others.
"Other marginalized groups often have a harder time," he explained.
Bond also spoke about law firms changing because their clients have changed - rather than leading the change themselves.
"Firms want to be seen by their clients as sharing the same values." he said.
He added that members of the LGBTQ+ community may be disadvantaged when it comes to hiring, or once hired, receiving work from lawyers within their law firms, explaining that as a result of unconscious bias, senior lawyers may hire and support the growth of individuals who they most closely relate to.
"People tend to relate to individuals who share their qualities, interests and perspectives," he said.
Bond said that while there has been progress since OUTLaw was founded over 20 years ago, there is still work to be done.
"In the future, I hope the issues we talked about today, like unconscious bias, will no longer be issues, but will have been dealt with," he said.