Many UAlberta Law students came to law as a second career. For Peter Obiefuna, law represents career number three in a long and eventful working life.
A former software architect for CGI who started out as a physiology lecturer in his native Nigeria and Jamaica before moving into IT, Obiefuna began developing an interest in law as a volunteer African Community Liaison with the Edmonton Police Service.
"In my role on the EPS committee I was receiving questions about human rights, law enforcement and others, for which I didn't have good answers. The more I read about the law, the more curious I became, and the more I wanted to learn. Then, one thing led to another," he said.
Not in a position to pursue law school full time, Obiefuna enrolled in the online LLB program at the University of London (UK), which he completed in the summer of 2016.
It was then that he decided he wanted to practise law, leading him to enrol as a full-time Internationally Trained Lawyer Pathway student to pursue his National Committee on Accreditation crediential, where he excelled, winning top prize for Torts for 2017.
"The LLB program gave me a great foundation in legal theory and fundamentals. The UAlberta Law NCA program took that a step further by teaching me how to be a good advocate for clients. It gave me the confidence I needed to actually practise law," he explained.
Obiefuna, who turned 57 this year, has already begun an articling position at Law Depot. After a long journey to the law profession, he is excited to enter this new chapter of his life.