Indigenous Faculty of Law alumni holding their first gathering

Recent Indigenous alumni and current students left to right: Scott Richardson,'19 JD; Sarah Bidniak, '20 JD; Kienna Shkopich-Weddell, '22 JD; Breanna Arcand-Kootenay, '19 JD; Shalayn Martel, '19 JD; Sarah Kreikle,'21; Katelynn Cave, '19 JD; Mark Tripe de Roche, '20 JD and Tyler Tremel, '20 JD.

Indigenous graduates of the University of Alberta Faculty of Law are invited to an inaugural gathering of Indigenous alumni on the evening of January 29.

The virtual event is designed for informal reunion and networking with classmates and colleagues. It’s also an opportunity to discover whether a larger, in-person event is desired when the pandemic eases, said Apryl Gladue, the Faculty’s Indigenous Student Academic and Cultural Support Advisor.

Potential future goals include creating a formalized alumni chapter that might work together to establish scholarship opportunities, Gladue said.

“The biggest observation I have in working with this group of alumni over the years is their overwhelming willingness and passion to give back to their own legal community, especially to the Indigenous current students.”

Working from class lists kept by Professor Catherine Bell after the Faculty of Law introduced an Indigenous Law Student Program in the 1990s, and from records of students who have self-identified as Indigenous over the past 40 years, Gladue believes there are more than 140 Indigenous alumni. The gathering is open to individuals who started law school at the Faculty and transferred to different schools, or for a variety of reasons did not complete their degree.

Notable alumni

Among the first graduates were J. Wilton "Willie" Littlechild, ‘76 LLB, former Grand Chief of the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations and the first status Indian from Alberta to earn a law degree; and Justice Leonard S. “Tony” Mandamin, ‘82 LLB, a retired Federal Court of Canada judge.

Other notable alumni include Judge Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay, ‘92 LLB; Richard Verhaeghe, '98 LLB, former mayor of Athabasca; Lisa Weber, '99 LLB, President of the Insitute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women;, Martin Goldney, ‘00 LLB, Deputy Minister of Justice for Northwest Territories; and Corie Flett, ‘10 LLB, a bencher of the Law Society of Alberta.

The event is expected to bring together alumni from across the country who are contributing to both their communities and to the broader community as practitioners, judges, politicians, government staff, scholars, activists, and published authors.

The program for the evening includes keynote remarks from three prominent alumni, a visual presentation of photos and memorabilia, entertainment and small breakout groups.

The event runs from 7 to 9 PM. Please REGISTER to receive a link.