From classmates to colleagues

Case Littlewood, ‘22 JD, knows that it’s tempting to view your classmates as competitors when you enter law school. But in his experience over the last three years, he realized that everyone can benefit by shifting this outlook.

“I’ve found it more personally rewarding and my accomplishments improved when I viewed classmates as my colleagues,” said Littlewood, who is the 2022 recipient of the George Bligh O’Connor Silver Medal in Law for achieving the second highest marks in his class.

Originally from Cochrane, Alberta, Littlewood earned two philosophy degrees — a BA from the University of British Columbia and an MA from the University of Western Ontario — before deciding to pursue law.

As part of a unique cohort that attended law school during a pandemic, Littlewood acknowledges that dealing with the changes it brought about was difficult. But amid all the shifts from in-person to online learning and back again, he was able to carve out a place for himself.

Littlewood pursued an interest in public law issues and completed an independent research paper in administrative law under the supervision of Professor Phil Bryden. Outside of the classroom, he made strong connections with his peers through participating in extracurricular activities.

He cites his time as co-editor-in-chief of the Alberta Law Review during his final year as a highlight, as well as his experience helping students with the Legal Research and Writing class during his time as a writing fellow.

Littlewood was also a member of the Jessup International Law Moot team for two years in a row. “Preparing for and competing in that competition is among the hardest things I’ve ever done, but also the most rewarding,” he said.

Littlewood’s next stop is the Court of Appeal of Alberta in Calgary, where he will article for 10 months. He’ll then return to Edmonton to finish his articles at Reynolds Mirth Richards and Farmer.