Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 11 L aw school classes are starting across Canada this month. It is a time of excitement, maybe a little fear, but for most students it's about hopes and dreams. Nowhere are the expectations higher than at the opening of a very special law school program in Iqaluit, Nuna- vut, one of Canada's most northern communities. Some 25 students, all residents of Nunavut and predominantly of Inuit background, are beginning a four-year law program designed and directed by the University of Saskatchewan Col- lege of Law in partnership with the Nunavut government. Expected to be a one-time-only project, the program is designed to create fully trained law- yers who, it is hoped, will practise in Nunavut. Martin Phillipson, dean of the Col- lege of Law at the University of Sas- katchewan, emphasizes the program is not "a shortcut degree." "We wouldn't do this if we weren't going to make it just as rigorous as our program [at the University of Saskatch- ewan]," he says. Phillipson says the students will receive full University of Saskatchewan JDs. "We're going to make sure [the stu- dents in Iqaluit] get the same quality of education as the students in Saskatoon." The object of the program is to prepare a cohort of trained lawyers, many of whom speak Inuit languages and are part of Nunavut culture. There is already an active legal community in Nunavut, but most of its members come from outside and speak mainly English. Stephen Mansell, the direc- tor of the program in Iqaluit, strongly believes the University of Saskatchewan initiative "is going to have a lasting effect, especially for access to justice in Nunavut." One of the students will be 33-year- old Iqaluit legal assistant Samantha Barnes. Her mother is Inuit and her father comes from Newfoundland. She was rejected for the program initially but was accepted after a space opened early this summer. "I got the call at work," she remem- bers. She jumped up and yelled, "I'm in!" Her mystified co-workers thought she had gone crazy. What does Barnes dream a law degree will mean? "I'd like to think it will make a dif- ference — I hope for that." — GEOFF ELLWAND \ AT L A N T I C \ C E N T R A L \ N O RT H \ W E S T REGIONAL WRAP-UP ONE-TIME-ONLY ARCTIC LAW SCHOOL OPENS AMID GREAT EXPECTATIONS N O RT H Presented by Lexpert, the prestigious Rising Stars Awards Gala honours winners from across Canada and welcomes law firm and in-house leaders and distinguished guests to celebrate and network with others who are at the top of the legal profession. GALA DINNER AND AWARDS PRESENTATION Honouring Canada's Leading Lawyers Under 40 – from law firms and in–house – this event will pay tribute to the rising stars of the legal community EMCEE Jean Cumming, Editor-in-Chief, Lexpert THE FAIRMONT ROYAL YORK HOTEL, TORONTO Thursday, November 16, 2017 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception 7:00 p.m. Gala Dinner and Awards Presentation 9:30 p.m. After Party Dress: Business attire LEXPERT.CA/RISING-STARS Founding Partner Bronze Sponsor Hosted in Partnership with ntitled-3 1 2017-08-15 4:12 PM

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