Networking, socializing, mentoring!

By Christina Cook

The Aboriginal Lawyers Forum (ALF) was an idea tossed around at a CBABC Equity & Diversity (E&D) Committee meeting. The E&D had invited Christina Cook, an Aboriginal articling student, and two Aboriginal lawyers to attend their meeting and discuss the issues that Aboriginal lawyers and articling students face. Having just attended a CBABC Women Lawyers Forum (WLF) luncheon the week before, Christina put out the idea of having a social networking and mentoring group, like the WLF, for Aboriginal students and lawyers. The idea was well received and so Christina, along with Isabel Jackson and Rosalind Campbell, took it upon themselves to start the ALF.

It is not known exactly how many Aboriginal lawyers there are in B.C. Historically, neither the Law Society, nor the CBA has tracked this information. Nonetheless, the ALF knows there is an issue as to the retention of Aboriginal lawyers in the profession. Aboriginal law graduates have struggled to find their place in the field of law. At the same time, there are many successful Aboriginal lawyers across B.C., with much to offer by way of mentorship to Aboriginal law students and junior lawyers. The ALF will serve to bring the experienced together with the novice. Ultimately, what Christina, Isabel and Rosalind are hoping to accomplish with the ALF is to provide a place for Aboriginal lawyers and students to come together, to support and mentor one another.

The four objectives of the ALF will be to provide a forum for networking, professional development, leadership and a celebration of Aboriginal culture. Like the CBABC’s Women Lawyers Forum, the ALF will be a group that connects its members on a social level, while raising the profile of Aboriginal lawyers in B.C.

To accomplish our objectives we plan to hold various different types of events throughout the year. Our event ideas include, golf tournaments, fashion shows, mixers, comedy nights and any old occasion to bring us together. With Aboriginal lawyers and students throughout the province, ALF is working to start a monthly newsletter, so that members practising in remote areas can feel connected. Our overall goal is to facilitate meaningful social interaction between our members so that we can share common experiences, support and mentor one another in order to build a strong network of Aboriginal lawyers and students.

At present time, the ALF is not formally affiliated with the CBA. However, the ALF Executive, with the support of the CBABC Equality and Diversity Committee, is working on a CBA Section Application and hopes to become an official CBABC forum by the end of 2010.

If you would like to support the formation of the Aboriginal Lawyers Forum, or would like more information on how to join, or if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please contact Christina Cook at christina.cook@shaw.ca.

This article was published in the June 2010 issue of BarTalk. © 2010 The Canadian Bar Association. All rights reserved.