USask law program trains new lawyers in Nunavut
This spring, Nunavut’s legal community will see a group of homegrown law students apply for articling positions for the first time in more than 10 years, thanks to a program operated by the University of Saskatchewan (USask).
In a recent StarPhoenix feature, Tagalik Eccles, one of the students in the Nunavut Law Program, discusses the unique barriers to access to justice for residents of the area.
“We understand the Inuit history,” which will make it easier for people to engage with them as lawyers, she said.
The Nunavut Law program, which is being run as a partnership between the USask College of Law, Nunavut Arctic College and the Government of Nunavut, aims to increase the number of practicing lawyers in Nunavut, produce graduates that can practice in various fields of law, and improve access to justice for Nunavummiut.
“If you look at the numbers in our program, we’re sitting at 23, and 16 of us are Inuit who otherwise probably wouldn’t have pursued a law degree if it weren’t for this program,” said David Lawson, a student at the Nunavut Law School, in an interview with The StarPhoenix.