McKercher LLP donates $900K to broaden educational experience for USask Law students
Students at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) College of Law will gain a greater understanding of Indigenous law and its deep connection to the land when a new, immersive course is launched in the college with the support of McKercher LLP.
The law firm’s $900,000 donation includes $500,000 to help the College of Law develop and teach this new upper-year land-based learning course. Students will spend time out on the land and learn how Indigenous laws flow from the relationship Indigenous peoples have with the land, upholding their traditional responsibilities to care for and protect it.
McKercher LLP is also donating $125,000 to make the Robert Emes Award for Clinical Law a permanent, annual award. Emes (JD’19) received the bronze medal as the student with the third-highest average in his graduating class. He was an associate at McKercher LLP when he passed away suddenly in September 2023.
While he was a student at the college, Emes excelled during his placement at CLASSIC (Community Legal Assistance Services for Saskatoon Inner City Inc.). The Robert Emes Award will recognize students who are committed to excellent client care, mirroring the dedication shown by Emes.
The gift also includes $275,000 for the McKercher Excellence in Legal Education Fund, which will support orientation activities for first-year students, as well as the long-standing McKercher Lecture Series hosted by the college.
“As Margaret Atwood once said, ‘The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.’ We are honoured to support the USask College of Law in helping students broaden their perspectives and engage more deeply with the world around them,” said Collin Hirschfeld, KC, chair of McKercher LLP’s executive committee.
“By investing in the college, we are investing in the future talent that will continue to shape our industry, our province, and beyond,” he said.
“We value our long-standing partnership with McKercher LLP and are grateful for their generosity and continued investment in our students through the campaign,” said USask President and Vice-Chancellor Peter Stoicheff. “This donation will make a significant impact through innovative programs, student awards, and provide our future legal leaders with opportunities to engage with top professionals in their field.”
“McKercher’s generous gift will enhance the student experience in our college,” said Martin Phillipson, dean of the College of Law. “Deepening students’ understanding of Indigenous laws is an important and emerging area of legal education and is a critical way that we are pursuing authentic reconciliation.”
“Indigenous laws are often connected to the land, making land-based learning an invaluable context for understanding how Indigenous people practice law,” said Chris Lafleur, director of the Indigenous Law Centre at the College of Law, where the course will be based.
An important part of the course will be outdoor lessons led by Indigenous Knowledge Keepers.
“The sensory experience of learning Indigenous law while on the land – with the sights, sounds and smells – is a very different experience than sitting on chairs in a colonial-style classroom setting,” Lafleur said.
McKercher’s donation is in support of USask’s Be What the World Needs campaign, which is set to wrap up later this month.
Together, we will work towards Truth and Reconciliation. We invite you to join by supporting Indigenous achievement at USask.