Everything you ever wanted to know about a career in law

More than 150 high school students will take over the law school at the University of Calgary on Nov. 2, to hear from practicing lawyers, a sitting judge, and law students about what a career in law is like and how to get there.

“This is a great age to target because high school is when students start considering what they want to do after graduation,” says Rani Wong, a lawyer with Calgary Family Law Associates in Calgary, and member of the organizing team.

Youth Leaders in Law: YYC will give students the chance to hear from legal professionals on life as a law student, the different pathways to law, as well as the different areas of practice. Students will be led through a criminal case study exercise by UCalgary Law professor Asad Kiyani and lawyer Renée Miller, where they can analyze the facts of the case and the actual outcome.

Youth Leaders in Law is a project of the Canadian Bar Association’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and is organized primarily by a group of high school students who approached the CBA with the idea.

“The event addresses a field that has many hopeful candidates but limited opportunities for discovery and hands-on experiences,” says Jolie Gan, a Grade 11 student at Sir Winston Churchill High School and founder and president of Youth Leaders in Law. “Giving students the opportunity to explore the field of law will provide them with new insights into a career path they were always pondering but never had the chance to really look at.”

In addition to hearing from more than a dozen lawyers about their practice areas and journeys to law, attendees will be treated to a keynote speech over the lunch break from Judge Diana Mah of the Provincial Court of Alberta.

Prior to the conference, students have the opportunity to participate in a multimedia competition sponsored by Calgary Family Law Associates on the topic, What access to justice means to you. The competition gives students the chance to take a good look at some of the issues in the justice system and to address them in unique ways.

Online registration is free at www.youthleadersinlaw.com and open to high school students from grades 9 to 12.