September 20-26, 2020 marks Gender Equality Week in Canada! It was officially recognized by the passing of Bill C-309, the Gender Equality Week Act, in June of 2018. It’s a week to recognize and celebrate the contributions and achievements of women and non-binary or gender diverse individuals and communities in Canada. We celebrate the milestones and efforts made by those in this country working toward equality. Read more here.

“My one piece of advice to up and coming women lawyers is don’t bail too early. Life happens. Other responsibilities may take attention from your career for a time or influence some of your career decisions. In the end, your career can look quite different from what you originally envisioned. But ultimately all of those experiences and responsibilities will bring satisfaction to your life. I have been practicing law continuously since 1983 and have been a partner at Harper Grey for 30 years.  I love my career and the life I’ve built as a lawyer, wife and mother, and I want to tell other women that it can be well worth sticking with it. I volunteer as an advisor to provide insight for all those wondering about future implications of certain career decisions at critical points in life. I’ve had…

We are saddened by the passing of feminist icon Ruth Bader Ginsberg on Friday, September 18. She was a glorious and notorious trailblazer who led the way for gender equality and fought for women’s rights her entire life. Thank you for all you did for so many. Rest in peace. You can learn more about the life and times of RBG here. Artwork: Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Lorie Shaull from the Noun Project.

Application processes are typically created to be streamlined and efficient, boiling the applicant down to a series of canned answers and often failing to capture a holistic picture of the individual applying. This is particularly detrimental to groups of people who are failed to be seen amongst their peers. The Calgary chapter of the Black Law Students’ Association and the Faculty of Law at the University of Calgary worked to develop a new admission process for prospective black law students. This process will allow applicants who self-identify as black, to submit an essay speaking to their personal experience and the barriers they have had to overcome. These students will continue to be measured against the same admissions criteria but the new process will allow them to be more visible amongst other applicants. The new application process comes after a call…

“My one piece of advice to up and coming women lawyers is to find a support network and use it. Don’t try to make it on your own. I volunteer as an Advisor because I believe women need to support each other in the practice of life and law. We truly are stronger together.” -Kim Jakeman, Life in Law Founder/Advisor and Partner at Harper Grey LLP The Life in Law team is made up of a diverse group of Harper Grey women lawyers who volunteer their time as advisors on a weekly basis answering phone calls, monitoring the live chat on our website and responding to questions through the Dear LiL blog. We are growing organically through word of mouth – and we’d be delighted if you shared our posts with your network. If you’re interested in connecting please reach…