Mentorship program supports Indigenous students on their law school journey

Justice Cheryl Arcand-Kootenay, ‘92 LLB, was in junior high school when she first heard about Wilton (Willie) Littlechild, ‘76 LLB, becoming the first Treaty First Nation person from Alberta to earn a law degree from the U of A and the first Indigenous lawyer in Alberta.

Littlechild’s achievements helped inspire her to dream big. “You need to have these role models so you can say, ‘I can do that,’’' she says. 

Arcand-Kootenay, who is from Kipohtakaw (Alexander) First Nation, not only followed in Littlechild’s footsteps to become a lawyer; she achieved her own firsts for the legal profession as well. 

In 2018, she became the first Cree woman from Treaty 6 to be appointed to the Provincial Court of Alberta, and in 2021, she became the first Treaty person in Alberta to be appointed to the Court of King’s Bench. Throughout her career, she has consistently been an advocate for upholding the rights and interests of Indigenous peoples.

Now that Arcand-Kootenay is in a position where Indigenous youth can look to her career for inspiration, she has embraced the opportunity to be an active and supportive role model. 

Shortly after being appointed to the provincial court in 2018, Arcand-Kootenay was invited by her daughter – a law student at the time and president of the Faculty’s Indigenous Law Students’ Association – to attend an informal round table for Indigenous students. 

Wanting to do more, Arcand-Kootenay reached out to the Faculty the following year to offer mentorship to students, including opportunities to shadow her in the courthouse.

“I just felt it would be wonderful to give them that exposure so that perhaps more of the students coming out of law school might consider a career in the court system,” she says. “Throughout my career there weren’t a lot of Indigenous lawyers going to court and I was hopeful that we could [change that].”

One of the students who took Arcand-Kootenay up on her offer that year was Anita Cardinal-Stewart, ‘22 JD, who spent two separate days in court with her. 

“It was interesting for her to see the behind-the-scenes and what I was doing in court, and just to support her to say ‘I’m truly here for you if you have any questions on a go-forward basis,’” says Arcand-Kootenay.

The start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 forced Arcand-Kootenay to pause in-person opportunities for students, but she kept in touch with Cardinal-Stewart throughout the rest of her studies and will be presiding over her call to the bar later this year. 

After being elevated to the Court of King’s Bench in 2021, and with COVID restrictions easing, Arcand-Kootenay once again reached out to the Faculty to spearhead connections with current students. Working closely with Indigenous Support Manager Kathleen Makela, she arranged to spend an hour on campus with Indigenous students in the fall of 2022. 

This once again led to a student reaching out to Arcand-Kootenay and arranging to spend a day with her. First-year student Rebekah Mitchell spent time with the justice in both her private chambers as well as in the courtroom, and the two have since kept in touch. 

“Justice Arcand-Kootenay has demystified court procedures and shown me the unique perspective with which she takes on her work,” says Mitchell. “Shadowing her was an invaluable experience, and it helped me decide the direction I want to take my career.”

Arcand-Kootenay visited campus again in the spring,  this time bringing several Indigenous lawyers with her to talk to students and offer their mentorship going forward.  She’s already making plans to return in the fall, hopefully accompanied  by some of her Indigenous colleagues from the bench. 

“It’s a ripple effect, getting other Indigenous judges and lawyers involved in providing mentorship to students so they can see that we’re visible, that we’re occupying these spaces within the legal sphere,” she says. 

Arcand-Kootenay emphasizes that she always strives to keep a positive outlook and focus on how she and her colleagues can help to make things better for the next generation. 

“It’s true mentoring for supporting them on their law journey,” she says. “Lean on us, look to us, reach out to us. We can support you so that you can achieve your dreams as well. They’re not impossible dreams.”