A Lawyer for the People

Long before he entered the legal profession or became a community leader, Robert Philp, ’72 BA, ’75 LLB, was setting precedents. The youngest of seven boys in a blue-collar family, he was the first to pursue a university education. In fact, he did so as a mature student, having spent his early 20s working as a skilled labourer. “I had a good job, but it was not going to be a career,” he says. “So I thought, ‘Maybe I’ll try this academic thing.’ ”

Since Philp had finished high school through correspondence and night classes, gaining entry to the U of A took some extra legwork. He had to write aptitude tests and seek a dean’s recommendation before being accepted to the Faculty of Arts as a probationary student in 1969.

Philp loved his courses in history and anthropology, quickly proving himself academically and growing more confident in his abilities. Once, during the second year of his undergrad, Philp walked by the new and imposing Law Centre and thought to himself, “How difficult could it be?” He was drawn to the challenge of law, as well as its reliance on precedent: “It’s a big history lesson. We’re always looking at what happened before.”

When he was accepted to the Faculty of Law a few years later, Philp thrived. At the time, legal education did not include a human rights component — but he became interested in how the law could be used to protect marginalized people and advance social justice. He gained first-hand experience in his first year of law school when he signed up to volunteer at Edmonton’s Boyle Street Community Services.

“Community members would tell me their legal problem, and I’d say, ‘OK, I’ll be back next Tuesday night.’ Then I’d try to find the answer.”

The experience was challenging and cemented Philp’s desire to use his legal education for the good of the community. After graduating from law school in 1975, he spent the better part of three decades working in labour law, employment law and human rights, working first for the Alberta Human Rights Commission and the Alberta Labour Relations Board before entering private practice.

His legal talent attracted attention. In 1999, he was appointed King’s Counsel and in 2005, he was named a provincial court judge. As a judge in the criminal system, he was just as committed to human rights, equality and social justice.

In 2014, Philp left the bench to become chief of the Alberta Human Rights Commission. During his tenure, he advocated for the inclusion of human rights in the court system and greater human rights education in the community. “I didn’t get to move the dial as much as I wanted, but it takes a lot of political will to make these kinds of changes,” he says.

For all his professional accomplishments in the legal field — including awards such as the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, Alberta Centennial Medal and a Distinguished Service Award from the Law Society of Alberta and Canadian Bar Association — Philp is just as proud of his volunteer work.

He is a longtime board member of many community organizations, including the Edmonton Community Legal Centre and Boyle Street Community Services, where — since his first year of law school — he still volunteers. And he served on the Mayor’s Task Force to Eliminate Poverty.

As a volunteer, he has supported the legal profession by mentoring students and new lawyers, co-founding a non-profit dedicated to supporting the well-being of lawyers, and advocating for Indigenous competence training for Alberta lawyers.

Philp credits his upbringing for his desire to give back — his parents cared deeply about history and politics, encouraging lively conversations around the dinner table. And he also credits his university education. He recalls the words of the U of A’s first president, Henry Marshall Tory, who described the ultimate goal of higher education as “uplifting the whole people.”

“I think maybe I took President Tory up on his challenge and didn’t even know it,” he says.