During the Fall of 2020, the Law Society’s “My Experience” Project invited lawyers and students to share their stories where racial discrimination or stereotyping impacted their legal career.
The experiences shared by participants are concerning and paint a disappointing picture of how discrimination and harassment continue to impact Alberta lawyers and students. Participants who consented to let us share their experiences had their experiences released through weekly eBulletins from April through June 2021. Further experiences that are submitted after the end of June will be included in materials for the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and posted to this site.
When reading these experiences, you may experience different emotions or reactions. We encourage you to use the self-reflection questions to better understand your own feelings and instances where you have faced, witnessed or even contributed to similar experiences. We know that reviewing these stories can be uncomfortable or stressful; if you need to talk to someone or need support, we encourage you to reach out to the Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society (Assist).
You can contemplate the self-reflection questions on your own or submit them below. By anonymously submitting your self-reflections to the Law Society, you are providing helpful information to further guide our work.
If you have a similar experience to share, we are also re-opening the “My Experience” Project for further submissions. We hope the experiences already courageously shared, empower others to come forward and allow us to continue learning. Share your experience here.
During the Fall of 2020, the Law Society’s “My Experience” Project invited lawyers and students to share their stories where racial discrimination or stereotyping impacted their legal career.
The experiences shared by participants are concerning and paint a disappointing picture of how discrimination and harassment continue to impact Alberta lawyers and students. Participants who consented to let us share their experiences had their experiences released through weekly eBulletins from April through June 2021. Further experiences that are submitted after the end of June will be included in materials for the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and posted to this site.
When reading these experiences, you may experience different emotions or reactions. We encourage you to use the self-reflection questions to better understand your own feelings and instances where you have faced, witnessed or even contributed to similar experiences. We know that reviewing these stories can be uncomfortable or stressful; if you need to talk to someone or need support, we encourage you to reach out to the Alberta Lawyers’ Assistance Society (Assist).
You can contemplate the self-reflection questions on your own or submit them below. By anonymously submitting your self-reflections to the Law Society, you are providing helpful information to further guide our work.
If you have a similar experience to share, we are also re-opening the “My Experience” Project for further submissions. We hope the experiences already courageously shared, empower others to come forward and allow us to continue learning. Share your experience here.
Participants can share their experiences in either written, audio or video form and submit them to the Law Society here. Video or audio submissions can be shot using a webcam, cell phone, iPad, or any other recording device. Please ensure that the audio is clear. It is preferred that the videos be shot using a horizontal orientation.
In order to be considered for inclusion in this project, submissions must not include identifying information of any other individuals or organizations without their consent, including names, place of employment or any other identifying feature, or profanity.
Lifecycle
My Experience Project Open
"My Experience" Project has finished this stage
This project was open for submissions Sept 30 - Oct 30, 2020.
My Experience Project Submission Review
"My Experience" Project has finished this stage
Submissions to the My Experience project closed on October 30, 2020. The submissions are now under review.
My Experience Project Sharing
"My Experience" Project is currently at this stage
We are sharing the submissions that we have received, posing self-reflection questions and extending the opportunity to contribute new experiences.