"...I attended [an Alberta law school] and felt out of place pretty early on at career events. At the career fair in my first year, it often felt like the lawyers at the booths, who were predominantly white, would not engage with me the same way they would engage with several of my peers. They would answer my questions, but not really make any conversation with me. I applied to several firms and only got one interview.

During articling week, I applied to almost all of the firms that were participating and only got three interviews despite having a straight A average during my preceding semester, along with having extra-curricular interests and activities. At one of the interviews at a large firm, I was asked to explain how I would “fit in” at the firm given my social justice background. I never emphasized my social justice background during my interview, so this question took me by surprise. I know white lawyers at large firms who have social justice politics and beliefs, and that was not a barrier for their employment..."

"...Subtle bias is something that exists in the legal system, and what makes it worse than blatant bias is that you can never be sure if the legal system is operating objectively.

If there is blatant discrimination, it can be identified and called out. But what is more insidious is bias that might be bias, but cannot be proven as bias.

As a lawyer with a number of years of experience, I have learned that some lawyers are extremely duplicitous. They say one thing in private amongst other lawyers, when their true

selves come out, but then in public portray a politically correct persona. Because this duplicity

is common, a person can never know 100% if their case or their client’s case is being treated in an independent and objective manner.

The other problem is that lawyers are generally of high intelligence. You cannot pass law

school and the articling process without being intelligent. Therefore, lawyers or judges that

might hold biases are smart enough not to blatantly express those biases. As a result, the

biases remain mostly hidden..."