Dean Bill Flanagan (2nd left), with Alberta Alumni Council Vice-Chair Barbara Johnston, Law’93, and Co-Chairs Stuart O’Connor, Law’86, and Peter Johnson, Law’89.
Dean Bill Flanagan (2nd left), with Alberta Alumni Council Vice-Chair Barbara Johnston, Law’93, and Co-Chairs Stuart O’Connor, Law’86, and Peter Johnson, Law’89.

They may be more than 3,500km away from their alma mater, but for grads living and working in Stampede City, their connection with Queen’s Law is as strong as ever. On April 25, alumni of all ages re-connected at Bennett Jones LLP overlooking Calgary’s central business district from one side of Canada’s tallest twin towers. 

“We always enjoy hosting these receptions because so many of our lawyers are Queen’s Law grads,” said Stephen Sibold, QC, Law’76 (Arts’74), a partner and General Counsel with Bennett Jones. 

“I very much enjoy getting together with fellow grads in Calgary and catching up,” said Alicia Quesnel, Law’93, Partner, Burnet, Duckworth & Palmer LLP. “Queen’s was a special place and we all share that feeling – whether we graduated in the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s or 2010s.”  

A highlight was the presentation of alumni awards to two Calgarians. Stuart O’Connor, Law’86, and Peter Johnson, Law’89 (Artsci’85), received J.A. (Alec) Corry Distinguished Alumni Awards for excelling in careers outside the traditional practice of law. As Co-Chairs of the Queen’s Law Alberta Alumni Council, they have led their province’s support, vision and philanthropic efforts for the school. O’Connor is the Chairman of Arcurve Inc., a software services company, and is a serial entrepreneur and businessperson. His extensive community ties in the province range from chairing Hull Services to serving on the Calgary Stampede Board. Johnson is the Executive VP and Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer for Shaw Communications Inc., where he has worked for 23 years, and has played a critical role in its senior leadership, overseeing its legal, regulatory, government relations, governance and real estate portfolios. 

Dean Bill Flanagan shared with attendees the latest developments at Queen’s Law, which included the school’s increasingly diverse student body, a 95 per cent career placement rate for JD students, a 30 per cent increase in the number faculty members over the last five years, the increasingly popular undergraduate Certificate in Law program and the new Graduate Diploma in Legal Services Management program. 

The crowd paid special tribute to Flanagan, an Alberta native, as this was his last official visit to Calgary as Dean of Law. 

“With Bill’s infectious enthusiasm and uniquely approachable demeanor, and an incredibly entrepreneurial mindset, he has quite literally redefined the role of what a Dean is,” said O’Connor.

“As for our work on the Alberta Alumni Council,” said Johnson, “Bill made that so easy by ensuring that our great local alumni feel part of the extended Queen’s Law family.”   

“What an incredible impact he has had on the growth and direction of the law school!” exclaimed Quesnel. “Truly Inspiring!”

“There is no doubt that Dean Flanagan’s time at Queen’s has been transformational … on so many levels,” said Barbara Johnston, Law’93, Vice-Chair of Alberta Alumni Council and a senior partner with Dentons LLP. “He has made us all proud to be Queen’s Law alumni. He has made Queen’s Law the envy of every law school in Canada. Dean Flanagan, your legacy is profound. It will be long-lasting. We truly thank you for all you have done for the Queen’s Law community.”

Watch for a feature story on Corry Award winners Stuart O’Connor and Peter Johnson in the July issue of Queen’s Law Reports Online. 

By Lisa Graham