Dean Mark Walters, Law’89 and Andrea Risk, Law’99, Managing Partner of Cunningham Swan, unveil the plaque recognizing her firm’s $125,000 gift in the main lobby of the Queen’s Law Clinics as the Clinics’ Executive Director Karla McGrath, LLM’13, (and 80+ others) watch.
Dean Mark Walters, Law’89 and Andrea Risk, Law’99, Managing Partner of Cunningham Swan, unveil the plaque recognizing her firm’s $125,000 gift in the main lobby of the Queen’s Law Clinics as the Clinics’ Executive Director Karla McGrath, LLM’13, (and 80+ others) watch.

“Our Queen’s Law Clinics are a wonderful example of a way the university can engage productively with the local community,” Dean Mark Walters, Law’89, said to a crowd last week. “This engagement is important for our students who gain an insight into the practice of law they can’t get in the classroom and for the local community because this place serves that community, including some of its very vulnerable members.”

With those words, Walters began his opening remarks to more than 80 alumni, faculty, staff and new Queen’s Principal Patrick Deane at the Clinics’ home in the heart of downtown Kingston on December 11. The crowd gathered there not only to celebrate the holidays, but also to watch the unveiling of a plaque in the main reception area to recognize a $125,000 gift from the city’s largest firm, Cunningham, Swan, Carty, Little & Bonham LLP. 

Karla McGrath, LLM’13, Executive Director of the Clinics, also addressed the audience, which included several partners and associates from the donor firm. “The experience our students have here and the support we receive from our faculty, alumni and community is amazing,” she said.   

“Cunningham Swan has a long tradition of providing excellent legal services in Kingston and also giving back to the community,” said the firm’s managing partner, Andrea Risk, Law’99. “We have done that through our lawyers volunteering their time, as well as giving financially. We thought that on our firm’s 125th anniversary it would be really nice to donate $125,000 to the Queen’s Law Clinics because access to justice is important for our community.  We live in this community, our friends and neighbours live in this community, our clients live in this community, and the clinics allow individuals to receive legal support when they need it. The other thing that these clinics do really well is train new lawyers. All of the law students who go through the clinic programs come out with lots of good practical skills, and that is also really fantastic for our community.”

Following a round of applause as Walters and Risk unveiled the plaque, guests returned to enjoying even more good company and holiday cheer.   

Visit the 2019 Kingston Alumni Holiday Reception Photo Gallery!

The Queen’s Law Clinics gratefully acknowledge the support of Legal Aid Ontario, the Law Foundation of Ontario, Pro Bono Students Canada, the Class of Law’81, the United Way of KFL&A, and alumni and industry sponsors. 

By Lisa Graham