Reminiscences of a Law Alumna

Photo By Elle Morris

Mary Pigott, Law '81 (second from left) reunites with classmates Deidre Newman, Kathleen Flynn and Joan Emmans at Homecoming 2006.

This past September, Queen's University hosted a successful Homecoming weekend, and the class of Law '81 returned to celebrate its 25th anniversary reunion. Mary Pigott was one of many alumni who arrived in Kingston in celebration of the anniversary.

"I was so surprised," she said, in reference to Macdonald Hall, home to Queen's Faulty of Law. "It's completely different from when I was a student. Coming into the building and going to the upper levels - it's not the way I remember them. And the moot courtroom is incredible. Everything seems very modern."

With new classrooms and meeting spaces, the law school is now much more user friendly, and the students have access to a world that didn't exist 25 years ago. Mary reminisced about her days of student research, "There was one computer in the library, but we weren't allowed to personally use it. We had it because Professor Lawford was the head of Quicklaw, which was very new at the time. Only students working for him and trained in using Quicklaw could conduct searches for other students."

Today, all students have access to electronic legal research services at the touch of a button. With a new computer lab and an overhauled library, as well as wireless Internet in the classrooms and study areas, Queen's Law students have a much easier way of accessing information. "I love the computer lab," Mary laughed, "We had to write everything out by hand and type up our assignments on typewriters. That was always hard, even if you had an electric typewriter with a self-correcting ribbon."

But not all things have changed at the law school. "The centre area of the library is still the same," she noted, "It was where you would go to find someone. We didn't have lounges like there are now, so the library was our place to meet." Even today, this is the case, as students gather around the wooden tables to socialize between study sessions.

The changes to Macdonald Hall are evidence of the need to keep in step with the developing world of legal professionals. For today's students, it allows for a competitive edge in a rapidly evolving field. For Queen's law alumni, it increases their sense of pride at being a part of the law school community. "We all take pride in the law school," said Mary, "One woman even came from as far as England to attend our reunion ... We all just bonded. I think its part of being in a smaller university in a smaller town. We all have strong feelings for our law school."

When asked about the role of alumni in future developments for Queen's Law, Mary stated firmly that alumni would always stand behind the school. "Being out of contact with Queen's directly makes it hard for us to make specific suggestions, but the general support of alumni will always be there. Compared to many law schools, there is a real sense of commitment to the law school despite the time and distance that separates Queen's Law grads from the (school)."

Mary resides with her husband, a Queen's Law '80 graduate, in Toronto, where she works as a Legal Information Analyst for the Law Society of Upper Canada.