Borden Ladner Gervais LLP Celebrates Success at Queen's Law

Photo by: Elle Morris

Peter Doody, Law ‘80 and Partner at BLG (Ottawa) with 2006 BLG Research Fellowship recipient Chantalle Fish, Law ‘08, and Professor Slinn at a reception to celebrate their achievements in Macdonald Hall on November 21, 2006.

On November 21^st, students and faculty gathered over wine and cheese in the law lounge to celebrate the achievements of Professor Sara Slinn and Law ‘08 student Chantalle Fish, the 2006 Queen's Law recipient of the BLG Research Fellowship. The reception banquet, organized by Joanne Silkauskas, Director of Professional Recruitment at BLG's Ottawa office, provided friends and colleagues of Slinn and Fish the opportunity to personally congratulate the two women on their successes over the course of the summer months. Following a brief speech delivered by Law ‘80 alumnus Peter Doody, a Partner at BLG in Ottawa, a plaque was presented to Fish for her outstanding achievements.

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP's $1 million national Research Fellowship program was established in 2004 with the goal of supporting legal research in Canada over a five-year period. Each year, BLG Research Fellowships are awarded to 20 first-year law students at 14 law schools across the country; the scholarships provide the students with the opportunity to undertake legal research initiatives under the direction of prominent faculty members.

To qualify, faculty members submit research proposals to the Dean of the designated law schools; based on the submissions the Dean then chooses the candidate to be funded by the fellowship. Professor Sara Slinn submitted the successful proposal for Queen's Law, with her general area of focus the ‘Political Influence on Administrative Tribunal Decision-Making in Canada.' Of the students who applied for the scholarship, Slinn chose first year law student Chantalle Fish to aid in her research on the British Columbia Labour Relations Board.

"The BLG Fellowship program is a tremendous initiative of BLG," said Slinn. "It provides an opportunity for a law student to gain significant legal research experience, and to receive intensive mentoring from a faculty member. This is a faculty-student relationship that will support the student throughout their law school career. At the same time, the program makes a substantial contribution to the advancement of academic legal research."

For Fish, the experience opened many doors, both academic and professional. "I learned a great deal about labour law and the strengths and weaknesses of the current systems," she said. "The experience also provided me with valuable legal research and writing skills, which will be an asset in law school and in my future practice."

Research positions are coveted amongst first year law students, for the simple reason that they are a comprehensive means of exposure to an area of law. Being able to work alongside a dedicated academic only enhances the experience. "[Professor Slinn] is extremely intelligent and innovative in her research, which is exciting just to be a part of," said Fish. "She was also a great mentor. I enjoyed our many lunch meetings at the Grad Club spent discussing the project, current issues in labour law, or just chatting in general."

The main analysis of Slinn's data is underway, and she hopes to complete the final paper in the Spring. A preliminary paper based on this summer's research entitled "Remedies in Labour Law: Failure & Prospects" is currently under review for publication in the Canadian Industrial Relations Association's (CIRA) proceedings of its annual meetings. The initial draft of the paper was presented at both the CIRA and the Canadian Law and Society Annual Meetings this summer. The full version of the paper is nearing completion.

Current first year students will have an opportunity in the second semester to apply for the 2007 BLG Research Fellowship. "Through this program students get a first glimpse into what life as an academic might look like," said Fish. "It not only encourages and facilitates important legal research in Canada, but it enables students to gain valuable legal skills for their future."