Working with some of the greatest legal minds across the country is a crowning achievement for new grads. Fifteen of Queen’s Law’s finest will be doing just that in 2021-22; three have been selected to clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC), four at federal and provincial courts of appeal, and eight at federal and provincial courts. Excited for the opportunity, some of these clerkship recipients share their thoughts on their upcoming positions, and how Queen’s Law prepared them for success.
“I am thrilled at the idea of working alongside the incredible legal minds – justices, other clerks and court staff – who make up the Supreme Court,” says Siobhan Morris, Law’19, who will work directly with Chief Justice Richard Wagner. “I imagine I will learn a great deal from everyone, and I can’t wait to make my own contributions to the service that the Court provides to the Canadian public.”
Don Couturier, Law’20, who will also be at the SCC says, “I’m most excited to work with and learn from Justice Nicholas Kasirer as he decides legal issues of national importance.” Noting how Kasirer brings an academic perspective to the SCC that resonates with his own interests and goals, Couturier adds, “This experience will fulfill a longstanding goal of mine: to participate in some small way to Canadian legal development and learn as much as I can while doing so.” Like Morris, he looks forward to “meeting and working alongside many brilliant clerks from around the country.”
Also sharing that sentiment is Jocelyn Rempel, Law’20, who will be working closely with SCC Justice Michael Moldaver. “Over the years, I’ve taken a keen interest in Justice Moldaver’s work because his name kept appearing as the author of criminal law judgments – and I’m a big criminal law nerd,” she says. “Clerking for him was my dream outcome. After my interview, I’m even more excited to work with him because he is just so approachable and kind.”
Thinking and talking about the law with other clerks is top of mind for Rempel. “Having the opportunity to be surrounded with people who love thinking about the how the law is – and how the law should be – is a really exciting opportunity.”
Irene Cybulsky, Law’20, will be spending 2021-22 clerking for Justice David Near at the Federal Court of Appeal, which deals with interesting specialized areas overseen by the federal government and a significant volume of judicial review of federal administrative decisions. “While I’m still not certain what kind of law I would like to practice, I lean towards litigation and much of that today is in administrative law,” she says. “The clerkship will help me see the thought process behind decisions and administrative review.” Also, witnessing first-hand the discussions and disagreements among judges, she says will drive home what she has learned at school: “a good lawyer will see both sides of the argument; that way you can serve your side best.”
Rachel Oster, Law’20, will clerk at the Ontario Court of Appeal, which hears both civil and criminal appeals from decisions of the province’s two trial courts. “I am most looking forward to engaging with the complex legal issues before the Court while learning from some of the most distinguished jurists in the country, including Justice David Paciocco, whom I had the pleasure of interviewing with,” she says. “The judges at the Court of Appeal for Ontario are all incisive legal thinkers and I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to work closely with them at the outset of my career.”
The future clerks credit Queen’s Law community members for helping them obtain the coveted roles.
“By far, the defining feature of my education at Queen’s has been the generosity and support offered to me by the world-class faculty here,” says Couturier. “In addition to always encouraging me to pursue my goals, my professors challenged me to develop independent thinking while testing my own assumptions with difficult and new ideas. I hope to bring this quality of rigour and open-mindedness that my professors impressed upon me to my work at the Supreme Court.”
“I received invaluable academic and career guidance from my professors over the years, particularly Don Stuart and Lisa Kerr,” says Rempel. “The Career Development Office (CDO) also really helped me to hone my application materials and prepare for the interviews. I would not be where I am without the general supportiveness of the QL community, students included!”
“Without the counsel and encouragement of my professors – especially Professors Lisa Kelly, Darryl Robinson and Don Stuart – I would not have this opportunity,” says Oster. “Really, the greatest joy has been sharing this moment with them.”
“My professors, my classmates and others in the Queen’s Law community relentlessly built me up, encouraged me to grow, and championed me throughout my time at Queen’s and beyond,” says Morris. “I am so grateful for that.”
Cybulsky extends her heartfelt gratitude to the CDO staff for advice and assistance in preparing for the interview. “It’s all these little things that add up and make a difference in the end,” she says. “It gives you just that much more confidence about being yourself, which was very much what the interview was about.”
Experiential learning opportunities also played a key role in preparing students for clerkships.
“I cannot recommend highly enough the value of practical experience as a complement to law school classes,” says Rempel. “The clerkship for credit I was able to do in the fall at the Ontario Court of Justice was the most eye-opening opportunity to see every day criminal law at-a-glance.”
Rempel also counts mooting, working on the Queen’s Law Journal, and tutoring first-year students as being “integral facets” of her law school education. “I know I will be drawing on the skills and perspective I gained from these experiences throughout my law career.”
Oster, in addition to tutoring, competitive mooting and contributing to the Queen’s Law Journal, “worked on the frontlines of legal scholarship as a Research Assistant,” she says. “Through each of these experiences, I have developed the substantive and interpersonal skills necessary to serve the Court well.”
Morris, who is spending 2019-20 clerking at the FCA, competed both the Wilson and Laskin moots in law school. “The skills and lessons I learned from my moot coaches and teammates have proven infinitely useful in my clerkship with the Federal Court of Appeal, and I look forward to testing these skills against the legal problems I will encounter at the Supreme Court.”
For students interested in clerking next year, Queen’s Law peers are an excellent resource. “Reach out to someone in the Queen’s Law network – myself included,” encourages Rempel. “I received so much help from past clerks and fellow applicants throughout applications and interviews. My biggest piece of advice to prepare for applications is to take advantage of experiential learning opportunities such as journals or clinics and to connect with other students who will soon become your colleagues. I really do believe that these opportunities round out the law school experience.”
Queen’s Law students receiving clerkships for 2021-22
| Student | Court | Justice |
| Siobhan Morris, Law’19 | Supreme Court of Canada | Chief Justice Richard Wagner |
| Don Couturier, Law’20 | Supreme Court of Canada | Nicholas Kasirer |
| Jocelyn Rempel, Law’20 | Supreme Court of Canada | Michael Moldaver |
| Irene Cybulsky, Law’20 | Federal Court of Appeal | David Near |
| Aicha Raeburn-Cherradi, Law'21 | Federal Court of Appeal | Donald Rennie |
| Rachel Oster, Law’20 | Ontario Court of Appeal | |
| Michelle de Haas, Law’21 | B.C. Court of Appeal | |
| Rory Shaw, Law’20 | B.C. Supreme Court | |
| Kelly Zhang, Law’21 | Federal Court | Christine Pallotta |
| Kathy Jiang, Law’21 | Superior Court (Ontario) | |
| Isabel Yoo, Law’21 | Superior Court (Ontario) | |
| Brad Alford, Law'21 | Superior Court (Ontario) | |
| Dennis Do, Law'20 | Tax Court of Canada | |
| Felix Lavoie, Law'20 | Tax Court of Canada | |
| Carly Williams, Law'21 | Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta |
By Lisa Graham