Women in Law Leadership Awards Alberta

The WILL Awards are presented annually to female members of the Alberta legal profession in recognition of their outstanding dedication, initiative, achievement, and contribution to the community, profession, legal scholarship, and pro bono activities.

We are excited to announce our 2024 WILL Awards Alberta winners!

Eileen Sasakamoose IPC – Lifetime Achievement
Cindy M. Marshall, KC – Leadership in the Community
Grace Ajele – Tomorrow’s Leader
Leanne C. Krawchuk, KC – Leadership in the Profession – Private Practice
Kendall Moholitny – Leadership in the Profession – Broader Roles
Jennifer Rees, KC – Leadership in the Profession – In-house/Government

WILL is proud to present the 2024 Alberta Lifetime Achievement Award to Eileen Sasakamoose, IPC.

The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually to a woman who has demonstrated leadership in the profession and a commitment to the advancement of women lawyers and who is deserving of recognition for their body of work in the legal profession.

This award recognizes and applauds a woman who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and contributions over a sustained period and throughout their career in one or more of several areas including: legal skills and capabilities, contribution to legal education and/or scholarship, mentoring of law students and junior lawyers, demonstrated leadership in law and diversity initiatives, and a commitment to being a positive role model for other lawyers.

2024 WILL Awards Alberta Lifetime Achievement Award Winner Eileen Sasakamoose IPC

I am a proud Indigenous Yellowknife Dene woman, from a family of 8 children. Born in Yellowknife, to Indigenous parents, I saw Yellowknife grow from some 1,000 residents to ten times that.  It has since more than doubled in size.  In early adulthood, I decided to move to Edmonton to pursue further studies and later decided to study law. With encouragement from my friend, who later became my husband, I enrolled in law school at the University of Saskatchewan in 1984. I found the study of law fascinating and was drawn to how the Canadian legal system impacted Indigenous peoples. Shortly after graduation, I articled with Leonard (Tony) Mandamin, former Federal Court of Canada Justice, who agreed to take me on as his first articling student after I made a pitch he couldn’t resist. That was the start of a long and rewarding legal career.

In 1988, I became the first Dene woman to become a lawyer when I was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta.  The following year, after completing the statutes exam in the NWT, Justice M. de Weerdt agreed to host a second bar admission ceremony in Yellowknife, to allow my friends and family living in Yellowknife to attend. Shortly after my admission to the practicing bar, I became a founding director of the Indigenous Bar Association in 1988.  26 years later, in 2014, I was appointed Indigenous Peoples Counsel (IPC) by my mentors in the Indigenous Bar Association, a distinction I hold in high regard.

After 36 years as a general private practitioner, primarily in the service of Indigenous communities and First Nations people in a broad range of practice areas, including administrative law, business law, restorative justice, claims under the class action lawsuits for Indian Residential School, Indian Day School and First Nations Drinking water claims, family law, wills and estates and elder law,  I can see, on retrospect, how busy my private practice would become. Early in my career, I spent ten years tutoring and instructing in Athabasca University’s legal studies courses, in particular, the law and labour relations, administrative law, commercial law, and municipal law, which allowed me to teach in many Indigenous communities. Later, in 2007 and then in 2014, I was honoured to article two students, who are currently practicing members of the Alberta bar, Koren Lightning-Earle and Sherri-Anne Turner.

Recently, in my role as technical advisor to an Indigenous Women’s Advisory group, I worked in a front-line capacity, addressing Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) issues, and I see how the tragic loss of life is continuing, unabated.  More needs to be done to keep Indigenous women safe, to keep Indigenous families intact, to bring back our languages, to strengthen our culture, values and traditions and to reverse the ill-effects of the Indian Residential School era.

My goal in life and in my work has been to advance the cause of Indigenous women, children, the elderly and the disabled.  While there is a huge demand for legal services, few Indigenous clients have access to resources to pay for the legal services they desperately need.  I believe that, by working together, we in the legal profession, can help to reverse the legacy of colonial policies, practices and laws that have hampered Indigenous Peoples’ survival and that by working collaboratively, we can make a positive impact on the lives of Indigenous Peoples.

I owe a special debt of gratitude to the many elders, including the late Harvey Tootoosis, my mentor, and  many women who have been a huge support to me over the years. Without the support of my family and friends, especially my husband, Leo, and our two boys, Joshua, 29, and Matthew, 23, who have sacrificed much for my career, I would not have become the person I am today.

For individual categories, members of the legal profession are nominated by a single nominator.

Nominators must be members of the legal profession practising in Alberta. Nominators who are nominating in multiple categories must complete a separate nomination package for each category.

All nominations close September 3, 2024.

Contributions to the legal profession are recognized in the following categories:

Leadership in the Profession Private Practice

This award recognizes and applauds a lawyer in private practice who has shown extraordinary leadership in one or more of the following areas:

  • legal skills and capabilities;
  • contribution to legal education and/or scholarship;
  • mentoring of law students and junior lawyers;
  • demonstrated leadership in equity and diversity initiatives; and
  • a commitment to being a positive role model for other lawyers.
Leadership in the Profession In-house or Government

This award recognizes and applauds a lawyer working as in-house counsel or in government who has shown extraordinary leadership in one or more of the following areas:

  • legal skills and capabilities;
  • contribution to legal education and/or scholarship;
  • mentoring of law students and junior lawyers;
  • demonstrated leadership in equity and diversity initiatives; and
  • a commitment to being a positive role model for other lawyers.
Leadership in the Profession Broader Roles

This award recognizes and applauds a lawyer who applies her skills as a leader in a non-practising broader role (specifically not in a law firm, in-house/government, or community environment covered by other award categories) who has shown extraordinary leadership in one or more of the following areas:

  • legal skills and capabilities;
  • contribution to legal education and/or scholarship;
  • mentoring of law students and junior lawyers;
  • demonstrated leadership in equity and diversity initiatives; and
  •  a commitment to being a positive role model for other lawyers.

Lawyers nominated under this category could include lawyers active in an academic setting, a non-profit group, an organization that governs or promotes the legal profession, or in any other position not covered by another award.

Leadership in the Community

This award celebrates the outstanding contributions of a lawyer who applies her skills as a leader in her community through pro bono legal services or service to other community organizations. The recipient will have shown extraordinary leadership in these areas and a commitment to being a positive role model for the community.

Tomorrow’s Leader

This award encourages and recognizes the accomplishments of a lawyer who was first called to the Alberta Bar not more than 10 years prior to the year in which the award is received. The recipient of this award will have demonstrated significant growth, development, and initiative throughout her first years of practice, and shows great promise for superior legal capability and leadership potential through her actions and attitude.

Join us for the 14th Annual WILL Awards on November 21, 2024 at The Westin in Calgary!

We Honour and Celebrate our Past Winners

The Honourable Chief Justice Mary Moreau, Chief Justice of Alberta2023
The Honourable Karen Crowshoe, Alberta Court of Justice2022
The Honourable Ritu Khullar, Chief Justice of Alberta2021
The Honourable Sheilah Martin, Supreme Court of Canada2019
The Honourable Rosalie Silberman Abella, Supreme Court of Canada2018
The Honourable Patricia Rowbotham, Court of Appeal of Alberta2017
The Honourable A. Anne McLellan, P.C., O.C., A.O.E.2016
The Right Honourable Kim Campbell, P.C., C.C., O.B.C., K.C.2015
The Honourable Catherine Fraser, Chief Justice of Alberta2014
The Honourable Alison Redford, K.C., MLA2013
The Right Honourable Beverley McLachlin, P.C., Chief Justice of Canada2012
Janice Buckingham2023
Alicia Quesnel2022
Doris Bonora K.C.2021
Lillian Y. Pan K.C.2019
Wendy Best, K.C.2018
Sandra Corbett, K.C.2017
Patricia P. Sealy, K.C.2017
Rose M. Carter, K.C.2016
Heather Treacy, K.C.2016
Heather McKay, K.C.2015
Marie L. Gordon, K.C.2014
Valerie Prather2013
Tamela J. Coates2012
Maureen Killoran2011
Gwen K. Randall, K.C.2011
Suzanne Kendall K.C.2023
Moira Váně2022
Melissa Burkett2021
Naomi Schmold2019
Dale Wispinski2019
Shawna Vogel2018
Grace Auger2018
Michelle Plouffe2017
Shaina Leonard2017
Lara Pella2016
Karen Elizabeth Hewitt, K.C.2016
Keely Brown2015
Gail Harding, K.C.2015
Jolaine Antonio2015
Kathryn Chisholm, K.C.2014
Rebecca Brown2013
Francine Swanson, K.C2012
Janice Odegaard2011
Anna Lund2023
Heidi Schubert, K.C.2022
Cori Ghitter2021
Melissa N. Burkett2021
Elizabeth J. Osler2019
Alice Woolley2018
Kathleen A. Ryan, K.C.2017
Jennifer Koshan2016
Phyllis Smith, K.C.2015
Diana Lowe, K.C.2014
Michele Hollins, K.C.2013
Susan V.R. Billington, K.C.2012
Virginia A. Engel, K.C.2011
Khatera Haidery2023
Meenu Ahluwalia2022
Patricia L. Blocksom K.C., A.O.E.2019
Patricia Paradis2018
Sarah King-D’Souza, K.C.2017
Sandy Vander Ziel2016
Donna Purcell, K.C.2015
Mona Duckett, K.C.2014
Patricia Hebert2014
Dale Hensley, K.C.2013
Patricia L. Daunais, Q.C.2012
Gillian Marriott, K.C.2011
Sandra (Aigbinode) Lange2023
Susannah S. Alleyne2022
Sarah V. Coderre2021
Koren Lightning-Earle2019
Kanchana Fernando2018
Kara Levis2017
Kerry Lynn Okita2016
Chidinma Thompson2015
Heather Barnhouse2014
Salimah Walji-Shivji2013
Melanie Gaston2012
Kate Pedlow2011
Witten LLP2023
Bruyer & Mackay LLP2021
Field Law2019
DLA Piper (Canada) LLP2018
Dunphy Best Blocksom LLP2017
Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP2016

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