The Law Society Indigenous Intercultural Course is an important resource to help BC lawyers increase their Indigenous cultural awareness and understanding. The online course provides information regarding the colonization of BC and Canada and the lasting impacts of discriminatory laws and policies that were imposed on Indigenous peoples.
Since its launch in 2022, the course has received positive feedback from lawyers who have completed it.
Okanagan lawyer and law firm owner Melody Martin commented in a Vernon Morning Star article that, “Not many people know that the first Indigenous lawyer in British Columbia qualified in 1962. I was shocked that it’s so recent. The first Indigenous judge in B.C. was that same lawyer, Alfred Scow, in 1971.”
She was referring to information she learned from the course. “I was very moved by this information and wanted to share it publicly,” she said in an email to the Law Society. “Thank you for the course, which I definitely learned from.”
Retired lawyer Cathy Morton said she found the course very interesting. “Every resident of British Columbia should be educated about this troubling piece of our history, and hopefully become motivated to become part of the solution,” she commented.
The Law Society has also received valuable feedback about ways to improve the course. Staff routinely review and update course content to ensure it contains the most relevant and up-to-date information. We welcome your feedback at indigenous@lsbc.org.
The Law Society encourages lawyers to make time for the course in the coming months if they haven’t done so already. All lawyers who were practising as of January 1, 2022 must complete the course by January 1, 2024. Lawyers who began, or returned, to practise after January 1, 2022 have two years to complete the course. Lawyers can claim up to six hours of CPD credit for completing the course, which can be accessed through the Member Portal. To learn more, read the FAQs.