Creating a Seat at the Table is a collection of works written by women who have graduated from the University of Saskatchewan College of Law. The stories share vulnerable experiences, hard lessons learned, career advice, and more. No matter where you are in your path – whether you are a law student excited about entering the profession, or a lawyer 25 years into your career – you have something to learn from this book.
Being a woman in law school in 2023 feels relatively unremarkable. Many of the professors are women. The Associate Dean, Academic is a woman. Female guest lecturers, including lawyers and judges, have presented to students on many occasions during my time in law school. Canadian law school classes are made up of around half male and half female students, with some even skewing more female. On a day-to-day basis, I feel as though I belong there, though that feeling gets shaken up every so often.
Photos from the University of Saskatchewan’s earliest graduating classes of the College of Law serve as a reminder that law school was a space dominated by white men. The first class graduated in 1915. While the first female law student at the University of Saskatchewan graduated as early as 1920, this space was overwhelmingly dominated by white men for several decades. Eventually, incoming classes consisted of more women until 50/50 representation was standard. Interestingly, women now outnumber men in law school, but men outnumber women in practice and especially in leadership positions.
A side effect of the history of the legal profession being almost exclusive to white men is that the standards and expectations for what it means to be a “good lawyer” were molded around that demographic, making it challenging for “others” to be viewed as successful. Creating a Seat at the Table contains themes of reclaiming one’s identity in spite of this mold and reminds us that we are our best selves when we are being true to ourselves. Trying to fit into a mold that wasn’t built for you is not going to make you happy, and being unhappy is going to make it difficult to be good at your job.
Storytelling is a wonderful agent for growth and helps us to understand one another and empathize better. The authors who contributed to Creating a Seat at the Table were brave and vulnerable with what they chose to share, generously providing the reader with a diverse collection of first-hand experiences of women in law. Michaela Keet, a professor at the University of Saskatchewan College of Law, shares: “what a surprise, to hear my own experiences so compassionately described in these women’s narratives. Every lawyer (and everyone on the journey to become one) should read this book.” Her endorsement is a reminder that we all have something to learn from these stories, and from the experiences of those around us.
I feel fortunate to have read this book at this stage in my legal career; a student about to enter her third year of law school. While being a law student has been enjoyable, I have felt apprehensive about entering into legal practice for many reasons. Finishing the book left me with many lessons to consider, the most prominent being: women belong in law. This statement is unconditional. Women do not belong in law only if we attempt to shapeshift and cram ourselves into a space built by and for men. Femininity is not unprofessional and there is room for it in the legal profession. It is imperative that everyone within the profession, regardless of their gender, appreciate this and make space for it.
This compilation of stories provides immeasurable insights about the nuances of being a woman in a profession that was designed by and for men. It may (read: will) prompt you to self-reflect. What does it mean to be successful? How can I make the practice better for women yet to come? When is the right time to make a change?
The themes, lessons, and insights shared within Creating a Seat at the Table are invaluable. I look forward to returning to these passages throughout my career, knowing that different themes will stand out depending on my own life circumstances at the time of reading. I cannot thank the authors enough for their vulnerability, as it has sincerely helped me to position myself in a way that I feel better prepared for my career than I ever expected to at this stage of my journey. Thank you, and I look forward to sharing my own story someday.
Hannah Jorgenson (she/her) is a third-year law student at the University of Saskatchewan.