Alberta creates new scholarship in public law

By Ian Burns ·

Law360 Canada (August 13, 2024, 1:39 PM EDT) -- Alberta’s government has introduced a new scholarship to honour outstanding public law students.

The Excellence in Public Law Scholarship will award $10,000 each to two outstanding upper-year law students — one from the University of Alberta and the other from the University of Calgary.

Mickey Amery, Alberta minister of justice and attorney general

Mickey Amery, Alberta minister of justice and attorney general

“The study and practice of public law is fundamental to maintaining a society grounded in the rule of law,” said Alberta Minister of Justice and Attorney General Mickey Amery. “The Excellence in Public Law Scholarship will support outstanding students in this field and encourage more to pursue careers in public law.”

Public law includes areas such as constitutional law, administrative law and statutory interpretation and extends to fields like corporate, environmental, family, health, immigration and tax law. The scholarship is aimed at supporting students who aspire to become public lawyers including Crown prosecutors, legislative drafters, policy lawyers, legal advisors and civil litigators.

“The robust operation of public law — the branch of law that governs the relationship between the state and its citizens, and the powers and functions of public authorities — is crucial to a healthy democracy,” said University of Alberta law dean Fiona Kelly. “We commend the Alberta government for supporting this.”

Evar Oshionebo, interim dean of the University of Calgary faculty of law, said the scholarship will encourage excellence in public law, foster career opportunities and pave the way for a brighter future for law students

“We applaud the Government of Alberta for their initiative in establishing this scholarship,” he said.

The University of Alberta and the University of Calgary will each select a scholarship recipient based on their academic standing in public law coursework. To be eligible, a student must be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or protected person, an Alberta resident and enrolled full-time in the second or third year of study in the faculty of law at the University of Alberta or the University of Calgary.

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