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The week before the fall semester starts on campus, Daphne Williamson sits at her desk on the second floor of the Weldon Law Building and gestures animatedly with her hands while talking about how much she’s looking forward to her new role as part-time Career Development Advisor at the Schulich School of Law’s Career Development Office (CDO). “I’m most excited about supporting and encouraging the law students and helping guide them on their career paths,” she says.

It’s a homecoming for Williamson, who graduated from the law school in 2005. As a student, she was a member of the law school’s Indigenous Blacks & Mi’kmaq Initiative, which was established in 1989 to increase representation of those cultural groups in the legal profession. And although she’ll have firsthand experience for guiding IB&M students, “I’m here for whoever walks through my door,” she says.

"I've had anything but a traditional career path. Never mind being outside the box – I can’t even find the box!”

Williamson went to law school for one reason: to be taken more seriously as a professional advocate. “I’ve had anything but a traditional career path,” she says. That path includes experience in human and civil rights, aboriginal law and social justice work. “Never mind being outside the box – I can’t even find the box!”

When she was ready to look for somewhere to article, “I said I’m either going to work for Anne Derrick, Rocky Jones, or Legal Aid, or I’m going to flip burgers,” says Williamson. Heather McNeill at Dalhousie Legal Aid Service introduced her to Rocky Jones, who took her on.

Part of the CDO team

Williamson recalls visiting Rose Godfrey in the Admissions Office when she needed academic information during her student days; now they’re colleagues. “Daphne is a great fit for this role because she has great spirit, she followed her passion, and she can provide information on different career paths,” says Godfrey, Director of Admissions and Outreach. “She’ll complement the experience that already exists at the Career Development Office.”

When she graduated from law school at 35, Williamson never intended to put in time at a big law firm. Instead, she worked as a lawyer for The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario. There, she was a specialist in housing, poverty and human rights law. She did test case litigation, appeals, policy and legislative reform and set a precedent in a case involving the nexus between human rights and planning law. She has also had her own practice, E M Power Law, since 2006.

In November of 2014, Williamson, who grew up in Halifax’s north end, moved home from Toronto. “Rocky had died in 2013, and I was devastated because he meant a lot to me, as a mentor, a good friend, and a champion of justice,” she says. “His passing left a huge hole in the province for anyone who needs an advocate. I came back to make some attempt to fill his very big shoes. If I could only fill one of his shoes, I’d be happy.”

"Figure out what you love"

As Career Development Advisor, Williamson will convey to the students that there are other ways of becoming successful in the legal profession besides working for a big law firm or the government, although she can advise students on how to get those jobs too.

“As an alumna of the IB&M Initiative, I’m able to represent some of the diversity that appears at the law school."

“There’s so much diversity in the student body – religious, cultural, demographic, passions, interests – that not everyone will want to do the same job,” she says. “Because I’m an alumna of the IB&M Initiative, I’m more able to represent some of the diversity that appears at the law school. And because I haven’t taken a typical approach to my career, I can offer a different perspective.”

Perhaps Williamson’s most personal piece of advice to the students who will seek it will be to follow their passion. “Figure out what you love and find a way to get paid for it,” she says. “There will be money in it, but if you only focus on the money, it’s going to be a much longer and harder road.”

Students can visit Daphne Williamson in Room 212 in the Career Development Office on the second floor of the Weldon Law Building on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. You can drop by, but it’s a good idea to make an appointment by contacting d.williamson@dal.ca or (902) 494-4295.