Student tapped for two judicial clerkships
March 23, 2017
When Laura Snowdon (pictured left) graduates from Western Law this June she’ll be in the fortunate and unusual position of having two consecutive judicial clerkships lined up. Snowdon will clerk at the Ontario Court of Appeal in 2017-18 and, the following year, will clerk for Justice Rosalie Abella at the Supreme Court of Canada.
“This is a tremendous achievement for a JD student,” said Erika Chamberlain, Associate Dean (Academic), who clerked at the Supreme Court in 2002. “Laura will begin her legal career with the opportunity to actively engage with leading appellate judges and work on groundbreaking decisions.”
Snowdon says clerking at these Courts will give her the chance to grapple with some of the country’s most pressing legal issues and to observe Canada’s top litigators in action.
“I’m looking forward to working with some of the brightest legal minds in the country and being part of a close-knit community of judicial law clerks,” she says. “I’m very proud to represent Western Law at the Courts.”
Snowdon developed a strong interest in public international law while at Western and took part in three international programs; internships at both The Center for Democratic Development in Ghana and the International Labour Organization in Geneva, and the dual JD/LLM program at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands.
Upon finishing her clerkships, she hopes to complete her LLM in International Human Rights Law. In the future, she would like to work for an organization like the Center for Reproductive Rights or a coalition of organizations like the Sexual Rights Initiative.
“I have a lot of respect for the work of these groups, particularly their advocacy initiatives at the United Nations and worldwide,’ she says. “Though I’m drawn to human rights law, my legal interests are varied, and I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
She is grateful to Professors Andrew Botterell, Chi Carmody, Kate Glover, Asad Kiyani, Michael Lynk, Melanie Randall and Zoë Sinel for their support and guidance throughout the clerkship application and interview process.
