Koren Lightning-Earle:
Koren Lightning-Earle, ’00 BA(Rec/Leisure), ’04 BA, ’07 LLB, ’18 LLM, Blue Thunderbird Woman, is Cree from Samson Cree Nation. She is a Lawyer with Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge. She is Vice-President of Kasohkowew Child Wellness Society and Board Member for First Nations Caring Society. She is Acting Commissioner for Alberta Utilities Commission. She was the Indigenous Initiatives Liaison at the Law Society of Alberta. She was President of the Indigenous Bar Association for 6 years.
Koren graduated from Law School in 2007 at the University of Alberta. She was called to the bar in February 2009 and had the honour of having her Bar Call on her Reserve of Samson Cree Nation. She was called by Chief Justice Wachowich and Federal Court Justice Mandamin. In addition to her Bachelor of Laws, she holds a Bachelor of Arts (Special) degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation and Leisure Students. Koren received her Master of Laws from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University, her concentration was Alternative Dispute Resolution.
She was recently awarded “Tomorrow’s Leader” Award from Women in Law Leadership Awards. She was awarded the Alumni Horizon Award from the University of Alberta in 2017. Koren Is alumni of the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference, she participated in the 2017 NWT Tour. She was an elected council member for Samson Cree Nation from 2011-2014 and is co-founder of Hub, a community mobilization program to help reduce crime. She was co-chair of the First Nations Women’s Economic Security Council. She is also a sessional instructor at Maskwacis Cultural College, a post-secondary school within the Four Nations of Maskwacis, Alta. Lightning-Earle is married, has two daughters, and is a sole practitioner at Thunderbird Law in her home community.
Dr. Hadley Friedland:
Hadley Friedland is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law. Hadley is co-lead of the Wahkohtowin Indigenous Law and Governance Lodge, a dedicated inter-disciplinary unit that upholds Indigenous law and governance through community led research and education. She was the first Research Director of the University of Victoria’s Indigenous Law Research Unit and has worked extensively with Indigenous communities across Canada to identify and revitalize Indigenous laws.
She teaches and researches in the areas of Indigenous legal traditions, family law, child welfare law, Aboriginal law, criminal justice and therapeutic jurisprudence. She is author of the book, The Wetiko (Windigo) Legal Principles: Cree and Anishinabek Responses to Violence and Victimization, released through University of Toronto Press.