About
If you had told Sandra MacKenzie 18 years ago that her career would include going on a sheriff-led tour to see aGrolar Bear(yes, they’re real!) during a court recess, she would have laughed. At that time, Sandra was living just outside of Toronto, preparing to start law school at Windsor Law. These days, she is a Partner atLawson Lundell’s Yellowknife office, where she has worked for 10 of her happiest years. One of the things that attracted Sandra to theUniversity of Windsorwas theirExperiential Learning program(an alternative to just sitting in class). Through the program, Sandra had the opportunity to clerk at the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories in Yellowknife during her final year of law school. Before signing up for this adventure, Sandra had never been north of Calgary and had no idea what to expect. She packed up a suitcase of books, preparing to spend her free time alone (and lonely), and arrived to find the small city covered by an almost dark sky in the middle of a frigid day in January. Sandra was not surprised that she enjoyed the job, but she was surprised by the fast friendships she made and the love she developed for the city and surrounding communities. Following her brief introduction to the North, Sandra articled at a national firm and then transitioned to a smaller litigation firm in downtown Toronto. She felt that this was the path she should take because it was promoted so much in law school, but also felt a sense that this was not the right path for her.