Two new lawyers were officially welcomed into the legal community recently in a ceremony steeped in tradition and dating back to the 12th century.
A Bar Admission Ceremony was held at Court of Queen’s Bench on Nov. 1 for Darcy Joseph Dumont and Chelsea Kathleen Leslie Fielding, with the two giving a verbal oath to uphold their professional duties and then signing documents making their appointments official. Greetings were then provided by two justices, a judge, and representatives of several legal organizations, followed by thanks from the guests of honour.
Dumont, 26, is from Lafleche, Sask., southwest of Moose Jaw, and is now practising in Moose Jaw. Fielding, 25, from Moose Jaw, is now practising in Regina.
Ryan Hrechka with Grayson and Company in Moose Jaw presented Dumont during the ceremony, while Robert Fielding with Curran and Fielding in Moose Jaw presented his daughter.
Moose Javian Justice Darin Chow presided over the ceremony.
“It’s a tremendous honour. It’s been a long road to get here,” said Dumont after the ceremony. He explained that he went through seven years of schooling and then spent a year articling with Grayson and Company.
“It’s the end of one chapter — a long journey — to get here and the beginning of another one, (of) entering the legal profession,” he added. “I’m excited and delighted to move on from here and begin my career as a lawyer.”
Dumont’s time articling with Grayson and Company was a great experience, he said. He appreciated the advice and mentorship of the company’s partners and the support of the staff. He plans to continue working with the company since he feels it’s a great firm with whom to work.
“After all these years of university and articling, it’s exciting to actually begin my time as a lawyer and serving people within my community and providing legal services,” he added.
Fielding thought it was a great accomplishment to reach this point, she said. She wants to continue learning and looked forward to overcoming any challenges she might face.
“I’m apprehensive,” she chuckled.
Fielding spent six years studying at the University of Saskatchewan and then articled with her father in Moose Jaw for a year. It was an interesting time working alongside her dad, she explained, since she moved back home after university, lived with her parents, worked with her parents, and drove to work with her parents.
“It was a lot, but it was a really good experience,” she laughed.
Fielding — whose grandfather also happens to be a judge — is now working with the Regina law firm MacLean Keith. Her time there so far has been good, she said, and she enjoys working with such respected lawyers and mentors.
Becoming a lawyer had always been in the back of Fielding’s mind ever since high school, she said. It was a profession in which she knew there would be something new to think about regularly and there would be many experiences to help her grow as a woman.
“I didn’t want a repetitive type of career and I knew this would be something that would allow me to have that,” she added.
During the ceremony, Justice R.G. Richards brought greetings from the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal. He pointed out being called to the bar is a milestone and marks the beginning of an exciting professional life.
“Those robes are highly symbolic,” he added. “You are inheritors and defenders of a (great) tradition.”
Provincial court Judge Brian A. Hendrickson — also a Moose Javian — noted there is a sense of renewal when new lawyers start since they bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the profession. In dealing with Fielding and Dumont in court, Hendrickson added that he found them to be thoughtful, diligent and bright.
