Combining a passion for health and the law

Lauren Grant has been intrigued by law since junior high school — her father works for the Nova Scotia Department of Justice, and her uncle, Paul Walter, is managing partner at Waterbury Newton in Kentville. “I like that each case is different and it’s not a monotonous profession, you never know what’s going to come your way,” she says.

Ms. Grant chose to study health law at the Schulich School of Law after successfully completing her undergraduate degree in kinesiology at Dalhousie. As an undergraduate she was a Tiger times two, playing varsity soccer and competing in track and field. In 2005, she took part in the Canada Games in Regina.

When she discovered the Health Law Institute in 2007, she realized she could combine both her passion for health related issues and her interest in law.
During a summer job with Burchells LLP in Halifax, she gained experience with cases involving medical malpractice and found that her health science background was useful in understanding specialized language and legal issues like informed consent, medical malpractice and battery.

More recently, she’s worked with the Dalhousie Legal Aid Clinic, where the focus is on poverty law, youth criminal matters and family law. “There’s lots of one-on-one with the clients. We’re often their first point of contact, so there’s lots of problem solving and a broad range of experience,” she says.

As a member, and now president, of the Dalhousie Black Law Student’s Association she worked to increase opportunities for African-Canadian law students and to enhance student life at the Schulich School of Law. Committed to developing her community, Ms. Grant also tutors economically disadvantaged black students at Highland Park Junior High, mentors an undergraduate student and recently joined a community organization in East Preston that creates after school programming for high school youth.

In recognition of her community involvement and using her legal education as a tool for change, Ms. Grant was chosen as the 2011 recipient of the Judge Corrine Sparks Award. Following graduation she will return to Burchells LLP to article.