Chris Tuharsky was DGW Law’s 2022
intern for our Indigenous Student Internship program. After a summer in Victoria, Chris shares some of his experience below.
Like any first day at a new job, I was wildly nervous. I remember staying up late the night before my first day reading horror stories online about summer students’ experiences at law firms across Canada and panicking that I would suffer the same experiences. Would I have to stay late everyday? What if I couldn’t make a deadline? How does one even write a legal memo?
However, my nervousness and anxiety quickly went away after I met everyone at the firm and got settled in on my first day. Everyone was so welcoming, and from the get-go I knew I could go to any of the directors, the associates or the legal assistants for advice and help.
I came into the summer internship with this idea that an Aboriginal law firm only deals with Aboriginal rights and title issues. I thought that I would spend my days at the firm simply citing Tsilhqot’in, Deglamuukw, Van der Peet, etc. in legal memos, and advising clients on whether they have an Aboriginal right to an activity or Aboriginal title to an area. However, I soon realized that this idea was completely wrong.
During my time at DGW, every task that I completed was different from the last. I completed a variety of tasks in different legal subjects. This included researching and writing memos on environmental negotiations and assessments, business corporations, trusts, evidence issues, etc. This was one of my favorite things about my time at DGW. Everyday was different, and everyday I gained new knowledge in a different legal area.
One super interesting task that I completed over the summer was using my French language skills to translate and summarize a leave to appeal factum by the Attorney General of Quebec to the Supreme Court of Canada. I never thought that I would use my French language skills in my legal career and was delighted that I had the opportunity to do so.
The mentorship I received during my time at DGW was also phenomenal. I received advice on how to improve my legal writing and research, and I was always able to ask any member of the DGW team for help or advice with a task. The team was very helpful and super lenient and flexible. I was constantly being asked if my workload was manageable, and if I needed any help.
If you are an Indigenous student looking for a summer job, I 11/10 recommend applying for DGW’s Indigenous summer student internship. Every single member of the DGW team deeply cares about Indigenous legal issues and strives to deconstruct the colonial and systemic legal system that has long been established in Canada. Not only is the team at DGW superb at what they do, they are also super supportive and helpful. Trust me, you won’t regret spending a summer working at DGW.
To learn more about DGW Law’s Indigenous Student Summer Internship opportunity or to apply, click here.