10/06/2026
We were so pleased to see our former summer student, Adrienne Graham, featured by the Schulich School of Law at Dalhousie University.
Adrienne came to us with a clear interest in criminal defence and, more importantly, the initiative to create an opportunity where one didn’t already exist. From her first day at Black Criminal Law, she threw herself into the work — meeting clients, reviewing disclosure, participating in Crown pre-trials, researching important issues affecting people in our provincial jails, and eventually making her first appearances on the record.
One of the great privileges of this profession is having the opportunity to mentor the next generation of advocates. Criminal defence is challenging work, but it is also deeply human work. Teaching students how to advocate effectively means teaching more than the law — it means showing them the importance of compassion, judgment, integrity, preparation, and sometimes telling clients the difficult truths they need to hear.
A special shout-out to our associate, Georgina Pollard, who was every bit as invested in Adrienne’s development and made sure she had the encouragement and confidence to take on new challenges. Building a practice where young lawyers and students feel supported, trusted, and given meaningful opportunities is something we are very proud of.
And, of course, the biggest congratulations to Adrienne. She graduated this spring and is now clerking at the Federal Court in Ottawa before, we hope, beginning what will be a long career in criminal defence. We have no doubt she will be an exceptional advocate.
Thank you to Adrienne for trusting us to be a small part of the beginning of her career — and to Schulich Law for supporting opportunities that allow students to turn ambition into action. ⚖️
Proud of this one. ❤️
Full article here: https://www.dal.ca/faculty/law/news-events/news/2026/10/05/from_ambition_to_action.html
When Adrienne Graham (JD '26) was a law student, she was determined to gain hands-on experience with an internship in criminal defence. As most internship opportunities help support not-for-profit organizations, she knew her goal could prove challenging and her persistence paid off when she connected with Sarah Black, founder and lead lawyer of the small, all-female team at Kingston, Ontario-based Black Criminal Law.
During her internship, Graham watched Black tailor her meetings for each client – from the complexity of the explanation she provided to the emotional support she offered to the community partners she recommended – and approach each file with the utmost care.
“This internship was truly invaluable, shaping the kind of advocate I aspire to be,” she shares. “I had an idea going into law school that I wanted to pursue criminal law, but this experience confirmed that it is the right fit for me. Seeing people in this field who enjoy and feel passionate about their work, even on challenging days, was truly inspiring.”
The Schulich School of Law Internship Program was first introduced in 2009. Since then, it has awarded $3.3 million in funds and has placed 557 students with 295 organizations, making it the largest paid summer law internship program in the country.
To learn more about Adrienne’s experience, you can read her full profile on our website: https://bit.ly/4hIbSUf
