As a law student, Sowemimo visited the Winnipeg Law Courts and experienced being approached by the security guard, who would question him regarding his presence in the courtroom and who would appear surprised upon being informed that Sowemimo was in fact a law student.
“All the accused were mostly people of colour, and the lawyers were usually old white men,” said Sowemimo in the news release.
Sowemimo obtained his JD from the University of Manitoba and his admission to the Alberta bar in 2016. He now works as an injury lawyer at James H. Brown and Associates in Calgary. Fluent in both English and Yoruba, he helps clients with claims involving accident benefits, disability coverage, medical coverage and complex and multi-jurisdictional matters.
Sowemimo is a part of the Alberta Civil Trial Lawyers Association, the Insurance Institute of Canada and the Canadian Bar Association. He has received awards such as the Judge Ross A. Award, the Emerging Leader Award, the Ahava Halpern & Frank Lavitt Law Student Award and the University of Manitoba, Faculty of Arts Dean’s Honours Award.
“When you talk to Black students just socially they tell you ‘oh I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer’, and I’m always saying ‘so why haven’t you done it?’” Sowemimo said in the news release. “You can second guess, you can plan, but at the end of the day, you just have to do it.”
Source: www.canadianlawyermag.com
