Episode 68: The In-House Series Part 8

Off The Tracks

This episode was produced in partnership with LawyersInHouse.com, a law firm composed of former in-house counsel. To see how they can provide insightful, pragmatic, and solutions-focused legal services to you and your legal department, visit ⁠LawyersInHouse.com⁠.

In this episode, we are joined by Cheyenne Arnold-Cunningham. Cheyenne Arnold-Cunningham was born and raised in Ontario and currently lives and works as a visitor on the traditional territory of the Ts’uubaa-asatx, Ditidaht, and Quw’utsun peoples in British Columbia. She is Métis with mixed European ancestry and is a member of the Métis Nation of BC with Métis roots and ancestry in St. Albert and Lac Ste. Anne Alberta and the historic Red River Métis community in Manitoba.

Cheyenne works as in-house counsel at the Union of BC Indian Chiefs (UBCIC), largely working to support the acknowledgement, protection and exercise of First Nations' title and rights while also assisting to support the UBCIC and the First Nations Leadership Council in their legislative reform work to align provincial and federal law with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. She also works as a researcher at the Indigenous Law Research Unit at the University of Victoria and is the founder and owner of Dakota Law and Consulting.

In this conversation, Cheyenne discusses the broad experience she has gained working in-house, including representing the UBCIC alongside co-counsel at the Public Order Emergency Commission Inquiry. Cheyenne shares about her law school experience and the importance of staying grounded in your truth of how you want to craft your career. We also discuss the importance of teaching Indigenous Legal Orders in law schools and how this coursework positively enriches a legal education. And, Cheyenne shares important networking tips for anyone seeking their first job post-articling!

Learn from Cheyenne on LinkedIn

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Thanks for taking some time to step off the tracks with us!

– Erin & Piper – Did you know there are free and confidential mental health supports available to law students, paralegals, and lawyers in every province and territory? ⁠Click here⁠ to learn more and access services.