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Chiara Concini, ‘25 JD, has a lot to look forward to post graduation. This August Concini will head to the Supreme Court to begin her clerkship with Chief Justice Richard Wagner.

But that doesn’t mean it will be an easy goodbye for the law student.

“I adored my time at the Faculty. I feel so lucky to have uncovered a series of passions within the law that I hope will shape my legal career,” she says. Concini is excited to finish her final year of law school and celebrate her and her classmates’ accomplishments.

Concini’s time at the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ began in 2020. Bilingual in English and French, she started studying at Campus Saint-Jean, and completed two years of political science and history there before being accepted into the Faculty of Law’s JD program.

During her undergraduate studies, Concini became interested in studying and practicing law, language rights law in particular. She wanted to gain a deeper understanding of the intricacies within the field, and decided to pursue her JD at the U of A so she could remain connected to the Franco-¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥n community, and the university’s French Language campus.

During her studies at the Faculty of Law, Concini served as a member of the ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ Law Review, and volunteered with Association des juristes d’expression française de l’¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥.

Concini fondly recalls the conversations she had with her professors during office hours. These conversations fed into her curiosity about law, and were informative about new developments in the field.

“The faculty members at the U of A are phenomenal and are a significant reason why I have loved law school,” says Concini. “I am grateful to have learned from such intelligent, thoughtful and dedicated legal educators.”

The moots she took part in also stand out from her many law school experiences. Concini competed in two national moots on behalf of the U of A, both in English and French. She won the Brimacombe Selection Moot in 2023 and received the Beverley McLachlin Prize for the Top Female Oralist at the Gale Cup in 2024.

Mooting helped her grow as a student, honing her research and writing skills and teaching her to better manage stressful situations, Concini says. She met some of her closest friends through the competitions.

“I’ve been incredibly lucky to learn from my classmates, as we deciphered complicated legal issues, and from talented coaches and volunteer practicing lawyers and judges, as I refined my abilities as an advocate.”

The Supreme Court usually selects clerks from the ranks of third-year law students and recent grads across the country. Concini was a rare exception, having been selected after her second year.

“I’m honoured to be headed to Ottawa to start a clerkship and begin my legal career,” Concini says.

While she was and remains interested in language rights law, Concini’s legal studies have also spawned her interest in other areas, including criminal, administrative and constitutional law.

Following her clerkship, she hopes to pursue graduate studies in law, and eventually become a legal academic. This would give her the opportunity to share her knowledge and experience, and explore the areas of law that interest her the most.

Looking back on her time at the U of A, Concini hopes that future students know that education happens outside of the classroom, beyond assignments and lectures. At the Faculty of Law, it also occurs through conversations — and even debates — with classmates and professors.

“Seek out those conversations regularly. Study in groups and go to office hours to ask questions,” she says. “These informal aspects of learning in law school are what make the experience so special.”