Mentorship Symposium: Breaking Barriers through Mentorship
The Mentorship Symposium will take place on Saturday, September 16, at Platform Calgary. Our theme for this year is “Breaking barriers through mentorship,” focusing on the challenges Black individuals face on their journey of growth and the importance of mentorship in overcoming those barriers. It will bring together a diverse group of emerging Black talent. We believe in allyship, so there will be mentors from various races and nationalities who have a passion for leading and guiding development through mentorship.
Mentorship Symposium Highlights
Agenda
Keynote Speaker
From law school in Nigeria to law firm CEO in Calgary, Charles’ rise to the top has been swift, earning him a LEXPERT Rising Star recognition for Canada’s Leading Lawyers Under 40, One of Canada’s 100 Most Influential Black Canadians, Avenue Calgary’s Top 40 under 40, and the recipient of the late Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal for his contributions to the Province of Alberta.
With over 70 local and national recognitions and awards in the last few years, he is now leading one of the fastest-growing mid-sized law firms in Calgary, Osuji & Smith, which has quickly become one of the largest black-owned law firms in Canada, and the largest in Alberta. At an age when most lawyers are busy learning their craft, Charles is doing that plus ensuring he is providing mentoring and leadership for his staff of diverse associate lawyers, legal assistants, and articling students. In 2014, he had the privilege of articling at Osuji & Smith (then Smith Law Office) and was admitted to the Alberta Bar. Only two years later, he became a Partner in the firm, and in 2017, he became the sole owner of Osuji & Smith after buying me out.
With almost no experience in law firm management, Osuji has not only sustained the growth and integrity of the firm of Osuji & Smith Lawyers but has won several awards, including the Top 25 Most Influential Lawyers in Canada in 2020 and the most recent Edition of “The Best Lawyers in Canada: Ones to Watch.” Charles’ fast journey to success is proof of his dedication to both his craft and his insistence in giving others “a foot in the door”.
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