DENINU KU'E/FORT RESOLUTION - Magnolia Unka has reached a unique goal.

Magnolia Unka of Deninu Ku'e First Nation was admitted to the Law Society of Alberta on July 23. Jeffrey Rath, left, of Rath & Company presented her for admission to Justice James Rooke of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta. - photo courtesy of Magnolia Unka

In what is believed to be a first for a member of Deninu Ku'e First Nation (DKFN), Unka has become a lawyer.

On July 23, she was called to the bar in Calgary, meaning she is now a member of the Law Society of Alberta.

"I feel really proud," said Unka, adding many people in her hometown of Fort Resolution are also expressing happiness with her accomplishment.

Unka said she welcomes becoming a role model for younger members of DKFN and would encourage them to work towards their goals.

"Anyone can do it," she said. "It's just a lot of dedication and determination. You have to see that goal and want it."

In 2008, Unka graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Laws, specializing in aboriginal and treaty rights. She also earned a Bachelor of Arts in Native Studies from the University of Alberta in 2005.

Her father, Tom Unka of Fort Resolution, is proud of her.

He believes his daughter is the first member of DKFN to become a lawyer, adding he has talked to various band members about it.

"We put our heads together and we couldn't find anyone else," he said.

His daughter is also not aware of any other DKFN member becoming a lawyer.

Tom Unka said his daughter was raising a family while studying law.

"I really admire her endurance to go through with it," he said.

While attending the University of Alberta, Unka was on maternity leave twice – in 2002 for the birth of her daughter Kailyn and in 2004 for the birth of her son Chayton.

Her husband is Curtis Mandeville, also from Fort Resolution.

Unka, 29, works for Rath & Company, a Calgary law firm specializing in aboriginal issues. She joined the firm as an articling student in June of last year.

She said she would love to do legal work for DKFN, but added that would be unlikely because of her family connections in Fort Resolution.

Unka was born in Hay River and lived in Fort Resolution until she was five years old. She attended early grades in Yellowknife and Fort Smith, and high school in Calgary, while her mother, Dora Unka, was attending university.

However, Unka said her family returned to Fort Resolution every summer and she worked at the DKFN band office as a teenager.

"I always stayed connected to the community back home," she said.

Unka said she wanted to become a lawyer from the time she was in high school.

She explained that ambition was partly the result of returning to Fort Resolution and seeing how many issues DKFN faced.

Unka also recalled seeing DKFN attorneys – male, Caucasian, and in suits – and wondering if she could ever become a lawyer.

"I wanted to do it, but it was a really scary thought," she said.

While in law school, Unka worked during the summers with the NWT Department of Justice in Yellowknife on an overview of condominium legislation in Canada.

The process of being called to the bar involved Unka being presented to a judge as a candidate for the Law Society of Alberta. She was presented by Jeffrey Rath of Rath & Company to Justice James Rooke of the Court of Queen's Bench of Alberta.

As part of a five-page presentation, Rath told the judge that Unka had demonstrated excellent academic achievement in law school.

While preparing the application for the court, he said he contacted some of Unka's law school classmates. "The words 'inspirational' and 'superwoman' were utilized by her classmates to describe her."

Rath added he has great respect for Unka's abilities as a barrister and looks forward to her continued association with his firm.