About AWL Calgary
A volunteer-led non-profit for women in law, rooted in Calgary, shaped by members, and built for connection, growth, and celebration.
AWL is an organization committed to promoting the advancement, equality, interests and well-being of women in the legal profession.
Ready to connect? Explore membership or contact us.
AWL is governed by a volunteer board of women lawyers from across Calgary practice settings. Upload each portrait in the CMS; if a portrait is missing, a neutral placeholder is shown instead, and those members are listed after everyone with a photo.
AWL is a non-profit society established under the Societies Act of Alberta. We strive to be the premier organization for women lawyers in the Calgary region.
We are governed and operated by a volunteer board who reflect the strengths of our membership: women practising law in Calgary and the surrounding area, across specialties and levels of seniority.
We connect women lawyers with each other, help them advance their careers, and celebrate their accomplishments through professional development, networking, mentoring, and career-building opportunities. We are dedicated to the advancement of women at all levels, and we support both initiatives within the legal community and outreach among women in the broader community.
The Calgary Women Lawyers Association (CWLA), launched in the 1960s under the leadership of Mary Hetherington (now retired from the Alberta Court of Appeal), formally announced through a Law Society notice in summer 1993 its decision to cease activities and disband.
In late fall 1993, thirteen Calgary women lawyers formed a Steering Committee to explore a new organization responsive to changing needs. They came from private practice and business, were new to the profession or had forged uncommon paths with their degrees, interests that crossed political lines and transcended individual aspirations.
By January 1994, the Steering Committee was assessing present and future needs and shaping a networking and support mandate distinct from other professional groups.
A new name and logo were chosen to signal a fresh mandate. AWL was originally meant to be pronounced like “All.” Elaine McCoy captured the spirit with: “AWL (All) for one and one for AWL (All).” Over time the acronym became the everyday shorthand.
The Association of Women Lawyers (AWL) is committed to promoting the advancement, equality, interests and well-being of women in the legal profession.
Steering Committee mission statement (1994)
AWL introduced a patron program and invited Calgary firms to help seed funding for an inauguration and first formal event. Twenty-five patrons, lawyers, judges, and firms, answered the call.
The inauguration reception was held at the MacDougall Centre in June 1994. Members thanked CWLA's leaders for more than three decades of service, unveiled the mission statement and logo, and welcomed guests including the Hon. Anne McLellan (then Minister of Natural Resources) and Dr. Sheilah Martin (then Dean of Law at the University of Calgary), who spoke to challenges women lawyers face and shared their own experiences.
Two Steering Committee members, Carolyn Phillips and Sandra Hunt MacDonald, were later invited to serve as judicial liaisons on the board upon appointment to the Court of Queen's Bench and the Provincial Court of Alberta, respectively.
Over the years AWL has hosted events to elevate women lawyers and equip them to move forward, keeping members current on legal developments and practice tools. Programs explored careers beyond traditional firms, included self-defence training with women police officers, financial planning, and other educational offerings.
Luncheons drew notable speakers, among them Senator Raynell Andreychuk, Pamela Wallin, the Hon. Beverley McLachlan, the Hon. Louise Arbour, the Hon. Allan Rock (then Minister of Justice), and defence counsel John Rosen in the Bernardo–Homolka trial. When some members questioned sponsoring Mr. Rosen, leadership affirmed that women lawyers represent clients in difficult cases too, and that hearing peers' judgment calls matters.
Social traditions took hold as well: the Annual Golf Tournament and Spring Celebration became cornerstone gatherings.
Though AWL centres women lawyers, the broader bar has long offered support. The Hon. Madam Justice S.L. Hunt MacDonald led early debate on welcoming both women and men as members; her resolution passed unanimously, and A. Webster Macdonald, Jr., Q.C. became the first man to join.
AWL remains committed to women in the legal profession and continues to welcome new members.
