MPOITRAS
ETHICS - LAW - DESIGN
Marilyn Poitras is a Michif/Irish Scottish woman born and raised on the prairies. She has a Masters in Law from Harvard Law School and is a lifelong student of Indigenous Laws with Elders from home and around the globe.
EXPERIENCE
2022
Systems Designer
MPoitras Ethics, Law and Design
This is my legal professional corporation created to work with community, non-profits, individuals, governments and corporations to examine their internal status quo, their aspirations and take stalk of skills to create their path forward. I rely on my research in Design Thinking for social change, on mental health research and on my life’s work at bringing diverse interests together. I create with rather than for clients. Together we will evaluate, assess, priority set and redesign the work, the space and long-term vision.
2008-2022
Cultural Relations and Indigenous Awareness
Advisor
This was a sole proprietorship designed to reach into community for education and conversation. This was facilitation, research, negotiation and many aspects of the responsibility of the responsibilities of people and their governments. I was fortunate enough to work with the Federation of Sovereign Nations, The Metis Nation-Saskatchewan, the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, the Indigenous Leadership Program at the Banff Centre, Canadian International Development Agency, LGSPA in the Philippines, Universities in Canada and the United States, and provincial, federal governments.
2019-2021
Director, Indigenous Law Centre
University of Saskatchewan
I was an Assistant professor at the College of Law from 2009-2016 when I stepped away for a year to participate in the National Inquiry on Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and girls and two spirited people. As an academic I taught Criminal law, Aboriginal law and coached our moot team. I also designed courses on mental health for lawyers and an intern program on Indigenous community issues. I lectured widely on Indigenous issues, traditional legal practices and mental health in law.
In 2019 I moved to the Indigenous (formerly Native) Law Centre has been in place for nearly 50 years acting as the conduit to provide Indigenous people access to legal education to publish works on Aboriginal law and to research the spaces between Canadian and Indigenous legal practices.
EDUCATION
1995
Master's Degree
1994
Bachelor's Degree
HARVARD LAW SCHOOL
Harvard Law School, LL.M.
UNIVERSITY of SASKARTCHEWAN
College of Law LL.B.
Executive Education
MODULES
-
National Screen Institute ABDocs student producer 2016
-
Banff Centre, Indigenous Leadership 2016, Leading by Design 2017
-
Banff Centre, Leadership Foundations of Purpose 2019
COLLABORATORS
SKILLS
Design
Indigenizaton
Visioning
Community Engagement
Public Speaking
Facilitation
EXPERTISE
Ethics
What is your ethnic, religious and corporate culture and where can we help you reach out to grow? How can we create with you an ethical space within and throughout your work, community and home?
Law
I was heavily influenced by the older people around me. I would quietly sit in corners, at tables and on stair wells to absorb the stories of the adults in my life. Those stories of life and lessons and connections fascinated me.
Design
What is your Project? Let’s find your design team and together build a team, a conversation, an organization, program or space to ensure your work influences the world in the way you dream it will.