OSUJI & SMITH PLACE – OSUJI & SMITH LAWYERS CALGARY

“Give me a place to stand, and I will move the earth” – Archimedes.

Some years back when I was looking for an articling position as a student lawyer, I sent out my resume to many firms. I never got a call back. I didn’t have many people vouching for me. My last name was not familiar. I was new to the country. Then, I landed my one and only interview with my former Principal, Mr. Smith. One shot. I took it, and got my foot in the door, and eventually bought out the firm less than 3 years later. Since then, I’ve learned that representation is important, but more important is the need to build more table (s).

Osuji & Smith PLace — **Osuji & Smith Place – Osuji & Smith Calgary Lawyers**

Few weeks ago, my staff and I celebrated the 5th anniversary of Osuji & Smith. 5 years ago, I bought the firm with just 7 staff members. Now, we are more than 24 and growing. Back then, little did I know that we would grow so fast to become one of the largest solely black-owned/BIPOC law firms in Canada. Not to mention over 40 local and national awards. All in 5 y

ears. Grit. Consistency. Focus. Good name. Hard work. Strong support. Preparation.

My previous location could no longer take on the growth, especially my need to give back and give more people an opportunity to succeed – especially folks that look like me. So, I built a second table, a second location: a brand new, stand alone modern building located at 1109 Edmonton Trail, 3 minutes from downtown Calgary, which we proudly call ours. Osuji & Smith Place. www.osujismith.ca.

Thank you to my past and present staff who tolerated me for using up every space available in the old location to give others (volunteers, students, interns, etc) the opportunity that took a long time to come to me, and to many other new comers. And to my tribe of supporters across the country and beyond, thank you. In this space, we will be running The Foot in the Door Program, which would give up to 50 internationally trained lawyers, per year, a volunteer experience and an opportunity to understand how the legal system works. This would give them a “place to stand”, and a competitive edge as they pursue their career goals. Sometimes, that’s just what we need: a foot in the door.

When the doors swing open for you, keep them open for others. At the end of this journey, success will be determined by how many folks walked through that door.

We are just getting started. Everything is possible. I look forward to my friend and brother, Kelechi (Kaycee) Madu, KC the Honourable Minister of Labour & Immigration for Alberta, cutting the ribbons in a few weeks.

Amanda Ovaici Amanda Jacinto Lucy Diale Mewanu-Mensah Justin Kwon Evan Oikawa Tanaaz Padania Ayendrila Sharma Chukwuemeka Ibezim Dimiri Sarah Tani Juliette Omonigho Lydia Iboko Daniel Hermann Flora Baccari Claire Roberts Phareke Frazer Ramandeep Kaur Sidhu Osuji & Smith Lawyers David Miksha Ashley Adrian-Sauvé
Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council

Osuji & Smith Place – Osuji & Smith Calgary Lawyers

OSUJI & SMITH PLACE – OSUJI & SMITH LAWYERS CALGARY