UNews - Julian Spearchief-Morris

Associate attorney Julian SpearChief-Morris named 2020 ULAA Young Alumnus of the Year

trevor.kenney — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 19:14:00 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Alumni Association (ULAA) is thrilled to honour Julian SpearChief-Morris (BA ‘13) with the 2020 Young Alumnus of the Year award.

“So early into his career, Julian has made incredible strides towards building more equitable and just communities,” says Jason Elliott, president of the ULAA. “Julian’s impact stretches far beyond the reaches of southern Alberta, and he always makes a point to connect with his roots here. We’re so honoured to celebrate Julian and we can’t wait to see what’s next for him.”

Young Alumnus of the Year — Julian SpearChief-Morris

Throughout his burgeoning career, Julian SpearChief-Morris (BA ‘13) has demonstrated the heights a sharp mind and strong work ethic can achieve. An associate attorney with the law firm Jenner & Block in Washington, D.C., SpearChief-Morris represents businesses, tribal governments and individuals navigating complex and interconnected legal, political and policy challenges. His work includes involvement in all aspects of litigation on matters ranging from corporate finance to human rights law, as well as providing strategic advice on government relations and policy issues. Most recently, his efforts have been focused on helping clients navigate the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

During his time as a uLethbridge student, SpearChief-Morris was a standout on the Pronghorns Men’s Basketball Team as well as an accomplished student. Upon graduation, he had demonstrated academic excellence that saw him achieve the highest cumulative GPA of his program’s graduating class, earning him the Urban and Regional Studies prize. His dedication to ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ continued, and in 2015 he was accepted to Harvard Law School. In his second year at Harvard, SpearChief-Morris became the first-ever Indigenous President of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, a highly selective honour society that helps low-income clients on legal matters such as eviction defense, domestic violence and employment discrimination cases. In his time as president, SpearChief-Morris pushed the organization to redefine its mission and see itself as an engine of social change in the greater Boston community. Ultimately, SpearChief-Morris logged over 1,200 hours of pro bono work as a law student, managing the bureau, representing low-income individuals in court, and attending community meetings throughout the greater Boston area.

Born and raised in Lethbridge, SpearChief-Morris pursued a career in law with the hope of being able to work on behalf of his community, and others like it, to make them stronger, more sustainable and more inclusive. He now uses his education to advocate for important change around the globe. Additionally, SpearChief-Morris has mentored students in southern Alberta who also aspire to make a positive difference in their communities, connecting them with resources to aid them on their journeys. For SpearChief-Morris, it is important to use his voice and platform to help others as they work to build a brighter future. Already a leader in the early stages of his career, his work has set the stage for a lifetime of positive change.

NOTE: SpearChief-Morris is one of the panel members for the Pronghorn Athletics BIPOC Speaker Series event Wednesday, Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.

SpearChief-Morris embracing opportunity to affect change

trevor.kenney — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 18:59:46 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge alumnus Julian SpearChief-Morris (BA’13) said he was headed for law school in a 2012 video feature he shot while a member of the Pronghorns men’s basketball team.

“After I finish at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge I hope to travel for a couple of years and hopefully go into law school,” he said at the time, almost matter-of-factly.

Julian SpearChief-Morris garnered plenty of attention for his on-court talents, while he was just as adept in the classroom.

Little did we know that the distinguished graduate of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s urban and regional studies program would set his sights on the pre-eminent law school in North America – Harvard. Now in his second year at the venerable institution, SpearChief-Morris has made history as the first Indigenous student president of the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau. The organization has been in existence for 104 years.

“It’s an incredible honour. I think it’s great whenever you see First Nations and other Indigenous people in higher education and in positions like this,” says SpearChief-Morris. “Being at Harvard is an incredible experience. It’s a big school and the campus is very impressive but overwhelmingly it’s a humbling experience. I think that’s what I’ll take away most from this, being surrounded by the most brilliant people in the world and constantly having to hold yourself up next to those people gives you some great perspective.”

The son of an African-American father from Los Angeles and Aboriginal mother (Wilma Spear Chief (BASc ’77)) from the southern Alberta Blood Tribe, SpearChief-Morris grew up in a unique household that groomed unique talents. A gifted athlete, he was a star in the Southern Alberta High School Basketball League and, after graduating from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, was recruited by national powerhouse ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria.

While he was universally respected for his ability to run a fast break and hit a three-point shot, there was a depth to SpearChief-Morris that went far beyond the hardcourt. It was apparent early on that the student aspect of student-athlete would always remain first and the sport would help facilitate much larger goals.

“That was a vision that Jules always had in his life. Basketball was great and basketball was another place for Julian to excel but he was never a hoop dreamer, he was a person who had a very clear vision and focus about what he wanted to do with his life,” says Dave Adams, current coach of the Pronghorns women’s basketball team and former coach of the men’s program that lured SpearChief-Morris back to Lethbridge in 2009.

Adams knew him well, having watched him grow up alongside his own daughter when both were enrolled at Montessori School as toddlers. The U of L lost SpearChief-Morris to Victoria out of high school but he says he was an awkward fit there, and after two years, with Adams now at the helm of the Horns, he returned.

“Think about the fortitude and the vision he had to leave a very successful program in Victoria and come to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge, which hadn’t made the playoffs in seven or eight years,” says Adams, who notes SpearChief-Morris then had to sit out the 2009-2010 season because of transfer regulations. “For him to do that speaks a lot to the character of the person and to who Julian is.”

Back on the floor for the 2010-11 season, SpearChief-Morris played just eight games before suffering a season-ending knee injury. He endured a full 10 months of rehabilitation before he finally returned to the starting lineup the next fall. His first year back, he managed to play only 15 minutes per game as he regained strength and confidence in his surgically-repaired knee. It wasn’t until 2012-13, his final year of eligibility, that the Pronghorns saw a completely healthy SpearChief-Morris and he responded averaging 15.1 points per game, second in both team scoring and rebounds.

“I believe that all the adversity that was put in front of Julian to play and to be the successful player that he was, he channeled into other aspects of his life,” says Adams. “He always surrounded himself with excellence and it gave him tools to put in his toolbox for success in life.”

All the while, SpearChief-Morris threw himself into his studies and he prospered in a new environment.

“I had such a good experience at the U of L, the small class sizes were something I really appreciated,” he says. “I had the opportunity to meet and get to know so many of my professors, many I still keep in contact with today.”

One of those professors was Dr. Ivan Townshend, coordinator of the Urban and Regional Studies program in the Department of Geography. He paints a picture of a student who saw his studies as a way to facilitate a meaningful impact on society.

“One of the reasons he stood out was you could tell he had a real social conscience and a sincere willingness to help the disadvantaged,” says Townshend. “And it wasn’t so it would just look good on his resumé, he was intent on making a real difference.”

SpearChief-Morris worked for Townshend as a research assistant for a year and clearly was at the top of his class.

“From the point of view of the urban and regional studies students I’ve seen over the last 25 years, he’s certainly one of the top 1 to 2 per cent,” he says. “He was an exceptional student, mature beyond his years. He was very unique in that he was intellectually inquisitive and an exceptionally good researcher who really grasped the material on a deep level.”

SpearChief-Morris feels strongly connected to his family and his roots. He has never wavered in his desire to better the outlook for the Aboriginal community in southern Alberta.

SpearChief-Morris is keen on bringing his knowledge and experience back to southern Alberta and doing what he can to better the fortunes of the disadvantaged.

“I grew up in a household where it was an expectation that we’d attend some form of higher education and I was lucky to have had two parents who were there, who cared, who supported me, and who believed in me. That’s not something that a lot of Aboriginal kids have the privilege of and that privilege is not lost on me. I feel very fortunate to have had that upbringing and that’s part of the reason why I do what I do – to give back,” says SpearChief-Morris.

Upon graduating from the U of L, SpearChief-Morris spent a year as an educational assistant and guidance counsellor who specifically worked with Aboriginal children.

“That was a great experience. I saw a lot of success stories but I also felt frustrated a lot of the time because I always felt I was dealing with symptoms of a greater issue that I really didn’t have the power to address in that role,” he says. “That’s when I cemented my decision to go to law school.”

He admits he never expected to end up at Harvard but after excelling on his LSAT exam, it opened the door for him to apply. At the tail end of his first year in Boston, he was eligible to apply to one of the three historic honour societies at Harvard Law School and earned acceptance into the Harvard Legal Aid Bureau, the oldest student-run law firm in the United States.

Thanks to a specific statute in the State of Massachusetts, the bureau is allowed to practice as students in court under the supervision of instructors but as lead attorneys and attorneys of record.

“We provide pro bono legal aid to folks in the greater Boston area who couldn’t otherwise afford those services,” says SpearChief-Morris. “The Bureau is a remarkable organization. When we take on a client, we take on responsibility for the most important thing in that client’s life, and I think that forces our students to grow up a lot. You have to answer that phone call and that email, even if it’s on Christmas morning, you have to be on time, you have to be present and you have to take it seriously because it’s real.”

He will graduate in May 2018 and in the meantime, he’ll spend his second consecutive summer working for a law firm in Washington, D.C. as part of the Native American Practice Group. They represent Native American tribes in complex litigation matters, and act as government relations and economic development consultants.

And while the big cities are honing his legal skills today, a return to his hometown is the ultimate goal – continuing the work and fulfilling the promise he began years ago.

“As a second-year student I don’t have it all figured out yet but I’ve really enjoyed the work I’ve been doing in the summer and I’d like to do that moving forward, at least in the short term,” he says. “Long term, my goal has always been to go back to southern Alberta and put the experience I hope to have gained along the way to use back home.”

Horns men's basketball in Calgary tourney

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 16:14:14 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge Pronghorns men's basketball team is getting an early start on the 2010-11 school year with a matchup versus an NCAA opponent at the Battle of the Border tournament in Calgary this week.

The Horns will face the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks of the NCAA's Big Sky Conference Wednesday, Aug. 11 and Sunday, Aug. 15 at the Jack Simpson Gymnasium at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary.

Wednesday night's game tips at 7 p.m. with Sunday's affair set for 10 a.m.

The entire Pronghorns squad is not available for the two pre-season games, with newcomers Abner Kamps and Niko Kovacs unavailable due to previous commitments. However, Julian Spearchief-Morris and Zack Humphrey will both make their Pronghorn debuts, joining eight returning players.

Northern Arizona is the third Big Sky School to make the trip to Calgary for the tournament after Weber State attended in 2007 and Montana in 2008.

The Lumberjacks, based in Flagstaff, Ariz., went 14-14 overall (8-8 Big Sky) in 2009-10, falling in the opening round of the Big Sky Tournament. Led by two-time All-Big Sky guard Cameron Jones, the team returns four starters in 2010-11 under head coach Mike Adras.

The Horns are gearing up for the 2010-11 Canada West season, which begins October 22-23 when the club hosts the Trinity Western Spartans.

UNews - Julian Spearchief-Morris

Associate attorney Julian SpearChief-Morris named 2020 ULAA Young Alumnus of the Year

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SpearChief-Morris embracing opportunity to affect change

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