As an organization, LESA depends greatly on the support of its volunteers. Recently, we spoke with Dr. Anna Lund, Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta Faculty of Law , about her career, her research in insolvency law, and her volunteer work with LESA.
Dr. Lund’s interest in law began when she was awarded a Roger S. Smith Undergraduate Researcher Award during her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science at the University of Alberta to study the experiences of children in war zones. She came to see law as, “a very practical solution to significant social problems.” She became interested in insolvency law while pursuing her law degree at the University of Alberta. After graduation and a clerkship at the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, she worked in private practice during the Global Financial Crisis which meant there were significant opportunities for her to pursue her interest in insolvency law. Dr. Lund then went on to complete her Master of Laws at the University of California, Berkeley and her PhD at the University of British Columbia.
During her undergraduate degree, Dr. Lund was influenced by professors who created dynamic, academically stimulating learning environments. Now, as a professor herself, the most rewarding part for Dr. Lund is engaging with students.
Law is such a flexible tool, seeing the sorts of ways people can use it is exciting.”
She enjoys when students ask questions or come up with issues that help her to think more deeply about a subject area. Dr. Lund currently holds a research fellowship, funded by the Alberta Gambling Research Institute, to study disordered gambling and bankruptcy. This research examines the experiences of individuals, who make use of insolvency proceedings to address gambling-related debt, and asks what changes could be made to better support them.
Apart from her research and teaching, Dr. Lund finds many opportunities to give back through pro bono work and volunteering. Dr. Lund enjoys practicing pro bono law with the Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC) and Pro Bono Law Alberta (PBLA) in part because, “it’s nice when I’m able to take these skills I’ve learned and help people who are in difficult situations.”
Dr. Lund first became involved with LESA when she and Pat Paradis co-chaired “The Constitution in the Insolvency Tool Box” seminar this past spring. She is also currently working on LESA’s Collections Fundamentals publication. One of the aspects she really enjoyed about taking part in the LESA seminar was that, “it was a really neat opportunity to bring practitioners and academics together to talk about some underexplored aspects of insolvency law.”
It is through the support of volunteers like Dr. Lund that LESA is able to provide a diverse array of programs to serve the educational and professional development needs of Alberta’s legal community.
Thank you for your continued dedication.
