Stephanie Tagalik Eccles has known she was destined to become a lawyer for most of her life.
As early as Grade 5, her future path seemed clear to her and, on Aug. 27, she was called to the bar in Nunavut at the Siniktarvik Hotel in Rankin Inlet. She officially became a lawyer.
Eccles, 26, saw a lot of things growing up that she would ask questions about. In her opinion, she observed many bystanders early in life and that was something she was determined not to be.
“As a young Inuk woman, I saw that what I said wasn't really going to matter, so I knew I had to have a basis of some sort,” said Eccles. “I have a strong sense of justice, so I guess that's why I gravitated towards law.
“I can speak Inuktitut, which I knew I would have to be able to do, and my mom really encouraged that. We mostly just spoke Inuktitut in the household.
“I've always been very community oriented and I think I'm able to advocate for my community on a different level as a lawyer now.”
Eccles has a strong interest in criminal law.
Her intent after finishing law school was always to stay at home, so the option of working as a defence lawyer in Rankin Inlet was a strong one for her.
In fact, she turned down a number of job options outside of Rankin Inlet because home is where her heart is.
Eccles said many people seem to misunderstand the role of a defence attorney as just protecting the accused. But, she added, everybody is entitled to legal representation and she's there to make sure that what they want is advocated clearly and that they understand the process.
“I think this will take me on an interesting journey to meet a lot of different people. That's not to say that, maybe, in the future, I won't switch-over to prosecution.
“But, for now, I'm so new to it, I just want to be able to use my education in the best way possible and being a defence lawyer is very fitting for me.
“I'm a very private and professional person. It doesn't matter who I represent in that they'll be represented the same. It doesn't change due to circumstance. That's one thing about law, you can't have your own personal bias of any kind.
“It's always keeping your blinders on, being able to see different sides of things and just doing your job. At the end of the day, it's a job and somebody has to do it.”
Eccles said, right now, she's focused on just getting her foot through the door. She's observed the court as a student, and now she's looking forward to observing it as a lawyer.
“Since finishing law school, I'm really focused on taking care of myself and my mental health, just because it was very stressful and hard. I had to take some time off just to, kind of, unpack it all. It was a lot. My family and friends didn't see a lot of me and, if they did see me, it wasn't for very long.
“My mood probably wasn't that great because I was always worried. For seven years straight, I would wake up and think, OK, I have a new deadline to finish something. It just didn't stop. It's something I'm very dedicated to and I had to make lots of sacrifices in order to be there.
“But, honestly, there are young people in Rankin who are watching me. They're able to look at me and say OK, she's from here, she went to school and she's a lawyer. I can do it too.
“And I know there are many who will.”
