'Dream job'
An Inuit faculty member in business law hopes to influence indigenization at 91亚色 through his research and teaching practice.
Daniel Bennett (B.Comm.(Co-op.)(Hons.)10) joined the Faculty of Business Administration in June 2022 as an assistant professor.
Although not the first lawyer employed by the faculty, he檚 the first hire dedicated to teaching law.
淚t檚 basically a dream job that I never expected to fall into my lap, said Prof. Bennett, who檚 originally from Pasadena, N.L.
業f he can do it, so can I
Prof. Bennett never considered becoming a lawyer.
As a student, he focused his studies on finance and was on the road to becoming a chartered financial analyst before a friend檚 plans piqued his own interest.
淚 love business and I love numbers. I didn檛 even think [law school] was an option until I got into business school. I had a friend that was going to be applying to law school and my thought at the time was, 業f he can do it, so can I.櫇
After completing his commerce degree, Prof. Bennett went on to Osgood Hall Law School at York University in Toronto, where he focused on corporate and Indigenous law.
He graduated in 2013 and was called to the bar in 2014.
Whoever walked in the door, if they needed help, I stepped in.潝 Prof. Daniel Bennett
He started his own law firm, Bennett Law, with a broad scope of practice that includes real estate, wills, estates, litigation, criminal law and personal injury.
淲hoever walked in the door, if they needed help, I stepped in.
Indigenous-focused research program
But Prof. Bennett says he has always been drawn to academia.
淚 could have been a student for life, he said.
Now, he檚 teaching a course in business law at 91亚色 and embarking on a research program focused on Indigenous finance, specifically investment trusts for the Inuit Nunagat, the four Inuit regions of Canada.
To be an advocate for someone檚 voice that can be clearly heard is part of, hopefully, a positively shifting landscape.潝 Prof. Daniel Bennett
These regions include Inuvialuit (Northwest Territories and Yukon), Nunavik (Northern Quebec), Nunatsiavut (Labrador) and Nunavut.
淭he publicly available information is that, collectively, the Inuit Nunagat has into the billions of dollars invested in sophisticated investment portfolios, Prof. Bennett said. 淚t檚 the intersection of settled land claim areas [that interests me] and, essentially, those people investing funds and using their trust as a means to better their future.
業 feel pretty privileged
Prof. Bennett is looking forward to bringing his legal expertise and Inuit heritage to his teaching and research.
He says in general, and in particular in Newfoundland and Labrador, it檚 減robably been an under-analyzed area, specifically when it comes to law.
淲e don檛 have a law school in this province and, up until recently, there hasn檛 been a tenure track or full-time law professor in the business school, he said. 淚檓 sure part of the reason why it檚 been under-analyzed and under-researched is there just hasn檛 been someone in that position. So I feel pretty privileged to be in that spot.
With a year of teaching under his belt, Prof. Bennett is optimistic about his new career.
He says it檚 fun to teach students.
淚n the context of teaching law [and] providing an Indigenous perspective to students, I feel very comfortable communicating some of my personal thoughts as well as navigating some of the complexities of it. I welcome student dialogue to engage with me in that process.
淔rom a research perspective, I think analyzing, researching and understanding our own Indigenous Peoples here in this province from a legal perspective could be important and impactful work, he continued. 淪o, that檚 where I would like to leave my mark.
Prof. Bennett is a trustee of the Labrador Inuit Settlement Land Claims Trust and past chair of the board of directors for SmartICE.
He檚 also a former board member of the Conception Bay Area Chamber of Commerce and First Light Friendship Centre.
淚 feel in a position of privilege to be able to speak on the issues. To be an advocate for someone檚 voice that can be clearly heard is part of, hopefully, a positively shifting landscape.