Katie Hunter, Law’15, may have just graduated in June, but she has already won an award for demonstrating similar qualities to Professor Nick Bala, Law’77. On Oct 23, she received the Nicholas Bala Award for Excellence in Children & Family Law from the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts, Ontario (AFCC-O), recognizing her interdisciplinary achievements in law and social work.

Hunter is “moved and very honoured” to receive an award named for her mentor, whose interdisciplinary research has significantly developed knowledge on how legislation and the justice system affect families and children. “Professor Bala’s belief in the importance of fostering children’s empowerment and their right to have a voice in the systems in which they are involved has inspired me,” she says. “He taught me a great deal about how to conduct research in this field, and how to translate kindness and generosity not just into interpersonal relationships but also into research and legal practice.”

While at Queen’s, Hunter co-authored a report on crossover youth – young people who are involved in both the child welfare and criminal justice systems – with Bala and fellow Law ’15 classmate Rebecca De Fillipis. The findings of this report, which was commissioned by the AFCC-O and presented at the October 2014 AFCC-O conference, were published in the Canadian Criminal Law Review. Hunter also participated in the 2014 Walsh Family Law Moot, worked at the Ontario Office of the Children’s Lawyer in the summer of 2014 and is now articling with Williams Family Lawyers in Unionville, Ont.

Prior to her legal studies, she completed a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Toronto, where she researched the effect of childhood abuse on adult health outcomes with Professor Esme Fuller-Thomson. This experience continues to inform her interdisciplinary perspective to her work today.

What Hunter finds most rewarding about work in family law is the opportunity to assist others. “Family lawyers have the opportunity to collaborate with and guide their clients through the process in a way that ideally has the best outcome for everyone involved.”

Bala himself was happy to learn of his former student’s award win. “With her background in social work, her summer research work on cross-over kids and her great commitment to family law,” he says, “Katie Hunter is a most worthy recipient of this award.”