Co-Authored LinkedIn Article with (re)Purpose Law

Lawyers need to prepare for a rapidly changing world - but how?

We are standing at the precipice of a new world.

All around us are stark signs and reminders of the extreme impacts our economic system is having on our planet, and our own health as a species. Climate change-induced extreme weather events are exponentially increasing in frequency, microplastics are being found in women’s breast milk, and the collapse of life-supporting ecosystems is happening at rates never seen before. This is just a few of the dozens of disruptions within the life systems of our planet.

So many of us who care deeply are trying to find solutions to these multiple ecological crises and are asking - where do we start?

The first place that we need to start is how we are thinking about the problem. The mindset that has driven us into this crisis cannot single-handedly remedy it.

How we are responding to the crisis is a part of the crisis. We desperately need to redefine our relationship to our planet and look beyond what we know and how we think into new ways of orienting ourselves, conceptualising ideas and solving problems.

Moving from mindset into worldview

A startling statistic is that 80% of the world’s remaining biodiversity is stewarded by 5% of the world’s people - Indigenous people, Original People. Understanding and beginning to learn from their ways of thinking, knowing and being is our best bet at turning the tide on the ecological collapse we are in. It is a necessary imperative to reconnect with our own abilities to relate with Earth in a way that cares for and respects life, not destroys it and takes it for granted. We have a lot to learn with them. We need to begin to imagine a world that is stewarded and taken care of by us as well.

Cue the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing, coined by highly respected Mi’kmaw First Nations Elder, Albert Marshall.

Also referred to by the Mi’kmaw word – Etuaptmumk – Two-Eyed Seeing is described as the process of: “Learning to see from one eye with the strengths of Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing, and from the other eye with the strengths of Western knowledges and ways of knowing, and learning to use both these eyes together, for the benefit of all”. If we’re not using two eyes, we are half blind, and right now, the majority of us in the WEIRD world are only seeing with one eye.

The premise behind Two-Eyed Seeing is that we should bring our (humanity’s) different systems of knowledge and understanding together, find common ground, and use this combined thinking to find solutions to the current ecological crisis; which at this point in time is partially a crisis of imagination.

Two-Eyed Seeing was first developed to bridge the gap between Indigenous wisdom and Western science, and solve complex challenges using the strengths of both perspectives. It is already being applied as a guiding principle to various fields and disciplines from education to public health, and as a research tool in anthropological studies.

And now, thanks to (re)purpose law's unique course, it is also being used in a legal context and specifically to help lawyers engage with the fundamental social, economic and ecological crises of our time that overlap in an interconnected web.

Why lawyers?

As lawyers, we have an important role in shaping society. We help create and interpret laws, we facilitate economic and business activities, and we mould societal values and norms. Our work is the cornerstone of our political, social, and economic systems. Law is the coding tool of the economic system and how it functions.

Many of us know that our systems have to change. For us to contribute to that change, we need to change first. We need to expand our ways of thinking, conceptualising and problem-solving. Only in this way will we be able to come up with truly innovative and authentic solutions to the current crisis.

What is (re)purpose law?

(Re)purpose law offers a personal development journey that integrates intersectional and cross-cultural approaches of thought, Indigenous worldview and principles (supported and vetted by our advisors and Indigenous elders) with Western scientific methods and ways of thinking.

It helps absolvents understand the science of the ecological crisis, including climate change and biodiversity loss, and redefine their role as lawyers to create a more balanced, equitable, and just world for people and planet. In this way, (re)purpose law is here to guide us to redefine our identity and purpose as lawyers and, more so, as human beings of Earth. In addition, (re)purpose law assists in expanding lawyers' understanding of the world and in finding solutions that benefit all the diverse species and communities, including the business community.

Participants will explore a variety of topics; from reassessing the current state of Earth and our global economy and understanding how man-made laws are misaligned with natural laws, to exploring Indigenous and Western worldviews on identity, belonging, and boundaries.

(Re)purpose will also give you a chance to begin to learn how to apply Indigenous paradigms to Western concepts of ownership, transactions, legal personality and dispute resolution to show you that even in its current form, Western law could be used to drive positive change for our planet. It is the way we use it that matters.

Crucially, the course aims to equip lawyers with the tools to adapt and re-purpose our legal systems to heal our relationship with the natural world and each other. You can find more information in the course syllabus here.

(Re)purpose law is now accepting registrations for our 2024 cohorts all the way until July. We also offer bespoke courses for law firms and organisations. Click here for further details, or contact our founders, Zaneta Sedilekova and Ryan (Ra) James directly here on LinkedIn.

Authors: Zaneta Sedilekova, Ryan (Ra) James and Virginia Zarin