Finding the Words: Catherine Norris on Legal Writing and Confidence

Catherine Norris spent more than two decades working in Alberta’s child and family services system, including senior leadership roles focused on policy and collaboration with First Nations and Métis organizations, before completing the Graduate Diploma in Foundations of Canadian Law. She is now pursuing the Professional LLM in Administrative Law. Today, she serves as a decision-maker for inmates in federal structured intervention units, reviewing documentation and interviews before rendering legally binding decisions.

The transition into administrative decision-making first motivated her to pursue formal legal education. “I was thrown into it,” she says of her early days in the role. “I had to make my way through it myself, working through old law books to understand the material.” Many decision-makers in similar roles nationally are lawyers, and Catherine wanted to contribute to those discussions with the same level of legal understanding. She initially applied to the Administrative Law LLM and wasn’t accepted; an education consultant suggested the Graduate Diploma in Foundations of Canadian Law as a starting point instead.

Catherine credits the Graduate Diploma with reshaping how she approaches legal writing and analysis, particularly through its foundational writing courses taught by Professor Kierstead. Coming from a career rooted in policy and organizational leadership, she found the program gave her a stronger foundation in legal reasoning, including how to engage with citations, build arguments, and support conclusions. “I used to rely heavily on quotes, without much real critical thinking,” she says. “The program taught me how to bring my own analysis into my writing.” She now approaches decisions by identifying the issue, outlining the relevant policy, and building toward a clear, well-supported conclusion – a structure she applies in her work today.

Catherine’s work with First Nations communities during her time in child welfare has also shaped her current role. When she noticed that few of her colleagues’ decisions meaningfully considered Indigenous social history, she organized training through the Indigenous Initiatives department, including sessions with Elders, so that she and her colleagues could continue learning from those who hold that knowledge. “I’m careful not to speak on behalf of First Nations people,” she says. “That’s one of the most important lessons I’ve taken from this work.”

Catherine is candid about the value of the Graduate Diploma, particularly for experienced professionals who may assume they need a full LLM to benefit from graduate legal study. “What matters is the experience of the diploma itself, not the letters after your name,” she says. “I wouldn’t have been able to write papers with that level of depth and analysis without going through it first.” She hopes her story encourages others considering graduate legal education to recognize the Graduate Diploma as a rigorous credential in its own right, with its own value and impact.

Looking at the broader landscape, Catherine points to a growing push toward plain-language writing across courts and administrative tribunals, an effort she has embraced in her own decisions. She also supports her colleagues in developing those skills, having organized writing seminars to help her team strengthen their approach. Her commitment to clarity allows her to produce decisions that are legally grounded, thoughtfully analyzed, and accessible to the people who rely on them.

Catherine Norris – Independent External Decision Maker, Public Safety Canada Security, Graduate of OsgoodePD’s Graduate Diploma in Foundations of Canadian Law (2025)