Dentons Canada, in partnership with the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals (CAUFP), is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2021 Dentons-CAUFP Scholarship, Malik Mate, a first-year student enrolled in the Juris Doctor program at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Law.

First announced at the CAUFP No Boundaries Youth Summit in September 2021, the Dentons-CAUFP Scholarship provides a CA$5,000 renewable scholarship to a first-year law student at a Canadian law school who has an interest in business law, and has demonstrated a commitment to both the Black community and academic excellence.

Malik Mate, the 2021 recipient of the scholarship, is a passionate young leader who is highly involved in his local community, including as a volunteer youth basketball coach. An exceptional student-athlete honoured as one of the few Academic All-Canadians athletes, Malik first developed an appreciation for mentorship and community involvement during his undergraduate studies. Now pursuing his law degree, he looks to positively influence the next generation of Black students and professionals, and hopes to be a leader and representative of Canada’s Black community in the legal industry. He also aspires to enact systemic change in the legal system by developing solutions to tackle legal issues stemming from racism and poverty.

Kori Williams, partner and founding member of Dentons Canada’s Black Professionals Network, said, “The future of the legal profession will be built by ambitious young lawyers. Dentons is proud to work with CAUFP to celebrate the success and talent of Canada’s future Black legal professionals, and ultimately provide additional inroads for diverse professionals who want to join the legal profession. On behalf of Dentons, congratulations to Malik on this well-deserved achievement! We wish you success on your academic and professional journey.”

"We believe the Dentons-CAUFP scholarship will help to support the next generation of ambitious Black law professionals as they create remarkable futures for themselves and their communities. We are thankful for the support of great partners like Dentons who are co-creating solutions with us to make a long-term impact. Congratulations on being our recipient this year, Malik. Continue to climb to reach your dreams, and remember no boundaries can stop you,” said Delmar Miller, President of the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals (CAUFP)."

Dentons Canada has a strong history of leadership in inclusion, diversity and equity (ID&E) in the legal industry. Over the last 14 years, Dentons has committed over CA$160,000 to support Black law students in Canada. The Firm continually invests in mentorship and scholarship programs for young Black professionals, and supports a variety of learning and inclusion efforts as part of its Standing up against anti-Black racism strategy.

The Dentons-CAUFP Scholarship is possible thanks to the support of CAUFP, the Dentons’ Black Professionals Network and Dentons Canada’s Inclusion & Diversity Council.

To learn more about Dentons’ commitment to ID&E, visit the Inclusion, diversity and equity in Canada page.

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