Andrew Cisna

 Andrew is a second year student at the faculty of law,  with a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Alberta, double majoring in Political Science and Philosophy. As a journeyman scaffolder with a background in industrial construction, he takes a skill based approach and is particularly interested in the way in which technology impacts how the legal profession operates. During his first year of law Andrew was part of the Golden Bearristers rugby team and volunteered with the Student Legal Services Criminal Project. Andrew designed and operates the DLIS website, which is an evolving work in progress, so is always keen to hear feedback and suggestions. He’s social, friendly, and is always down to talk with others. Andrew’s interests include almost anything nerdy/geeky, movies, board games, and spending time with his small dog Axle.

   Hero currently serves as the Chair of Volunteer Alberta and the founding President of the Digital Law & Innovation Society. They are a proud Student-at-Law at the Wahkohtowin Law and Governance Lodge. They are a serial social entrepreneur and inveterate collaborator – a co-founder of Connect the Sector, a start-up staff member of the Ontario Nonprofit Network (ONN), and co-founder of the River Valley Free School, a skills sharing community in Edmonton, on Treaty 6 territory, where they live. Hero completed a law degree in 2022 at the University of Alberta. They rock climb, meditate, art and cuddle with family to stay sane. 

Pronouns: Any 

*this means you can’t go wrong : ) 

Justin is the Vice President and Treasurer of the Digital Law & Innovation Society. He is the proud father of two young children and a former construction tradesman. A philosophy major from Grant Macewan University, he is an avid reader of popular science, politics, and history. His interest in the legal field focuses on criminal justice - particularly how technology may be used to commit and prevent crimes, as well as the use of AI to reform and streamline the way lawyers and courts operate. 

“The fascinating thing about the space we occupy in law school is our potential to effect change. We can and will influence politics, legislation, enforcement, and human rights, among other things. If we can leverage expertise and technology to change the way the law works, can we not affect all of these at once? DLIS is positioned on the intersection of law and technology at a critical point in time."

 Karyna is currently a third-year law student at the University of Alberta Law School. As an executive member of the Digital Law and Innovation Society, Karyna continuously strives to learn more about and integrate law and technology. After her graduation, she will be articling with the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta and Duncan Craig LLP. Due to Karyna's long-standing relationship with the Edmonton Community Legal Centre (ECLC), she is a very strong proponent for developing and integrating technological solutions within the legal system to improve access to justice. Additionally, as a recent Ukrainian immigrant, Karyna aims to bring her unique perspective into the field of digital law with the hope of building a legally accessible world for everyone. Outside of Law School, her free time is occupied by a fluffy, mischievous, corgi named Mishka. 

  Entering his first year of Law at the University of Alberta, Nicholas achieved a BA in Political Science and History, convocating in 2018 with distinction. A computer hardware enthusiast and science geek, Nicholas is interested in the societal impacts of emergent technologies such as deep-learning and artificial intelligence, and to what extent these technologies could be used to increase the accessibility of legal services. Using the Stanford Folding@Home distributed computing network, Nicholas donates spare computing power to the modeling and study of COVID-19 proteins in the hopes of contributing to the development of effective treatments, and encourages those with capable computers to consider joining the network themselves.

 Raj is currently the Vice President, External of the Digital Law & Innovation Society. Prior to law school, he had a career with the Government of Canada, writing speeches and following the happenings on Parliament Hill. A graduate of Carleton University’s Criminology program, Raj has worked as a junior hockey referee and a number of other positions in the local sports community.  He is interested in exploring how technological evolution will change the practice of law – not just in terms of how lawyers practice law, but the kinds of clients they will represent.  He enjoys playing video games and sneaking in the occasional afternoon nap.