Born in Edmonton on August 21, 1938, Lionel Locksley Jones was an inspiring lawyer and judge who broke many barriers throughout his career. Called to the Bar in 1964, Jones was the second Black person and the first Black man admitted to the Law Society of Alberta. He worked as a legislative draftsman, a crown prosecutor in the Office of the Attorney General of Alberta, and as senior crown counsel in the Department of Justice. In 1977, Jones was appointed to the Alberta bench, becoming the first Canadian-born Black judge. He went on to become a Justice of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta in 1995, where he served until his retirement in 2001. Jones passed away in 2016. His legacy continues to be an inspiration for Black lawyers and judges, aided by the University of Alberta’s Lionel Jones Memorial Endowment in law, initiated in 2021, which will support students who are Black, Indigenous, or Persons of Colour.
