Nigerian academic Gideon Christian to receive 2026 Distinguished Service Award in Alberta, Canada

When the Canadian Bar Association (Alberta Branch) and the Law Society of Alberta gather next February to celebrate excellence in their legal profession and the service given by “the best and brightest”, Nigerian lawyer and academic Professor Gideon Christian will be one of five lawyers honoured onstage, accepting a prestigious Distinguished Service Award for his Service to Legal Scholarship. 

Raised in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna, and a law graduate of the University of Lagos, Gideon moved to Canada to undertake an LLM at the University of Ottawa, specialising in law and technology. He is now an Associate Professor and University Excellence Research Chair in AI and Law at the Faculty of Law, University of Calgary.

Yesterday, the Law Society of Alberta and Canadian Bar Association (Alberta Branch) jointly announced that Gideon was one of five lawyers in the province who would be honoured as part of the 33rd year of the Distinguished Service Awards, which “shine a light” on outstanding contributions among the local profession:

• Service to the Profession: The Honourable Peter Martin, K.C.

• Service to the Community: Diana Lowe, K.C.

• Service to Legal Scholarship: Professor Gideon Christian

• Pro Bono Legal Service: K. Scott Hadford

• Service in Promoting Equity, Diversity & Inclusion in the Legal Profession: Khatera Haidery

Gideon, who joined the University of Calgary in 2019 and is very passionate about legal scholarship - he published three legal texts while a student at the University of Lagos and the Nigerian School of Law - shared that he was “delighted” to be named one of the recipients of the Distinguished Service Awards, “My sincere thanks to the Law Society of Alberta and Canadian Bar Association - Alberta Branch,” he said. “I am equally grateful to my former student who nominated me for this honour.”

Gideon’s research interests are in artificial intelligence and law, and legal impacts of new and emerging technologies, among other areas. His current research seeks to develop the concept of algorithmic racism, which is defined as race-based bias arising from the use of AI-powered tools in decision-making, resulting in unfair outcomes to individuals from a particular segment of society characterised by race.

Earlier this year, Gideon also received the Trailblazer in Technology Award at the ITL Impact Awards Night. Last year, he was named by the Calgary Herald as one of the Top 20 Compelling Calgarians. Gideon also received an Alberta Newcomer Recognition Award in 2023, and the Howard Tidswell Memorial Award for Teaching Excellence in 2022, among several other accolades since moving to Canada. 

“Research skill is very vital to succeed in academia,” he told Africa Legal during the pandemic. “As a law student, I impressed it upon myself to develop this skill. By the time I was graduating from the University of Lagos, I had already published two books on the law of commercial transactions and company law and published my third book while at the Nigerian Law School. The research skill I developed as a law undergrad has been instrumental to my success in academia,”

Before joining the University of Calgary faculty, Gideon worked as Legal Counsel with the National Litigation Sector at the federal Department of Justice, deploying technology in high-profile litigation involving the Government of Canada. 

He is also currently a director with the boards of the Canadian Legal Information Institute (CanLII) and Lexum.