**3. Results**

#### *3.1. Justice*

My path to reconciliation will be explored first through the active pursuit of justice. First, I recognize and explain the importance of ethnocentrism; this is a prerequisite to the following overview of Indigenous law and Indigenous sovereignty and is required for achieving justice.

For me, the study and advancement of justice has always started as an internal process. As a lawyer, this is my passion and was the starting point of my journey. First, recognizing and deeply questioning our own ethnocentrism on a continuing basis is required. For

example, I continuously reconsider my preference for a materialistic lifestyle, an urban living environment, and a Eurocentric educational system. Second, it is necessary to consider the many sides of issues and recognizing that majority opinions on issues may not be the same as 'justice.' For example, my practice in law taught me that when receiving a court's ultimate decision, people involved in court disputes rarely believe they have achieved justice. Criminal and civil legal disputes are premised on deep disagreements between parties that engender the expense of lawyers, the goal of legal redemption in court, and generally inflexible 'win-win' strategies. This legal mindset prevents compromise, restitution, or restoration of relationships [4]. After years in court, even favorable decisions are mired in delay and cost, and does not leave any participants feeling particularly victorious. For this reason, I reconsidered my career of justice, leaving 18 years of practicing law, and moved into academia in 2005. Free of the constraints of a Eurocentric court system determining 'justice', in academia I could write about, study, and explore justice.
