Canadian Lawyer

December 2021

The most widely read magazine for Canadian lawyers

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For law students who are unsure what direction they want to take, these two careers can point to one important lesson. www.canadianlawyermag.com 1 EDITOR'S DESK UPFRONT www.canadianlawyermag.com EDITORIAL Editor-in-Chief Tim Wilbur Senior Editor Elizabeth Raymer Editors Zena Olijnyk, Aidan Macnab Production Editor Josh Lewis Writers Annabel Oromoni, Bernise Carolino CONTRIBUTORS John Struthers, Neill May ART & PRODUCTION Art Directors Ace Dequina, Marla Morelos Customer Success Managers Reena Quimosing, Michelle San Juan Production Co-ordinators Kat Guzman, Loiza Razon Global Production Manager Alicia Chin SALES & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT VP, Media and Client Strategy Dane Taylor Sr. Business Development Manager Steffanie Munroe Business Development Manager Lynda Fenton National Account Executive Abhiram Prabhu CORPORATE President Tim Duce Events and Conference Manager Chris Davis Chief Information Officer Colin Chan Human Resources Manager Julia Bookallil Global CEO Mike Shipley Global COO George Walmsley EDITORIAL INQUIRIES tim.wilbur@keymedia.com NAUK SUBSCRIPTIONS CO-ORDINATOR Donnabel Reyes tel: 647 374 4536 ext. 243 donnabel.reyes@keymedia.com ADVERTISING INQUIRIES legaladvertise@keymedia.com W hen students enter law school, they often have a particular image of what lawyers do. Especially for those who did not know many lawyers in their youth, courtroom TV dramas can often feed that image. But opportunities for law students are much broader than any single career path. For some, being in court is where they truly thrive. In this issue, we profiled the recently retired chief general counsel at the Department of Justice, Robert Frater, who did have such a career. The breadth of cases he worked on is stun- ning, including many of the most important decisions rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada. Most recently, he represented the government in the United United States v. Meng States v. Meng extradition case. Frater is a litigator's litigator, and his work would be the envy of most court- room-bound law students who aspire to appear in front of a judge. "When you're young, you do as many cases as you possibly can to be on your feet as often as you can," he advises aspiring litigators (p. 12). Yet, a legal career can look very different than Frater's — and be equally fulfilling. In this issue, we also spoke with lawyers working at the cutting edge of biotechnology, helping companies in the psychedelic drug space develop novel treatments for mental health (p. 4). "There's a huge need in society for alternative ways of dealing with mental illness," says Peter Rizakos, general counsel at Braxia Scientific. "Our job is to obviously do well by the shareholders, but it's got a public good element to it." Unlike Frater, Rizakos' name does not appear on reported decisions, and he is not spending his days in courtrooms in front of a judge. However, his legal training helps him navigate the complex regulatory issues that his company faces to provide innovative treatments. For law students who are unsure what direction they want to take, these two careers can point to one important lesson: A law degree is not about doing one thing. One can be on the cutting edge, serving the public in radically different ways. Law students should keep that in mind, whatever their aspirations are. Tim Wilbur, Editor-in-Chief Excelling in the courtroom and beyond ISSUE 45.10 | DECEMBER 2021 Canadian Lawyer is published 10 times a year by Key Media Canada (Law) Ltd. KEY MEDIA and the KEY MEDIA logo are trademarks of Key Media IP Limited, and used under licence by Key Media Canada (Law) Ltd. CANADIAN LAWYER is a trademark of Key Media Canada (Law) Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents may not be reprinted without written permission. The opinions expressed in articles are not necessarily those of the publisher. Information presented is compiled from sources believed to be accurate, however, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions. Canadian Lawyer disclaims any warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or currency of the contents of this publication and disclaims all liability in respect of the results of any action taken or not taken in reliance upon information in this publication. Publications Mail Agreement #41261516 ISSN 0703-2129 ©2021 GST/HST Registration #799898465RC-0001 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESS TO: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 317 Adelaide Street West, Suite 910, Toronto, ON M5V 1P9 RETOURNER TOUTE CORRESPONDANCE NE POUVANT ÉTRE LIVREÉ AU CANADA AU SERVICE DES PUBLICATIONS 317 Adelaide Street West, Suite 910, Toronto, ON M5V 1P9 Key Media Canada (Law) Ltd 317 Adelaide Street West, Suite 910 Toronto, ON M5V 1P9 tel: +1 416 644 8740 www.keymedia.com

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