Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50715
Yes, S ince late 2008, the Bowmanville, Ont., branch of the Clarington Public Library has been like a second home to Osgoode Hall Law School student Corinna Traill. Aſt er winning her spot at Osgoode, she decided to move home to her parents' house in the town east of Toronto, and make the 80-kilometre commute for class. With the law school undergoing major renovations, and its library severely shrunk, Bowmanville fi lled the gap for Traill's study space. Th e eight-year-old library building incorporates the municipal offi ces for the city of Clarington and was designed to complement the 19th century town hall next door. From Traill's preferred spot on the second fl oor, she could look up from her notes and watch the mayor and city councillors going about their business in shared space and individual offi ces behind glass walls. By October 2010, 27-year-old Traill was on the other side of the glass, having sent off three rivals with 44 per cent of the vote in the race for local councillor in Clarington's Ward 3. Th e seat became vacant when the incumbent decided to take a shot at the higher regional council. Traill hadn't thought about running until just two months before the vote, when she chatted with a few friends who were as unhappy as she was about the candidates, one of whom had parachuted in from outside Bowmanville. One friend, who is heavily involved with the Liberal party, agreed to run her campaign, although Traill has no political affi liation herself. "Th is is my community, BY MICHAEL MCKIERNAN councillor Corinna Traill is doing double duty on her town council while preparing to become counsel. I grew up here, I know the people, and I think they should have a representative that actually has that connection," says Traill. "We registered in mid-August, which is a little late, but aſt er that, we ran a tight ship." Th e next two months were a frenzy of sign-planting and hand-shaking for Traill, who couldn't escape the campaign trail entirely, even for a law school formal. Aſt er getting her hair put up for the occasion earlier in the day, her campaign manager phoned in to check up on her. "Get out door-knocking. I don't care. It's not until later," he told her. Still, it had the desired eff ect, as Traill made an impression on at least one voter. "I had a constituent say one time, 'oh yes, you came to my door and your hair was beautiful.'" Not everybody was convinced though, says Traill. "Part of the reason I ran too was to get a youthful voice in politics. I'd go to some doors and they'd say you don't look old enough, but at least it's a diff erent voice; it's a new voice. I'm going to shake things up a little." Traill has stayed true to that promise, making an impact within weeks at council by brandishing a fl ip-fl op to protest councillors who reneged on a decision to appoint one of her council allies, Joe Neal, to a particular board. "Th at pissed me off . Th is was clearly an episode where you had some kind of back-room lobbying going on, because all of a sudden everybody changed their mind," says the new councillor. "It was really frustrating because it isn't what I expected. Even here at the municipal level, you can ask questions, and be as transparent as possible with the public and C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS F all 2011 31