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ASSOCIATES All the world's BY JEFFRE Y H. WAUGH T here are a lot of theatrics in litigation, and litigator Elisabeth Patrick is all about the theatrics — but not in the way you might think. The associate at WeirFoulds LLP in Toronto joined the firm in 2005, after completing her articles there. While she has a broad commercial litiga- tion practice, Patrick is heavily involved in the theatre and arts communi- ty. She sits on the board of directors for two theatre companies and on the cabinet (board) of the Royal Ontario Museum's Young Patrons' Circle. Patrick got her start in theatre at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont., where she studied drama as part of her bachelor of arts degree. "I was primarily involved in the technical side of theatre then, so I used to do a lot of stage managing," says Patrick. Undoubtedly, her experience with being in control of the action on stage comes in handy for her litigation practice. She's used to having plenty on her plate — just look at her graduation dates. She completed her BA in 2003 and graduated from the law program at Queen's only one year later, in 2004. "I finished my arts degree while at law school," explains Patrick. "And I worked profession- ally at the Thousand Islands Playhouse, which is in Gananoque," Ont. Some new lawyers trying to establish a practice would have been swept away from the stage and submerged in legal theatre, but Patrick stayed connected to her past. "The theatre community at Queen's is pretty close-knit and continues to be pretty close-knit as we all move on from Queen's," she says. Patrick sits on the boards of two theatre 16 OC T OBER 2008 www. C ANADIAN Law ye rmag.com ELISABETH PATRICK OF WEIRFOULDS LLP companies: Theatre Smash and DreamNorth Theatre Co. They have two very different foci, she says. "Theatre Smash does new Canadian plays in Toronto, and had its first show at the Tarragon Theatre in September of '07. And WeirFoulds associate gives lots of her valuable time and energy to arts organizations. a stage