Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50903
don't have a business background. My un- dergrad degree was in sociology. Business was a whole new world for me. I would advise students, if they don't have a busi- ness background to take seminars. Meet up with the some of the partners, get to know the lingo. You can't just go in cold. Read up on your own. Find a mentor." For Michelle Chaisson at Blake Cas- sels & Graydon LLP in Toronto, the key principle is: "At a junior level, the lawyers are your clients. In order to build your practice you have to ensure that you treat them that way. Particularly when you're entering into a firm to practise in a larger group, a corporate or securities group. At a junior level, you need to find something to make yourself unique so that people within the firm recognize you as a 'go to' person within a particular area. "I practise corporate law but I have a background in environmental science. I've maintained contacts with our en- vironmental group, and now get about 10 per cent of my work from lawyers within that group. It has helped me be unique," she says. "You have to be avail- able. Sometimes you are asked to make sacrifices, particularly at a junior level. You need to be a team player." What if your goal is to become an in-house counsel instead? A lawyer at one of the country's biggest mining companies says: "Big law firms are a bit monolithic. They all operate on the same principle. In-house is much dif- ferent. The majority of companies are looking to hire people who have spent a few years at a big firm. Usually the more years you have, the more senior you go in. You can't generally pass 'Go' and skip to 'Park Place'. You've really got to work at the private practice of business law before you have a shot at succeeding in- house," says Adam Segal. You'll also need to develop maturity, client relationship skills, and a solid un- derstanding of what drives clients. For the most part, lawyers in private practice are specialists, he says. Especially in busi- ness law, and even more so today. But in- house, being an expert is not really the basis for a hire. "You're being hired for your ability to analyze situations and the personal 'soſt' skills that are involved in managing relationships internally." Segal previously worked with Borden Ladner Gervais LLP as well as the On- tario Securities Commission. "One of the nice things about being in private practice is that you have multiple clients. If you don't like one, the truth is hope- fully you have a bunch of others you can rely on. When you work at a company you've got to deal with the players you're dealt. You're working with a fairly small group of people and if you don't get along with everyone, there's probably not much room to succeed." The other thing to consider before moving in-house is whether you have the appropriate skills, if you like being an expert, or whether you can handle being outside the zone of your specialty where people throw a variety of work at you. On the plus side, there's lots of opportunity to learn new things and a stimulating range of situations. Yet other challenges loom for business lawyers. Richard Susskind, a former law professor at Gresham College in Lon- don, England, writes in The End of Law- yers? of a major shiſt he sees in legal ser- vices. Susskind is the guy English lawyers emp l oyme n t o c c u pa t i o n a l h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y h uma n r i g h t s wo r k p l a c e s a f e - t y a n d i n s u r a n c e pa y e q u i t y immi g r a - t i o n emp l oyme n t o c c u pa t i o n a l h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y h uma n r i g h t s wo r k p l a c e s a f e t y a n d i n s u r a n c e pa y e q u i t y imm immi g r a t i o n emp l oyme n t o c c u pa t i o n - a l h e a l t h a n d s a f e t y h uma n r i g h t s wo r k p l a c e s a f e t y a n d i n s u r a n c e pa y First in Labour Law Since 1956 Toronto 416.862.8280 Sarnia 519.336.5447 Dimock Stratton: one of my best decisions Four years after starting as a summer student, I know that choosing Dimock Stratton was a great career decision. I'm learning from some of the best practitioners in ip, I work on high profile cases in my area of interest, I've got great work- life balance and best of all, I look forward to work every day. I highly recommend Dimock Stratton to anyone serious about a career in ip law. Dimock Stratton llp experience. results. 20 Queen W. 32nd fl, Toronto | 416.971.7202 | dimock.com 30 SE PT E MB E R 2009 C ANADIAN Lawy er 4STUDENTS ntitled-4 1 7/15/09 2:26:25 PM Sault Ste.Marie 705.253.3711 Since being founded in 1956 as the Country's first labour relations and employment law firm, Mathews Dinsdale has been dedicated to helping employers manage the increasingly complex laws relating to the workplace. For over 50 years, our lawyers have played a significant role in shaping labour – management relations. Today, with offices in Toronto, Sarnia and Sault Ste. Marie, Mathews Dinsdale continues to have one of the Country's most highly regarded management labour and employment law practices. It continues to be our goal to help management manage – and succeed. www.mathewsdinsdale.com