Canadian Lawyer

The kids I coach often ask me what the ring is worth and I say, 'About $3 in material, but I was on third base with two out, bottom of the eighth inning, down one run, we were in extra innings, and the best hitter hits the ball into centre field, and I score the tying run and he scores the winning run. So what's that worth?" he says with a big smile. What about the game of law and the state of the profession today? He is quick to offer his opinion: It's tough and requires specialization. "It's becoming more and more complicated to practise law today. It's an age of specialization — students have to stream themselves fairly early into a specific area because the generalist can't keep up with all the changes in the law and runs a big risk in solicitor's negligence in trying to keep up with everything. There is more and more pressure on young lawyers to put in their hours and quality of life is suffering." He also thinks the court system is too expensive for the average litigator. "I hear constant complaints about the cost of fight- ing a case. I think the arbitrators are doing the right thing in trying to get involved and settle cases," he says. He has also noticed there is not the same level of trust with other lawyers as there used to be. "When I started practising law, you could take somebody's word but now you have to verify it with an e-mail. The pace of practising law has increased so dramatically that you're expected to return e-mails instantly and revising and drafting documents have to happen almost as soon as you get them." Nathan was the gold medalist when he graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1963. After completing his articles, he clerked for Justice G.A. Gale, then chief justice of the High Court of Ontario, then earned an LLM with distinction at University College in London, England. When he returned to Canada a year later, he started working as a litigator, but soon realized he didn't enjoy it. "Spending two years in litigation was not fulfilling," he says. "Cases took forever and you ended up sitting in court for hours and I wasn't happy Stay up-to-date in the fast-moving industrial relations field with reports from collective bargaining tables across the country. Settlements, as they occur, are covered in complete detail with pertinent information on wage adjustments, paid holidays, vacations with pay, shift premiums, medical benefits, dental plans, weekly indemnity, life insurance, pension plans, cost-of-living allowances and rates of pay. START YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND RECEIVE: • 48 issues of Canadian Labour Reporter • Full access to www.labour-reporter.com • Weekly e-newsletter in that field so went into corporate law and it's where I've been ever since," he says. So has his love of Sherlock Holmes served him well in his law career? Nathan believes it has. "Clients just don't walk in off the street when you're on the 21st floor of a building, but when you're introduced to people it's useful to say you have interests outside the practice of law. The exposure Sherlock has had recently means just about everybody knows who the character is." Goldfarb agrees his work on Sherlock hasn't hurt his career either. He recalls the firm being asked to submit a proposal to provide legal services to a non-profit and when they won the competition the client later told him while she thought their fees were "OK," it was something else that had swayed her vote. "She said she had heard Hartley and I give a paper at the Bootmakers. She said, 'I always wanted when we hired an outside law firm to work with us that they would have a sense of humour." With these authors you get a little of everything. ORDER TODAY FOR ONLY $595 ORDER # A20260-13 Toll Free: 1-800-387-5164 Toronto: 416-609-3800 www.labour-reporter.com/subscribe Canadian Employment Law Today® is a biweekly update on employment law-related rulings in courts, tribunals and other judicial bodies. This newsletter summarizes and comments on issues and trends in employment law. Save valuable hours researching – spend more time using the information to improve procedures and decisions. START YOUR SUBSCRIPTION AND RECEIVE: • 22 issues of Canadian Employment Law Today • Full access to www.employmentlawtoday.com, featuring a searchable archive of past issues • Bi-weekly email alerts to keep subscribers up-to-date on breaking news and notifications of new issues ORDER TODAY FOR ONLY $299 ORDER # A20612-13 Toll Free: 1-800-387-5164 Toronto: 416-609-3800 www.employmentlawtoday.com/subscribe Thomson Reuters Canada Ltd. One Corporate Plaza, 2075 Kennedy Rd, Toronto, ON M1T 3V4 Phone: 1-877-750-9041, in Toronto (416) 609-3800 Fax: (416) 298-5082 Untitled-3 1 www.CANADIAN L a w ye r m a g . c o m 13-08-15 12:00 PM September 2013 31

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