Canadian Lawyer 4Students

C A N A D I A N L a w y e r 4 s t u d e n t s s p r i n g 2 0 1 4 33 Practising family law CONS: – • Dealing with client expectations that are unrealistic or unsupported by the law can be stressful. • It is an area of law that can lead to burnout as you are constantly confronted by adversarial and emotional situations. • Court and trial preparation is time-consuming and can lead to very long hours of work. • It can be hard to leave work at the offi ce and get a true break from your practice — family law clients o en have situations arise that they would like advice on or feedback on at all hours of the day (and night). PROS: + • Family law is about people: their rights, entitlements, families, children, fi nances, etc. You are up close and personal, dealing with issues that aff ect a person's day-to-day life. • Every person has their own story. Family law clients may all be dealing with similar issues, but everyone has a unique and interesting perspective. Family law clients are a diverse group, with a wide range of cultural experiences and coming from diff erent socio-economic backgrounds. • ere is a lot of variety when it comes to what makes up the practice of family law: client meetings; dra ing; preparing fi nancial statements; attending in court, on a mediation, or an arbitration; communicating with opposing counsel; negotiating; participating in a disclosure meeting following a custody and access assessment . . . the list is endless. No two days are ever the same. • Family law is constantly changing in order to address new social structures and relationships (same-sex marriage, for example) or new technology and its related challenges (such as assisted reproductive technology). It is an exciting practice area that is always evolving. • Family law touches many other practice areas, including wills and estates, real estate, immigration, business law, tax, and many more. e practice of family law also intersects with mental health (social work, psychiatry, and psychology), business valuation, medicine, and myriad other interesting areas. Family lawyers, therefore, have the opportunity to always be learning and expanding their knowledge of the law and much more. • e family law bar is small and collegial. ere is always someone to call for advice or a diff erent take on a case. CONS: – • Since family law is always evolving, you need to thrive on new experiences and be able to be creative about problem solving. Family lawyers can't be afraid of unchartered territory. • Family lawyers are typically contacted by clients who are at a crisis point. is means family law clients are usually emotional, sometimes irrational, and frequently demanding. • Since the practice deals with intimate and personal aspects of a client's life, a family lawyer has to empathize and sympathize without being drawn into issues and confl ict. Retaining professional distance is key to properly advising clients. • e general public does not know how family law works. What they do know is o en incorrect and inaccurate. Clients are o en unhappy when they learn of the impact of the law on their rights and entitlements from a family lawyer. • No one plans or puts money away for a divorce. is means the high cost of legal services is of great concern to clients. When combined with the fact family lawyers are o en not great business people, it means getting paid can be an issue. • e family law system is the best we have, not the best it could be. e existing framework can be costly, cumbersome, and ineffi cient. Working in the current system can be frustrating — for lawyers and clients. ■ JennIFeR sAMARA sHuBeR, Basman smith LLP, toronto hildview_4st_Spring_14.indd 1 14-01-29 11:03 AM

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