Canadian Lawyer

28 N o v e m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 4 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m down in Windsor, Ont., a fairly homog- enous city at the time. "Being brown- skinned, having a name like Jagmeet, having long hair while being a boy — these were three really good reasons to get picked on," says Singh, speaking at his Queen's Park office. He's dressed to the nines as usual in a three-piece suit with thick pinstripes and a bright-red dastar on his head. At a young age, Singh realized that wherever he went, he was going to get looked at. He figured he had two choic- es: "I could hide from the stares, but I'm not going to get very far with that because I'm pretty noticeable. Or I could say, I'm going to get looked at anyways — let me give them something to look at. If they're going to look at me, be the sharpest-dressed person. Let me be the most confident person. Let me be some- one who is well-spoken and articulate." And along with that swagger, his childhood imparted him with a sen- sitivity to the injustices and inequal- ity faced by everyday people. When he went off to the University of Western Ontario, Singh expected to follow in his father's footsteps and become a doc- tor. But a philosophy of law professor urged him to consider a legal career. He decided at the last minute to apply for law school and drove to Guelph, Ont., to submit his application directly to the Ontario Universities' Application Centre hours before it was due. He found law school intellectually engaging, but couldn't settle on a career path. By the time his bar admission course was coming to an end, Singh still hadn't settled on a practice area, but he knew he wanted to focus on social justice. So he went to court to watch lawyers at work. At one bail hearing, he watched Richard O'Brien, a Brampton, Ont., lawyer, cross-examine a police officer and expose an unlawful arrest. "It triggered in me a memory of grow- ing up in Windsor and sometimes feel- ing mistreated and that maybe that mis- treatment that I received from police officers was unbalanced and driven by the fact that I was a visible minority." So Singh decided to pursue criminal defence. "I thought that seemed like something I could really enjoy, mak- ing sure we defend the rights of those who are otherwise amongst the most vulnerable or who don't have a strong voice." He eventually landed a position at Pinkofskys, which was at the time the largest law firm in Canada that special- ized in criminal law. Cross ExaMinEd "people would see me in court and say, listen, i like your style, i like your confidence, i like your swagger." 2015 BRITISH COLUMBIA LEGAL TELEPHONE DIRECTORY THIS IS YOUR LEGAL COMMUNITY. STAY CONNECTED. INCLUDES BRITISH COLUMBIA, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, NUNAVUT AND YUKON. British Columbia's vast legal community is right at your fingertips with the 2015 British Columbia Legal Telephone Directory. You get instant access to more than 1 1,000 lawyers and law offices spanning British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon. Each year we ensure this directory includes the most up-to-date names, phone numbers, mailing addresses and emails, so you don't have to search anywhere else. It's all here when you want to network or need legal expertise. Also get quick access to: ȕ Courts ȕ Judges and court officials ȕ Law related services and organizations ȕ Federal and provincial government departments ȕ Boards and commissions Durable spiralbound format saves on wear and tear of everyday usage! Get connected and stay connected to your legal community with the 2015 British Columbia Legal Telephone Directory. Order your copy today. Visit www.carswell.com or call 1.800.387.5164 for a 30-day, no risk evaluation 4QJSBMCPVOEȕ0DUPCFS ȕ- Multiple copy discounts available 1MVTBQQMJDBCMFUBYFTBOETIJQQJOHIBOEMJOH 1SJDFTTVCKFDUUPDIBOHFXJUIPVUOPUJDF Untitled-1 1 2014-10-24 8:04 AM

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