Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50901
Practising in Montreal LUCIA POLLICE, Stikeman Elliott LLP + PROS: • Montreal is a cosmopolitan, bi- lingual, and multicultural city with a bi-juridical law system off ering a wide range of professional oppor- tunities. • Among various benefi ts of liv- ing and working in Montreal: aff ordable housing, less time commuting, great quality of life, vibrant culture, easy ac- cess to recreation, sports, and the surrounding country- side, etc. • As for professional reasons, the city off ers a tremendous range and breadth of legal work. It is an important cen- tre for business in the aerospace, fi nance, pharmaceutical, technology, and cultural sectors. Many leading multina- tional corporations are headquartered here, and the city is a short fl ight away from a number of major east coast cities in the United States. Montreal is the ideal place for engag- ing in private practice at a high level, with major clients in and outside Canada, while still enjoying a wonderful qual- ity of life. • In addition, lawyers who want to join the public sector and contribute to social justice have many opportunities to do so in Montreal, home to several not-for-profi t organizations and NGOs. For many, it's not just about a job. It's about the career you're building and the ties you form, as well as the responsi- bilities you develop within your local community. - CONS: • Montreal remains a smaller business centre than many larger cities worldwide. • Compensation and benefi t packages off ered to lawyers in Montreal are generally more modest than those off ered in larger markets, commensurate with a lower cost of living, etc. • Quebec is governed by a separate legal system and, con- sequently, lawyers who embrace a law practice in Montreal must be trained in civil law and be members of the Barreau du Québec. Practising in Montreal GABRIEL GRANATSTEIN, Ogilvy Renault LLP + PROS: • Montreal is an amazing city to live and work in — it is both culturally and linguistically diverse. • Being an anglophone lawyer is very rewarding and gives you a certain cachet given that we are in the minor- ity and that there is defi nite demand from multinational clients to have work provided to them in English. • Being exposed to common law and civil law is very in- teresting. - CONS: • For an anglophone (born and bred in Montreal) with- out much French education, pleading in French can be daunting at fi rst. • Given all of the festivals and parties in Montreal, it can be hard to focus on work. . . . C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS SPRING 2011 29