Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
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off the experience of others. Ideally, says Band, such an arrangement would include lawyers with varying levels of experience. "The temptation is to limit your overhead, because that's something to some degree you can control," he says. "So people are tempted to work out of their basement, so to speak. The problem is, they're alone in their basement, unless they're extremely well-suited to just reaching out a lot." Victoria, B.C., lawyer Andrew Tam em- ployed a strategy similar to Band's idea. Tam entered the University of Victoria firm downtown. Maybe income levels are promised better in those venues." Michael Pasquale is one young criminal defence lawyer who has not been swayed by anything. The Toronto-based Western law grad was called to the bar in 2007, and since then has worked hard to create a solo law practice that he says will bring in about $70,000 this year, and have him working about 55 hours a week. His prac- tice consists of a mix of pure Criminal Code cases, Provincial Offences Act mat- ters, and administrative tribunals. About for your bottom line too, because you get your name out there so much, knowing that you actually care about the public and want to help advocate for other things." Pasquale has one final piece of advice for young lawyers hoping to break into the area: it's crucial to decide whether you will take calls from potential clients at all hours of the day and night, and stick to your decision. He opted to direct clients to his voicemail overnight, and get in touch with them the next morning aſter they have received up-front help from duty counsel Word gets around very quickly if you do a good job, and it doesn't take long to get busy. So I wouldn't discourage young students, or students about to start their practice, if they're interested in criminal law. — Andrew Tam, Victoria, B.C. Faculty of Law intending to get into cor- porate law, but switched his focus aſter his second year following a stint at the school's legal aid clinic. He graduated in 1999, and aſter finishing his articles with a Victoria firm, Tam opened a practice with his friend Michael Mulligan, who had graduated a year ahead of him. "By the time I was ready to join him, he had enough of a business go- ing that it made sense for us to join forces," says Tam. They were soon joined by Paul Pearson, a 1999 call, and Mulligan's more experienced father, Robert, who was called to the bar in 1973, came on board in 2002. Tam even suggests that criminal law may be one of the easier areas of prac- tice to break into, depending on how you attack the start of your career. "A lot of criminal work when you're starting out, or even for some it carries on into their careers, is legal aid work," he says. "Word gets around very quickly if you do a good job, and it doesn't take long to get busy. So I wouldn't discourage young students, or students about to start their practice, if they're interested in crimi- nal law. I think there's work out there; I wouldn't say there's a lack of prospects." Tam says he was the only person in his immediate law school social circle to pursue criminal defence work. He has a theory on why so few students consider it a viable option: "Until you're in the milieu, there's a perception that it is per- haps not as prestigious as being in a big half of the work he does is motor vehicle- related, such as drinking and driving of- fences, along with general assistance for people with their licensing. From a business standpoint, Pasquale says finding office space was the biggest roadblock he faced in getting his practice running. He started out in an office in sub- urban Etobicoke, but he needed a spot on the subway line or near other public transit to meet the needs of his clients, particu- larly those facing driving offence charges. He discovered a company catering to small businesses that offers shared, prime office space, complete with conference room availability, phone service, receptionists, and other services. Pasquale struck a three- year service agreement with the company that leases the space, called Regus, for an office downtown. There are about 16 other lawyers on his floor, all in different practice areas. "It's the perfect solution for anybody who wants to have a small business, espe- cially a law practice," he says, adding that the cost savings are massive. "Can you imagine, I'm at Yonge and Dundas next to the Eaton Centre . . . I'm right on the sub- way line. I don't even need to walk outside; I can walk up from Dundas station and walk up into my building lobby." Pasquale has also found success through pro bono work, offering free seminars and advice to members of his church, for ex- ample. "It's good outreach work," he says. "It's not only good for the soul, but good or a private firm. "What you shouldn't do is burn the candle at both ends and be a trial lawyer, and then be 'mister emergency lawyer, help everybody who gets arrested and has a bail hearing the next day.' You can't do that. You're going to burn out." So you must decide whether you want to do trial work or crisis work, because it's impossible to do both, says Pasquale. And he notes the importance of cultivating oth- er interests away from the office, both to maintain your sanity and to develop a rap- port with clients by talking about common interests outside of their legal troubles. While there are plenty of examples of lawyers like Pasquale who have rolled with the punches and found their own place in criminal defence law, many students may remain skeptical of the possibility for suc- cess, despite an inner urge to pursue this specialty. Those individuals would do well to listen to Schurman's advice: "If you are interested in a career in criminal defence work, believe in yourself, be determined, and go out and seek as much informa- tion as you can as to what opportunities might be available," she says. "Don't give up before you even begin, because oppor- tunities are out there, and the defence bar truly needs people who have that kind of passion and determination. "I have a very strong belief that in order to be happy with our work in this world you've got to really follow the desire to do something that you really want to do." n C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS SPRING 2010 15