Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50902
their legal training, and that many of his students are lawyers who have practised law for a number of years before head- ing back to the classroom. "Some of my students have already practised for a lifetime," he says. "I had a few students last year who could have retired had they chosen to, but jumped to an LLM for a number of reasons. Th ese kinds of students really add to the classroom environment because of their number of experiences in the legal world." Kevin Rowe, an Osgoode LLM gradu- ate who practises trust law with CIBC Mellon Trust Co. in Toronto, agrees that mature students add to the classroom en- vironment through their sharing of expe- riences. "I waited quite some time before going back to do my LLM where I focused on trust law, and I found that a lot of my classmates were in the same boat," he says. "Th ere was a signifi cant number of students who had jumped right into their LLM, but a lot like me who had practised for a number of years before going back to specialize in my area of law." Rowe admits that mature students like him are a signifi cant resource to students who have not had any profes- sional experience. He also emphasizes the importance of committing yourself to the program, echoing Kaplan's sen- timent about the theoretical focus of the program. "You have to really make ever, an LLM will not necessarily help you get a job with a fi rm over someone with only an LLB. According to Danya Cohen, a legal recruitment consultant at Toron- to-based RainMaker Group, having an LLM does not always give you an advan- tage, especially when it comes to private I practised private law for a while, but decided it wasn't a path I wanted to take, and doing my LLM pushed me in the direction of teaching, which is something that fit me a lot better. — Professor Doug Harris, University of British Columbia space in your life to do the program, es- pecially if you are already working," he says. "Th ere is a lot of reading, and you need to learn how to make time for that — you really have to like school to do well in an LLM program." From a recruitment perspective, how- Get Connected As a student at Fogler, Rubinoff LLP you'll experience a wide variety of complex and challenging assignments in a hands-on environment. We offer a well-rounded, real-world experience that puts you at the table and in the courts. For more information on our Student Programs, please visit our website at www.foglers.com Student Program Chair, Myriah Graves, 416.941.8846, mgraves@foglers.com 95 Wellington Street West, Suite 1200 Toronto-Dominion Centre, Toronto, ON M5J 2Z9 T: 416.864.9700 F: 416.941.8852 18 SPRING 2 0 1 0 ntitled-2 1 C ANADIAN Lawy er 4STUDENTS 3/2/10 9:35:21 AM practice. "From a recruiter's perspective, it doesn't aff ect the hiring process at all," she says. "LLMs are so theoretical that it doesn't really aff ect the practical side of law, which is learned in an LLB." She too, however, has noticed the in- creased interest in LLM programs be- cause of the current economy, noting that job cuts in the legal community have allowed a number of people to go back to school to focus their practice, or turn to academics. "Th ese programs truly help lawyers specialize in an area of the law," she says. "And in today's markets where intellectual property and securities law are becoming increasingly important, there's defi nitely room for people to specialize in those areas. To become experts per se." Marketta Jokinen, director of profes- sional recruitment at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP in Vancouver, agrees. She believes LLMs are rarely linked to benefi ts in private practice because of their theo- retical roots. "I don't think recruiters look at people with [an] LLM as better practi- tioners than those without one. If you're passionate about specializing, it's a great thing to do, but it doesn't really help you in terms of private practice." On the other hand, Linda Reif, associ- ate dean of graduate studies at the Uni- versity of Alberta Faculty of Law, thinks LLM grads can be benefi cial in practice, especially those who go on to work for boutiques and larger fi rms. She has noticed a recent infl ux of