Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/50902
Practising in Whitehorse RODNEY A. SNOW, Davis LLP + PROS: • If you can handle the winter, life is good and the career opportunities are great. • I enjoy my 30-minute summer commute to work — on foot, on a paved trail through a boreal forest beside the Yukon River. If you're a young lawyer struggling with work-life bal- ance, a move to Whitehorse could solve your problem. We have a collegial bar that works and plays together. • On the edge of the wilderness, Whitehorse has a vibrant arts and culture community. Our 424-seat performance theatre at the Yukon Arts Centre and our $40-million Canada Games Centre would be a credit to any community of any size anywhere. Our cross-country skiing is world class, whether during lunch or under the lights at night. • Of necessity, Whitehorse lawyers are more gen- eralists than their contemporaries in the big firms in the south. But our young lawyers actu- ally meet clients and go to court. • My solicitor's practice is diverse: corporate/ commercial and mining law for local and out- side corporations, aboriginal law for First Na- tions, and agency opinions for national firms. • Because Whitehorse is a capital city, our bar is exposed to a higher cali- bre of work than normal for a town of 25,000 people. Self-government means that lawyers are doing things that have never been done before. • It is easier to give back to your community and the pro- fession. I have had the opportunity to serve as president of the Rotary Club of Whitehorse and the chamber of commerce and, in August, I will become the first presi- dent of the Canadian Bar Association from the North. - CONS: • Like many places, we need more family lawyers. • Winter can be long, dark, and cold — but not as cold as Winnipeg! Vancouver is a 2,700-kilometre drive and more than two hours by air. In-person CLE usu- ally requires a trip out, which can be expensive. • Young lawyers will not have the chance to specialize and achieve an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell. Some of these lawyers could even be your friends. This can be challenging on a variety of levels. • Being anonymous only goes so far. You may think practising law in Ottawa is equivalent to practising in a big city . . . not so. You will bump into clients at the grocery store, hockey arenas, community cen- tres, etc., so you need to be prepared. • If you want to be in a big firm, there are only so many options. The majority of lawyers in Ottawa practise in firms with fewer than five lawyers. The result is that, depending on economic times, secur- ing a position as an employee is more challenging. • If you are thinking about setting up your own prac- tice, be aware you will need to do some legwork to get yourself known. Marketing is not a dirty word but given the size of Ottawa and the number of lawyers already in practice, a business plan is essential. Dimock Stratton: one of my best decisions Five years after starting as a summer student, I know that choosing Dimock Stratton was a great career decision. I'm learning from some of the best practitioners in ip, I work on high profile cases in my area of interest, I've got great work- life balance and best of all, I look forward to work every day. I highly recommend Dimock Stratton to anyone serious about a career in ip law. Dimock Stratton llp experience. results. 20 Queen W. 32nd fl, Toronto | 416.971.7202 | dimock.com C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS SPRING 2010 27 ntitled-4 1 2/24/10 11:35:48 AM