Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/55358
Bill Maclagan Blake Cassels & Graydon LLP, Vancouver 1) I am a partner in a great law fi rm with great partners. I very much enjoy representing the fi rm at the numerous events that I attend throughout the city. Our fi rm is seen as a leader in the business community and it is great to represent it. I also enjoy the long-term strategic visioning and planning that is involved in my job. One of the most important jobs in law fi rm management is to get people thinking about the long term as opposed to the short term. It is the way you build a sense of team and fi rm among staff and lawyers. 2) Probably the most stressful thing at the beginning was balancing my billable practice with my management duties. I dealt with it by delegating and by blocking out time for specifi c duties and trying to keep to those times. Now with the offi ce being much larger, the most stressful thing for me is trying to ensure people are on the same page and understand where the fi rm is going. You deal with that by staying close to people and talking up the vision as much as possible. 3) I would advise young people to fi rst concentrate on learning their craft and becoming an excellent lawyer and adviser. Then spend time learning about the business of law. I would advise them to watch the good leaders in their fi rm and learn everything they can from watching those people operate and interact with people. Most importantly, learn how to listen and how to put fi rm needs ahead of your own. Lastly, always be true to yourself. If you cannot be true to yourself and your own values within your fi rm's environment then you may be in the wrong place. 4) We look for bright people with good academic credentials. I want to see people who have demonstrated they can work and live in a team culture and who have leadership qualities and are pleasant to work with. 5) I had many mentors as a young student and lawyer. All of them taught me that the most important thing about the law was to remember it is a people business. Behind every exciting legal problem are clients who want, need, and deserve your advice and attention in order to succeed. They taught me that if I wanted to be a success in law I fi rst had to focus on my craft and becoming a good lawyer. They also taught me to have fun and enjoyment in the practice of law and to give back to my profession and community. C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS SPRING 2012 11 ntitled-3 1 2/23/11 4:38:31 PM *