Life skills and career tips for Canada's lawyers in training
Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/55358
Practising corporate- commercial law IVAR LEE, Paine Edmonds LLP Practising in Vancouver + PROS: • Great and beautiful place to live. • Fairly tight-knit bar in various practice areas, plenty of experienced lawyers who are always willing to help newer lawyers. • Great variety of diff erent practice areas no matter what size of fi rm you're looking for. • Work hours and expected billable targets likely less than another major city such as Toronto. - CONS: • Expensive housing. • Public transportation is improving but unless you live in the downtown core, you still need a vehicle to get around effi ciently, which can be a con for those who want to get by without owning a vehicle. Even if you live downtown, work oſt en requires travel outside the downtown core and into growing suburban areas that are not easily accessible without a vehicle. • Less likely to fi nd highest paying jobs in Canada here because of limited resource and fi nancial sector (i.e. compared to Calgary/Edmonton and To- ronto). Practising in Vancouver DAVID GRUBER, Farris Vaughan Wills & Murphy LLP + PROS: • A more adventurous and innovative legal culture. • Less pressure to pursue narrow specializations. • All the advantages of the Vancouver lifestyle. - CONS: • Vancouver is not a major fi nancial or commercial centre. • Income is lower at student and associate levels. Cox & Palmer, St. John's + LISA DALY, PROS: • It is an exciting time here in New- foundland and Labrador. Th e province is humming not only in the oil and gas, but also the mining and energy indus- try and the burst of entrepreneurial spirit. As a corporate-commercial law- yer, I love to work with small business- es and watch them grow and develop. It is a privilege to be able to assist so many energetic business people at all levels of business who have the passion to take their idea and run with it. • With so much development happen- ing in Newfoundland and Labrador, there are many opportunities to work on major fi nancings, commercial de- velopments, and business acquisitions within a legal community which is ex- ceptional, not only in their work ethic and passion to fi ght and protect their client's rights, but the ability to com- bine that with working in a collabora- tive eff ort with opposing counsel to come to the best solution for every- one. In my experience, the lawyers I deal with are polite, friendly, courte- ous, and a pleasure to work with. - CONS: • Th e weather — although it really isn't that bad! C ANADIAN Lawyer 4STUDENTS SPRING 2012 33 *