Canadian Lawyer

w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m O C T O B E R 2 0 1 5 31 Y ou've been called to the bar. Congrats. Now you have a lot to learn. Turns out knowledge of the law is the minimum. Yes, you were on the dean's list at law school. Did that help you understand how to actually practise law? And what have you done for the firm lately? Welcome to boot camp for young lawyers. Put the books aside, step out of academia, and learn about the business of law, life, and the working world. And pay attention, things will never be the same. p on Lesson 1: Are you a good loser? "You must have good marks and have done well in school and have a balanced CV, but what we're looking for is the ability to handle stress, to be able to prioritize and work independently, and then have critical thinking skills and problem-solving abilities," says Brian Grant, the managing partner at Lerners LLP. More than that, though, he says, Lerners wants to know how well you take losing, because if you're litigat- ing, you won't win them all. "We're looking for the abil- ity to lose publicly and carry on. As one of our partners says, if you're not losing cases, you're not trying cases." The reality is at some point new lawyers are likely to run up against a ruling that flays their carefully researched and presented arguments for the world to see. "We ask them to tell us how they lost and lost big." Lesson 2: Learning is a life-long journey. Don't stop The Canadian Bar Association and its provincial branches, as well as other associations such as the Advocates' Society, local bar associations, and law soci- eties across the country have seminars and workshops designed expressly for young lawyers. They provide guidance on everything from writing to dealing with clients, your first appeal, and big transactions. From all accounts, they're well worth it if it's an area you're likely to encounter because it takes it beyond law school into the nitty-gritty. And the classes are usually taught by experienced counsel. Lesson 3: You're a blank slate "I think the big problem young lawyers face — myself included — is they don't know what they don't know," says Ryan D. Campbell, an associate at Rubin Thomlin- son and co-chairman of the Ontario Bar Association's Young Lawyers Division-Central. "You have to find ways to identify gaps in your knowledge and fill those gaps and the No. 1 way is to identify when you need to ask for help and to have the confidence to go and ask for that help." Lesson 4: Act like you're part of a team "As a newly minted lawyer, you want to show you can work independently and that's commendable, but you don't succeed or fail as a single lawyer, you succeed or fail as part of a team, and if you have problems you have to utilize the team," says Campbell. "I have to say my law school experience really didn't prepare me for teamwork." Lesson 5: Find your kindred spirits Joining a group like the OBA young lawyers section or Young Women in Law can make a huge difference. "You not only network and meet other lawyers in different areas of practice, but you also get introduced to people who may be able to mentor you or to other lawyers hav- ing similar issues," says Campbell. "We have up to 100 people at our events and they are much less formal than at a firm's offices." For women lawyers, it may be even more useful to join Young Women in Law because there aren't a lot of women in senior positions and on the bench, so it helps to be able to network and get mentorship through the group, notes Erika Young, the group's president. "Plus, misery loves company, people tend to share their stress and find others have the same problems." Lesson 6: Be flexible That dream job with the corner office? Meh, not yet. Better to spend some years working than to turn down positions because they're not in the area you want. "You have to be flexible because it's a tough market for lawyers today," Salmon says. "You have to be flexible to take the opportunity as it presents. It could take 10 or 15 years to get that dream job." Patience is a virtue when building your career — law is most definitely not an instant gratification profession. MATTHEW BILLINGTON

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