Issue link: https://digital.canadianlawyermag.com/i/642579
Where he finds the time is not really clear. Nick Pasquino, 33, is a mergers and acquisitions partner at Borden Ladner Gervais LLP, husband, and father to two young daughters. He also devotes hundreds of pro bono hours per year to his other passion - a community food centre in Toronto called The Stop - and its expansion through Community Food Centres Canada into nine other cities so far, across the country. "I am a corporate solicitor and I do deals by day," Pasquino says. "But I've got this business skill set that I've applied to help this group of charities grow a good food movement across Canada, which I think is really cool." Even cooler, he says, BLG - whose partnership with The Stop predated his arrival at the firm - is fully supportive of the work that he does, supplying access to the expertise of the entire firm depending on needs. Just as important is the time Nick gets to devote to the project. "Management at BLG has empowered us to treat these initiatives like they're a billable client," he says. "I have the luxury of giving thoughtful and meaningful advice because the firm is not going to penalize me for not pounding the pavement to try to find someone who will pay for that time." It's what Pasquino calls non-traditional access to justice work. "I was never really one to wear the robes," he says. "But I did have a desire to give back in a way that was conducive to the skill set that I have. This was a unique opportunity." And it's one that he jumped on in his early days at the firm. "The practice of law is not just about our financial performance, it's about the greater good and the communities we live in," Pasquino says. "If you don't use your training in a way that gives back, you are missing a key part of what it means to be a professional." Nick Pasquino FLIP YOUR WIG 23