Flip Your Wig

Andrew Lokan could hardly have predicted the route his life would take back when he was majoring in music at Cambridge, perfecting his skills on the clarinet with a Master's in music performance at the University of Toronto. "I didn't want to be a starving artist," he jokes. So he went to law school. Last October, he argued his 25th case before the Supreme Court of Canada. He hasn't been paid for working on the majority of those cases. "I certainly am very committed to the idea that I'm doing what I can to assist in the development of public policy," Lokan says, Partner at Paliare Roland with a busy constitutional and general litigation practice. As part of that commitment, Lokan has worked with the Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA) on a pro bono basis for over two decades. As co-Vice President, he is often asked to take on cases while maintaining his practice and teaching part-time at Osgoode Hall. Last year, he argued CCLA cases Latif v Bombardier and R. v Smith before the Supreme Court. "There's a saying: when you want something done, ask a busy person," he says, chuckling. "But I think there's a premise that people should look at pro bono and other public interest work as something you only do after you've done everything else in your job." Instead, Lokan views his CCLA work as a form of giving that gives right back. He believes it bolsters his practice, opening him up to different perspectives and providing him with intellectual enrichment. "I have the opportunity to work with some very interesting people," he says. "They've thought a lot about things. They live within the realm of ideas. And they're motivated exclusively by trying to get the right answer." Andrew Lokan FLIP YOUR WIG 29

• Cover