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 A U G U S T 2 0 1 6 17 you had a shower and put on some fresh clothes, and then taking the cab back to the office. He was proud of doing this several times a month. For him, the Boomerang exemplified big-time law practice. No surprise that he was a bor- ing and obnoxious person. Be your own person. Canadians are deferential — very deferential — to authority. Civilization and peace depend on appropriate deference to properly constituted authority, but don't take it too far. Don't join the old boys club. Don't unthinkingly accept the voice of experience. Be skeptical of the law soci- ety; bar associations are often not forces for good. Be critical of those who present themselves as your elders and betters and expect you to do what they say and think what they think. Senior partners and pillars of the bar, impressed by their own history and gravitas, may try to bully you; don't let them. Your new ideas may be better than their old ideas. Your fresh point of view may be better than their stale view of the world. Follow the rules. OK, don't join the club, but do obey the rules. Ten years ago, I wrote a book about the ironic inclination of some lawyers to break the law. Why did they do that? I suggest- ed various explanations. Misconduct may be a distraction from the grinding boredom that characterizes much of legal practice. It may be a reaction to depression, or a result of overwhelming pessimism. Or perhaps mastery of the rules of law, and the ability to manipu- late them, encourages disdain for those rules ("the rules are for others, not for me"). The practice of law can be psy- chologically perilous. Its practitioners are sometimes surprisingly fragile. Be on your guard. The price of misbehav- iour may be great. Read widely. Law touches on the whole sweep of human experience. The best lawyers have some understanding of some of that experience. No one per- son can directly experience much. You enlarge what you know and understand by reading — history, biography, phi- losophy. Sometimes, fiction is the best thing to read, because fiction unlocks the human heart unlike anything else. And, sometimes, fiction directly illumi- nates problems that bear heavily on the law. For example, how can we know the truth? Rules of evidence and procedure are supposed to help us do that in the courtroom. If you truly want to under- stand how difficult it is to establish the truth in a courtroom, read Arthur & George, a novel by Julian Barnes about the conviction and imprisonment of someone for a crime he did not commit. It will tell you important things that you won't find in a textbook on evidence. So, to sum it up, be independent, fight for justice, don't expect to get rich, lead a balanced and big life. Am I being a bit pious and preachy? Perhaps. If you don't like my suggestions for guiding principles, formulate some of your own. As your boat leaves the shore, and the wind fills its sails, you'll need something to navigate by, that's for sure. Philip Slayton is immediate president of PEN Canada, an organization that promotes and protects freedom of expression. MATTER CREDENTIALS TORONTO I BARRIE I HAMILTON I KITCHENER 1-866-685-3311 www.mcleishorlando.com A Noticeable Difference ™ Choosing a personal injury lawyer is one of the most important decisions an injured person will make. Help your client ask the right questions: Is the lawyer? I Untitled-1 1 2015-05-13 4:13 PM

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