Canadian Lawyer

sounded like a good place." Then the firm flew him in for a look. He met the part- ners and they took him to dinner. Partner Tim Burnham showed him around town. "That took about 20 minutes," Bird says with a laugh. Bird went home to Victoria and his wife with an offer. "We were debating whether to go, wife, by now six months pregnant, was offered a part-time job in Grande Prairie with Alberta Health Services. That did it. Bird, who intended to begin work in August, asked if he could start imme- diately. The firm agreed. So the young couple moved and their baby was born in Grande Prairie in June. Bird finds the work is exactly what he " he remembers. Then his wanted as an articling student. He has his own office, his own clients, and he gets into court. "When I talk to my friends back home who did get jobs, and hear their comments, I feel more independent, more valued here. promising, the recreational opportunities unbeatable, and the firm actually pro- motes a good work-life balance, what's the downside? "We can't get Neapolitan pizza here, So if the work is good, the prospects " A Tradition ously he says it is hard being so far from family and he knows as a Vancouver-area native "winter will be a shock." As a young married couple, the Birds' " says Bird with a smile. More seri- entertainment needs are pretty limited. But Bird believes there are plenty of opportunities for fun for a single person. Bird says he has promised his firm he will stay for a total of three years. It is a handshake deal but he intends to fulfil his side of the bargain. Cyril Gurevitch is one of the partners of Business Whether conducting business in Canada or across the globe, Aird & Berlis LLP understands the realities of your work. Our clients benefit from the firm's solid relationships with major institutions, government authorities and renowned national and international law firm affiliates. We combine the depth and strength of Canada's largest firms with the creativity and effectiveness of smaller firms. Count on us for legal counsel from a business perspective.® who hired Bird and the new president of the Alberta branch of the Canadian Bar Association. He will focus his term in office on the issue of access to justice in areas of Alberta outside Edmonton and Calgary. In the last few years, smaller centres, especially, have been hit by the retirement of aging lawyers and the dif- ficulty of recruiting new talent. "We have Eldon Bennett Managing Partner ebennett@airdberlis.com 416.865.7704 Brookfield Place, 181 Bay Street T 416.863.1500 F 416.863.1515 Suite 1800, Box 754, Toronto, ON M5J 2T9 www.airdberlis.com www.CANAD I AN Lawyermag.com SEPTEMBE R 2012 13 ntitled-1 1 12-08-15 9:32 AM lost some 250 lawyers from these centres." People in smaller communities can no longer find local legal help. "There is a plethora of work," says Gurevitch, "and it's good work. Real estate, wills, company work, family, criminal. There is lots to do, and I get home in seven minutes." An initiative to re-introduce young lawyers and law students to underser- viced areas is underway. It includes the CBA, the Law Society of Alberta, the not- for-profit Alberta Rural Development Network, as well as law schools in Edmonton and Calgary. It hopes to get graduates interested in rural and smaller centre opportunities. "It's a marketing Access to Lawyers (REAL) initiative in British Columbia. This summer it placed second-year law students in underser- viced centres around the province and it is funded to do the same thing next year. Bird's advice to young law school graduates struggling to find a start is simple and straightforward. "Apply to our firm." — GEOFF ELLWAND writerlaw@gmail.com issue for the most part," says Gurevitch, who is passionate about the sub- ject. "We need lawyers and community leaders to say we need more law- yers in rural Alberta." The Alberta project is modelled, in part, on the Rural Education and

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