Canadian Lawyer

36 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 8 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m only bilingual province, New Brunswick has a legal as well as a cultural commit- ment to conducting life and business in both official languages. Slightly more than one-third of the province's population is bilingual, the highest rate after Quebec. Stewart — the only lawyer in his office who does not speak in both French and English — notes that while bilingualism is not a requirement for working in the prov- ince's legal community, it has been more than a decade since his firm has hired a lawyer who isn't functionally bilingual. "It's not two solitudes. We have files that are in both languages simultaneously." Chiasson, a francophone, notes that the bilingual nature of work and life in New Brunswick adds an extra and welcome dimension. "There is a vibrancy in the province because of the duality," he says. "There are cultural differences and you do see that in the legal community, but there is no cultural divide. . . . It adds a little spice." The work/life balance is also different for lawyers in New Brunswick than in many other centres across Canada. Here there is a belief that life outside the office is as valuable as what happens at one's desk, and that belief receives more than lip service. "There are some days around here that it is not much different from Toronto — working long hours with lawyers across the country," says Stewart. And still it is not the same as actually practising in Toronto, he notes. "Frankly, quality of life is why I practised my entire career in New Brunswick. . . . It's practice in the mindset of a small town. We do real-time important work, but how we go about it [is different]." Chiasson, for example, starts his day by dropping his daughter off at the bus stop and 10 minutes later he is at his desk. "I'm very happy with that," he says. "Montreal and Toronto — I love visiting those cities. I love coming back." What it means to be sitting at your desk also takes on a whole new meaning in New Brunswick. From his office in downtown Moncton, Stewart, a sailor, is only 40 min- utes from the Bay of Fundy, home to the world's highest tides and one of the Seven Wonders of North America. He's 25 min- utes from the Northumberland Strait and "We all think we have it really good here. The people I practise with are not here by default. Far from it. They have made a conscious decision this is where they want to be." CHRIS STEWART, Stewart McKelvey REACH ONE OF THE LARGEST LEGAL AND BUSINESS MARKETS IN CANADA! AVAILABLE ONLINE AND IN PRINT With more than 300,500 page views and 100,000 unique visitors monthly canadianlawlist.com captures your market. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT Colleen Austin: T: 416.649.9327 E: colleen.austin@thomsonreuters.com www.canadianlawlist.com Untitled-13 1 2018-01-23 1:09 PM

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