Canadian Lawyer InHouse

JULY/AUGUST 2018 48 INHOUSE P r o f e s s i o n a l P r o f i l e Toronto and move across the country. "I was meeting with people and they were saying, 'You're too junior. You shouldn't go in-house yet.' But it just seemed like such an exciting opportunity that I couldn't say no," she says. "It's one of those things where you jump into something like that and you have enough mentors and support along the way to help you through it, and I learned a ton." As a young, female, first-generation law - yer in her family — Asnani's parents immi- grated from India with no formal education — making connections with mentors was key in supplementing the hard work she had to exert to succeed. She notes the real estate sphere is male dominated, which posed a challenge as well. "Being the first in my family to go to law school, it is quite different from some of my peers that are well connected within the in - dustry, so I never had that connection when I was in law school," she says. Today she is eight years into her career. She returned to Toronto after three years in Calgary at Moxie's to practise in-house at Loblaw Companies Limited, eventu - ally transitioning to where she is now, at Choice Properties REIT (which is affiliated with Loblaw Companies Limited). She uses these experiences to inform young lawyers and law students about the legal industry, often with students completing placements at Choice Properties REIT. "I think I've taken a very keen interest in shaping these junior lawyers because I think it's so important to have someone that you can actually bounce ideas off of," Asnani says. "I come from a very different mentality having been a mentor and being in-house because I often tell the students we work with that being in-house is a very unique position." Being a mentor requires leadership skills and patience, which are some skills she's honed as the president of the South Asian Bar Association — a role to which she was appointed in April. Previously, Asnani served as the group's vice president. She says that these skills translate into how she moulds young legal minds and how she completes her legal duties at work. "My take on leadership is that you're not trained as a lawyer to be a great leader. That really isn't a [type of ] training that you have when you're in law school and I think there's a piece of leadership that's innate and I think there's another piece of it that you really have to practise and you grow into that," she says. Asnani initially joined SABA to expand her network of Toronto-based lawyers after she returned from Calgary. She believes it's It's one of those things where you jump into something like that and you have enough mentors and support along the way to help you through it, and I learned a ton. Understand the risks in boilerplate clauses and draft stronger agreements Available risk-free for 30 days Online: store.thomsonreuters.ca Call Toll-Free: 1-800-387-5164 In Toronto: 416-609-3800 Order # L7798-8583-65203 $236 Hardcover approx. 560 pages April 2018 978-0-7798-8583-1 Shipping and handling are extra. Price(s) subject to change without notice and subject to applicable taxes. Prepare yourself with the confidence and skill to identify, understand, and refine boilerplate language to protect your clients in every circumstance. The authors of Behind and Beyond Boilerplate: Drafting Commercial Agreements, Fourth Edition dissect boilerplate clauses to reveal their meaning, intent, and how the courts have treated them – giving you step-by-step guidance, sound recommendations, expert advice, and how-to illustrations on drafting thorough agreements. New in this edition • Update of all case law affecting boilerplate clauses referenced in the third edition, including commentary on recent Supreme Court of Canada decisions that impact contract interpretation and boilerplate New Edition Behind and Beyond Boilerplate: Drafting Commercial Agreements, Fourth Edition Cynthia L. Elderkin and Julia S. Shin Doi © 2018 Thomson Reuters Canada Limited 00250YG-91698-NP Visit store.thomsonreuters.ca/boilerplate for a complete Table of Contents. 20 A N N I V E R S A R Y E D I T I O N th

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