 The next amazing woman to be profiled in this Women Leading in Law series is Kathryn Manning, one of the the founding partners of the new litigation boutique DMG Advocates LLP located in Toronto. I first met Kate through mutual acquaintances but we also seem to be on the same networking circuit and often run into each other at several legal events throughout the year. Kate's story resonates with me, not only because we both started our legal careers at McMillan Binch, but because we both quit good jobs to take a risk and start something of our own. Being your own boss can be quite empowering, and the more women we have in power, I believe, the more likely positive changes can be made to our profession. I hope you enjoy Kate's story and her spot-on advice for other lawyers. 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business: I am a partner in a boutique litigation firm – DMG Advocates LLP. My two partners and I all have expertise in commercial litigation, particularly complex, multi-party matters. Our focus is on delivering the same high level of service that we delivered to clients over many years at large Bay Street firms in a boutique at much more competitive billing rates. We have commercial litigation expertise that runs the gamut of areas of practice, particularly in product liability, shareholder disputes, class action defence, commercial arbitration, eDiscovery, employment litigation, construction litigation, defamation, and privacy/cybersecurity. One of the benefits of being in a boutique firm is that we can offer our clients the same level of advocacy and deliver more streamlined and cost-effective services. All our files are managed proportionately and strategically, no matter the size. We leverage our experience in complex litigation, discovery planning and eDiscovery to deliver the best possible service to our clients. Prior to founding DMG this year, I ran my own litigation firm for two years. Before that, I took a bit of a unique path. After more than 15 years practising commercial litigation at two large national firms, I spent two years practising eDiscovery and information governance law at Wortzmans, a law firm that specializes in those areas. My experience in the eDiscovery legal space allows me to bring that expertise to my litigation practice. Unlike when I started practising 20 years ago, every file, big or small, now has electronic documents that must be managed in the discovery and trial processes. One of the focuses of our new firm is ensuring that the way we work and manage our files utilizes technology to add value and efficiency. 2. Why did you go to law school? My mother would say that she knew I was going to be a lawyer when I was three or four years old because I liked to argue. I think that was a part of it – I always loved a good intellectual debate. But, I also think that the real reason I was drawn to law was growing up with two parents who were always champions of individual rights. My mother had a career at a time when a lot of mothers stayed at home when they had children. She is a physician and she worked outside the home from the time that I was a baby. She also was active in the women’s movement – when I was in elementary school, I joined her in a rally on Parliament Hill in support of women’s rights. The fact that she juggled a busy career and a family was inspiring to me – she showed me that I could do anything I put hard work into. I was also inspired to be a lawyer by my father. He was a litigator who had an amazingly interesting career that often focused on public law advocacy. That let me see at a young age the power of the law to effect social change and to protect our rights. I recall him rushing off in the middle of the night to defend clients when the police raided the bathhouses in Toronto. When I was in high school, he took on a case that many lawyers would not have taken because of the controversial nature of the rights at issue – Morgentaler. The Charter was new and the Supreme Court of Canada decision 30 years ago was the first to interpret a number of Charter rights. Through those type of cases, my dad showed me how the law could be used to effect change and to protect equality rights. My dad’s commitment to championing individual rights in our courts was definitely an inspiration that led me to apply to law school. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? A little bit of both. By design, I went into law. By chance, I’m a commercial litigator. While I had for years thought I would go into law, when I was in undergrad at U of T, I was very interested in journalism. Writing was always something I enjoyed and I have a keen interest in public affairs and news events. By the end of third year, I was pretty burned out of school – I had been in school constantly for a year and a half to make up some credits I had to drop in second year after being badly injured in an accident with a car. When an opportunity came up to spend the next school year working full time at The Varsity newspaper at U of T, I decided to take a year off from full-time courses. I took one credit that year and spent the rest of my time working at The Varsity as the Production Manager. It was a fabulous experience and a real taste of what it would be like to work in the field. The paper came out twice a week then and we did old fashioned paste up (yes, cutting out columns and waxing them on to the broadsheets). I enjoyed it but decided that journalism was not the career for me. I had decided – law was where my path lay. I applied to law school after that and got into Queens Law, which I loved. Chance led me to commercial litigation – when I entered law school, I was much more interested in public interest advocacy than anything commercial. However, in second year, everyone was applying for summer jobs at the big firms and that seemed like a good idea to make some money and get some legal experience in a firm so I applied. I got a job at McMillan Binch (as it then was) and the rest, as they say, is history. Had you asked me in high school or undergrad if I would be working in commercial litigation, I would have said no way. But, the work and the people that I had the opportunity to work with that summer and when I articled led me to an incredibly rewarding career that I would not trade. I love the challenge and the interesting areas of law that commercial disputes involve. I enjoy working with in-house counsel and business people who are practical, smart and business-minded. I have had the opportunity over the course of the last 20 years to work with some incredibly bright and interesting people in the commercial litigation bar, both in the firms in which I practiced and on the other side of files. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? In my career, I am most proud of myself for taking a huge leap of faith, quitting a very good job and opening my own firm. When I look back, it was quite a risky thing for a single mom to do but I am so happy that I did. I am not a risk taker by nature so some people may have been surprised – in fact, at times, I am myself surprised I did it – but I was at the point in my life where doing something that I love and being my own boss felt like exactly the right thing to do. That decision and the base of business that I built, all on my own, led me to this fabulous new partnership. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to continue to build my practice with my two partners. It has only been just over a month and already, we are having fun, taking on interesting cases and learning from each other. I am very proud of DMG – we are just getting started but already, I can see the success we are building. Outside of my career, my most significant achievement is my two kids. I have two 14-year-olds who are just amazing. They are bright, kind, caring and fun. Watching them grow and thrive is really the best thing in my life. Being able to raise them and at the same time build a rewarding career is something of which I’m very proud. I hope that they will be as inspired by me as I was by my parents to build a life that is as fulfilling and interesting in whatever they choose to do. 5. What are some key challenges and, more importantly, opportunities for women in law? The billable hour and the model of delivering legal services creates huge challenges for women in law. It creates challenges for men too of course but let’s face it, women still carry the heavier load when it comes to family and children. More often than not, women are the primary caregivers for children and elderly parents. The model of many firms that you must bill 1800 hours per year as well as spend many more hours developing clients and contributing to firm administration makes it very difficult for young parents or for people who have other family responsibilities. While a lot of the firms “talk the talk” and say they are embracing diversity, in my 20 years in this profession, it does not seem like much has fundamentally changed – except that now there are young male lawyers who want to be involved parents who have the same struggles balancing a demanding career with their families as women lawyers have had for years. There is also still a huge gender imbalance of power in law. Men still make up more of the senior partners in big firms than women despite articling classes and junior associates having been 50% or more women for a long time. In-house, while it is better, there also seems to still be more men than women in the top General Counsel spots. The profession really needs to take a hard look at what is working – and more importantly, what is not working – if the goal truly is to retain women in the profession. Changing the business models and taking a hard look at unconscious bias are ways that perhaps could effect meaningful change so that in the not so distant future, 50% of senior partners at firms are women. On a more optimistic note, what has changed is that people are now talking about these issues and that legal organizations are taking on the goal of effecting real change in our profession to promote diversity and inclusion. I think that creates opportunities for women that weren’t there before. Organizations such as the Ontario Bar Association are really embracing diversity and that leads to their members being exposed to ideas and mechanisms for change that will make a difference. I have to believe that by leading in that way, the lawyers who are members of these kind of organizations will effect change in our profession – both in the organizations themselves and among their own firms. While it was controversial among some lawyers, the Law Society’s Statement of Principles and the implementation of the recommendations in the Challenges Faced by Racialized Licensees Report show that changes are afoot in our profession. I am hopeful that these kinds of initiatives will create opportunities for women in law to develop the kind of careers they want and to take on more leadership roles – to use a trendy term, that there will be some “disruption” that will lead to real changes. I think that the appetite for change is there among many lawyers and that can only be a good thing for young lawyers who want to be part of a profession that is truly inclusive and diverse at all levels. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? Be brave. Be patient. Learn all that you can from different lawyers, clients and opposing counsel. Don’t give up even when it seems really difficult. Know that there are supportive people out there in our profession that would be happy to have a coffee or lunch and chat with you to help you on the path to building your career. I recall very well feeling overwhelmed in the early years of practice – with the lack of control over my time, the feeling that I didn’t know enough to be a lawyer, that the hours would kill me or mean that I could never be a good parent, spouse or friend. But it does get easier and there are a lot of resources out there to help you along the way. I’m a big fan of joining organizations where you can connect with other lawyers – the OBA, the Toronto Lawyers Association, The Advocates’ Society – whatever type of place you can meet lawyers who have similar interests to you. They all have groups for young lawyers that you can tap into to connect with peers in your area of practice. There are also events for women lawyers to network that can lead you to meet some of the interesting, strong, successful women in our profession. It is amazing how quickly you can get to know people through these organizations and then have resources to ask questions and bounce ideas off. Legal organizations are always looking for people who want to get involved and take on leadership roles. I only joined the OBA Council in the summer of 2016 and I was elected to the Board last year. Through the OBA, I have connected with a lot of interesting, diverse and dedicated people as well as learned a lot about the issues that impact our profession. For the first-time last year, I went to The Advocates’ Society Fall Convention and found that everyone was friendly and happy to include me in discussions even when many them had been attending together for years. You will find that more often than not, other lawyers are open to connecting with new people and that those with more experience are very willing to mentor you. I think we have a great profession and once you find ways to connect within it, you will find it very rewarding. ----------------- Thanks Kate for agreeing to be profiled in this series. You can find out more about Kate and her legal practice here. ICYMI: Previous posts profiled Kim Hawkins, Kyla Lee, and Eva Chan. Sign up to have these profiles sent directly to your email address and stay tuned for the next post soon! The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired! 
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 The next post in the series "Women Leading in Law" features Kim Hawkins the Executive Director of Rise Women's Legal Centre in Vancouver. Kim is a feminist lawyer who has used her legal skills to help low-income women and improve access to justice. Her non-traditional career path is a great inspiration and a reminder to lawyers and law students of how much you can do with your law degree and truly "make a difference". 1. Tell me a little about your practice or business. I am the Executive Director of Rise Women’s Legal Centre (Rise), a non-profit organization that operates a feminist legal clinic providing advice and representation to low-income women in British Columbia. Our main area of focus is family law, which is consistently identified as the largest unmet legal need for women and their dependent children in BC. We currently provide unbundled legal services for both Provincial and Supreme Court matters, but courtroom representation only in Provincial Court on select cases. Legal services at Rise are delivered primarily by upper-year law students from the Peter A. Allard School of Law at the University of British Columbia who spend a full academic term working at Rise. The students are temporarily articled by the Law Society of British Columbia and receive comprehensive training to assist them in their work with clients. Rise clients experience wide ranging barriers to access justice and, due to the poor state of access to justice in British Columbia, the need for our services vastly outstrips our capacity. Our clinic has run a waitlist since opening in May 2016; at the time of writing, we have 143 women waiting for service. In addition to serving a vulnerable population, Rise seeks to transform the legal profession through our alumni, many of whom state that they are more likely to work in family law and more likely to do pro bono work after completing our program. We work closely with many community partners, including the Peter A. Allard School of Law at UBC and West Coast LEAF, to share best practices and build a vibrant community of family law professionals. Rise is committed to taking action on the access to justice crisis through the direct provision of services. 2. Why did you go to law school? I stumbled into law school. I knew that I wanted to “make a difference” but I had little concept of what that meant. I knew that I wanted to make my living working in non-profits, but didn’t know what that would look like. 3. How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? A little bit of both. I never expected to be the Executive Director of a women’s advocacy organization running a student clinic, and I feel incredibly lucky to have been in the right place at the right time when this opportunity came along. On the other hand, I could never have taken on this role if I hadn’t built a career in non-profits and social justice positions - for example through working in strategic public interest litigation in South Africa, through completing a Master’s degree in international human rights law, through volunteering on the Board of a women’s transition home, and through first-hand experience working with vulnerable clients as a staff legal aid lawyer in the north. All of those experiences together have given me the skills and critical analysis to work at Rise. I think that students graduating from law school who are interested in social justice work face a real challenge. They need to find articles and they need to find paid employment to finance their student debts, and some students are offered extremely prestigious opportunities that are next to impossible to turn down. But every choice creates its own momentum; it can be difficult to leave private practice and face lower salaries and different expectations later in a career. 4. What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? Opening Rise. Hands down. It’s so rewarding to work with our talented and enthusiastic law students and with the many brilliant social justice lawyers and advocates in our community. 5. What are some key challenges and opportunities for women in law? Despite all of our advances, women still face sexism in the workplace, and women with intersecting identities such as Indigenous women or women with disabilities face even greater discrimination. Sexism can rear its head without warning throughout a legal career - during articling applications when women have to suppress plans to have a family; at law firm parties where a senior colleague decides to be handsy; when clients refuse to take a woman’s advice seriously or believe that she won’t “fight” for them; when flexible schedules and part-time work are disregarded… and so much more. And yet, we continue to advance, and the more that we demand respect and recognition, and the more that we identify and discuss the ways in which women are challenged in law, the more legal culture will change. It’s exciting to be part of a moment in time when #MeToo has drawn so much attention to the way our culture at large has to change in order to create greater equality. To draw a quote from one of my favourite authors, Kenji Yoshino: … this generation of civil rights must move far beyond the law. While law can help us be more human in crucial ways, it will never fully apprehend us. We should not mourn this fact: it would be worrisome if law could capture us so handily. Law’s inability to apprehend our full human complexity, however, means our culture must do that work. Part of the work that we do at Rise is attempting to turn a feminist and systemic lens on all aspects of our practice. It’s always been important to me that we not just be a group of women lawyers who happen to do good legal work representing women, but that the staff and students at our clinic continually look for ways to practice law differently to better meet the needs of our clients. One key opportunity that I think all women should take advantage of is some form of mentorship - whether informally or through a formal mentorship program. For the vast majority of my career I have had access to exceptional women mentors who have been generous with their time and inspiring in their leadership – these women have taught me so much about what it means to be an advocate. 6. What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? Never forget the idealism that brought you to law school. The experience of becoming a lawyer often feels limiting - legal culture is often conservative, hierarchical, and risk adverse, and it sometimes can feel that we have to follow a career path that has been set by someone else. It’s important to remember that, as lawyers, we are lucky to be in a career which has a lot of flexibility – we can set our own hours as a sole practitioner, fight for systemic change in a non-profit, improve policy working in government, or litigate at a major firm - or even just take the skills we have learned in law out into the world of non-law jobs. We can charge for our services or offer them pro bono. We can provide direct services to those who need them most or we can do systemic work and try to make the law work better for everyone. There are enough challenges out there in the world as well as people who will try to define us if we let them – so it’s important that we don’t create limitations for ourselves. If you hold on to your idealism, you will eventually find work that feels right for you, and law can be a great place to find it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you Kim for agreeing to participate in this series. You can learn more about Kim and RISE here. Sign-up to receive these profiles directly in your in-box and stay tuned for the next profile in the series: Kathryn Manning, a founding partner of the brand new boutique litigation firm DMG Advocates LLP. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired!   The next post in my series "Women Leading in Law" profiles Kyla Lee, a west coast criminal defence lawyer who has developed a robust practice with an interesting niche area involving immediate roadside prohibition (IRP) cases. On Twitter, Lisa Jean Helps recommended I profile Kyla and after a quick review of her website and accomplishments I knew she would be a great addition. Her candid and forthright answers to the questions confirmed my choice. From working her way through law school at five different jobs, to following her passion for criminal law, Kyla is definitely leading the way for the next generation of lawyers (p.s. make sure you don't miss her answer to the last question - there are some great nuggets of advice for new female lawyers). 1.Tell me a little about your practice or business. I am a criminal defence lawyer in Vancouver, British Columbia. However, I take cases all across Canada. I’ve also defended clients in Alberta, Northwest Territory, and Ontario. My practice focuses primarily on impaired driving. In British Columbia we have an administrative scheme for impaired driving enforcement. This means that cases are diverted out of the courts and dealt with at the roadside. People are punished on the basis of the results of a roadside breathalyser result. I think the scheme is inherently unfair, particularly because the law requires a person who is subject to the consequences of the prohibition to prove their innocence. There is no process to compel disclosure beyond a summary report and a prohibition on cross-examination. My practice is about 90% dealing with these administrative reviews. The government used to allow us to access the records related to the lawyers who were arguing these cases, and their monthly success rates. For years I was the top in the province. They stopped releasing lawyers’ names now, so I can’t find out anymore. But my success rate in these cases is high. Hearings for the Immediate Roadside Prohibitions, as they are called, are conducted by telephone with adjudicators from the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles. If the decision is unsuccessful, the person has the option of seeking judicial review of the decision. I suppose I have built a bit of a reputation in doing these judicial reviews, as my law school colleagues (and judges) often joke that they see my name on the majority of the cases in the field. A lot of the criminal law that I practice is a complete amalgamation of criminal law conceptions and administrative law principles, with some Charter litigation that is being developed in a really interesting way in this field. It’s exciting to be on the cusp of a new area of law, and to have carved out a niche in this field. I have appeared in all levels of court in BC, including regular appearances in the BC Court of Appeal for these cases. I was also lead counsel on a matter at the Supreme Court of Canada. I was only 28 years old at the time, so it was a huge deal for me and probably one of the most exciting days of my life. I can’t wait to go back – and the best part about my field is that there is a strong chance that I will get to. In December, I spent a week in Victoria at BC Supreme Court arguing about the constitutionality of the latest iteration of our roadside scheme. This is the second time I have argued a constitutional challenge to this area of law, and the third such challenge that I have been involved in on some level. When I was in law school, people would say that only a select few lawyers get to argue constitutional cases in their careers. I’ve done these ones, and besides that have argued other constitutional challenges in the criminal law context, so I’m really lucky to have these opportunities. I’ve also been invited to the House of Commons to speak before the Committee on Justice and Human Rights as an expert witness for Bill C-46 and Bill C-51. That was an amazing opportunity and it was great to have my voice heard as a criminal defence lawyer, even though it looks like the laws are going to pass with none of the changes I suggested being made. Can’t win ‘em all. I have travelled extensively throughout Canada and the United States to take specialized training. I am certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association in the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests, I’ve just completed by Drug Recognition Evaluation training, and I have received training from the manufacturer of roadside breathalysers for both operation and calibration of the devices. This allows me to meld science that goes into impaired driving investigations into my legal practice and gives me an edge in cross-examining witnesses or picking apart a file. I had a trial recently where I was using the manual for the breathalyser in my cross-examination. I reproduced a copy for the Crown and the judge. At the break, Crown counsel thanked me for giving her a copy. I laughed and told her that it was available in the law library, but I wanted to give her some light bedtime reading before the continuation. She said “Kyla, I’m never going to do that.” I told her that I had read it several times, and found it fascinating. Her response was “Of course you have.” And that’s generally what I get for my work. But it pays off – knowing the manuals and the science inside and out means that anytime the witness slips up a bit in their description or their operation of the instrument I can use that to the advantage of my client. It’s worth it. In addition to criminal impaired driving offences, I also handle any regulatory offence related to motor vehicles. Yes, I am a traffic ticket lawyer. But it’s actually a really interesting area of law. I get to meet police officers who ultimately end up testifying in other matters, and it gives me a good sense of their performance as witnesses by testing them in traffic court before the stakes are much higher. Again, the science behind speed measurement is something that really intrigues me and that I add into my practice in this regard. 2.Why did you go to law school? I was born to be a lawyer. My mother jokes – because I was premature and she had to be put on medication to prevent labour way too early in the pregnancy – that I came out of the womb arguing and I’ll go into the grave that way too. If I die premature, it will be my argumentative nature that causes it for sure. In my undergraduate studies, I would argue in a class debate on whatever topic, and my professors would say “Gosh, why don’t you just go to law school.” And I told them that was my plan. In kindergarten and elementary school, I knew I wanted to be a lawyer. I had panic attacks in the fifth grade because I got 99/100 on a math test, and I thought I would not get into law school with a grade like that. I’ve mellowed out since then, but the desire to become a lawyer never stopped. For me, there was no other option. I became quite disillusioned in law school. There were lots of people who were either just like me (which I could not stand) or people who were there because they did not know what else to do. I was angry that they were competing with me for my dream. The law school tried to steer us toward big firm, corporate culture in law school. I found that depressing, and I was worried that being a lawyer wouldn’t involve the litigation and legal argument and cross-examination that I dreamed of. I like the autonomy I have in my position in choosing my own files, coming up with a good idea, getting the chance to run my argument instead of watching someone else do it. I wrote a series of blogs about my experience at law school and how disappointed I was that the law school did not provide assistance to those of us who were looking for something other than big firm life. I’m told that, in part due to my blogs, the law school now has dedicated staff who assist students in finding more than just corporate law jobs. 3.How did you get to where you are today? Design? Chance? Both? Because of my experience in law school, I got where I was by my own work. I had to pay for everything myself in school. I hate being in debt, so despite taking student loans and having a student line of credit, I also worked. I had five jobs in my second and third years of law school. So it was a lot of juggling work and class and social time in order to make it all fit. But I was able to graduate with a very minimal (comparatively) amount of debt. That had its toll, though. My grades were average, and so I did not get any interviews at any of the high-paying firms. There may have been some good fortune in that, though, as I probably would have hated that environment and it pushed me to work really hard to find a job in the field I wanted: criminal law. I got the H1N1 flu while in second year. I was under quarantine with nothing else to do but cough up a lung and work on my resume. I sent out resumes and cover letters to probably every criminal law firm in the Lower Mainland. When Paul Doroshenko called me for an interview, I was relieved. I think my employment here was really meant to be. At that time, he didn’t know the IRP legislation was coming, and he was just looking for a summer student to help with appearances. When IRPs were announced, he needed more help and I ended up staying at the firm working part-time during third year. I also articled here and began my career here. I worked hard though. I’ve argued difficult cases and I’ve lost some tough battles at the Court of Appeal and BC Supreme Court. Some cases have been easier than others, but none of them have been easy. I work seven days a week, and am on-call twenty four hours a day. I answer the phone in the middle of the night to give legal advice most nights. And then I get up and put in eight to ten hours at the office or between court and the office. I work weekends. I don’t take vacation. But I love what I do and I’m happy to do it. I love coming to work and opening a file or reading a new set of particulars each time. 4.What is your most significant achievement? What are you proud of? I’m really happy with how I’ve been able to carve out a space for myself, in my little field of law. It’s nice to be known for something, even if it’s the type of thing that gets me Twitter messages and late-night phone calls wishing that I get killed by a drunk driver in some sick twist of karma. And despite the critics (who clearly don’t understand due process, or the right to counsel, or basic decency) I’m proud that I’m able to help people that society really shuns and demonizes. When I defend someone accused of impaired driving I’m not just defending a client, but also our system of law and our Charter rights. Each of my cases is important to me for those reasons, and I’m proud to shoulder that responsibility. 5.What are some key challenges and opportunities for women in law? We have some really great opportunities as women because people are becoming more aware of how entrenched sexism has been. I think we are getting closer to shattering the glass ceiling. And with role models in the legal field like former Chief Justice McLachlin, or (as much as I disagree with her) Jody Wilson-Raybould, it’s a good time to be a woman. There are many people to look up to these days, and when I look around I see more women who are succeeding and being recognized for their success. The challenges, though, are about as substantial. There’s a lot of sexism. I’m really thankful that I’ve been sheltered from most of it because Paul is a huge feminist, and because he is the least sexist person I know. He will hang up on a client if they request not to have a female lawyer. We just don’t work that way in our office. And he’s never denied me any opportunity as a result of my gender. Where I experience it most is from the opposition. I’ve dealt with a lot of sexism from opposing counsel or just men in courtrooms. Most of the time it works to my advantage, as men tend to underestimate me. They will think I am going to wilt and shut up if they speak over me. But my nature is just to speak louder instead. Or they assume I’m not as skilled in cross-examination or in conducting a trial, and that’s never worked out as they planned. I could type stories about this for hours, like the opposing counsel who said “yes mom” to me multiple times, in front of a female articled student that I was mentoring. But that’s the obvious stuff. What’s the biggest obstacle, I find, is the not-obvious sexism. Like men who interrupt what I am saying, whether it’s in submissions or in cross-examination, or in discussion outside court. And the challenge too of having to politely deal with that – when all you really want to do is yell “WOULD YOU STOP F-ING INTERRUPTING ME!” Am I allowed to swear here? I don’t have children, and I won’t ever, so the whole work/family balance isn’t an issue for me. But I expect it is for a lot of women. 6.What advice would you give a woman starting her legal career? Don’t let the pricks get you down. Law is tough, and it’s about being tough. Men are going to be rude to you. Men are going to hit on you. Men are going to interrupt you – all the time. And so are women. Women are sometimes worse to other women than the men are. So you can feel a bit like an island at times – particularly if you are working in a small firm or as a sole practitioner. Find other women who are successful in your field and talk to them. Most of us are super nice and what you might initially perceive as coldness is probably just someone having to be tough to get past the bullshit, or someone who is really busy. Or in my case, both. And, if there are no women who are successful in your field that are willing to talk to you, talk to me. And other women that have been featured on this blog and who blog themselves. Get a Twitter account. It’s a great place to interact with other lawyers and find people who are like you. And there are dozens of successful, smart, funny women lawyers on Twitter to look up to, to direct message, and to call for help when you have a tough question. Don’t be afraid to ask other lawyers for help. We’re not in law school any more, so the competition over the answers has evaporated. Just this past week I had a real doozy of a problem with a Court of Appeal file, and I went through half the contacts in my phone running it by people and asking their advice. No one said they wouldn’t help me, and no one wasn’t willing to spend time researching it on their own. Your best resource as a lawyer is the people you know. When you’re in court, you’re going to run into strange situations you could never have imagined. The people you know in the courthouse and beyond will help you find the answer. It may feel awkward, but always exchange cards with other lawyers and keep theirs. I’ve gotten myself out of so many jams by calling up someone I spoke with for fifteen minutes at the courthouse and asking them their opinion on a strange issue, or to cover an appearance when I’m running late. People are willing to help you succeed. And they’ll come to you for help too. Help them. Remember, we are all in this together. Each file is not just about our clients but about our contribution to the justice system. When you help other lawyers, and when you seek out their help, you are helping the justice system. It’s a really beautiful thing, and an important part of what we do. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you Kyla for agreeing to participate in this series. You can learn more about Kyla and her practice here. Sign-up to receive these profiles directly to your email and stay tuned for the next profile in the series: Kim Hawkins, the Executive Director of Rise Women's Legal Centre, a non-profit organization that operates a feminist legal clinic providing advice and representation to low-income women in British Columbia. The "Women Leading in Law" series focuses on good news stories and highlights amazing women succeeding in the legal profession. Each post includes the profiled lawyer's answers to six questions. Prepare to be inspired!  |
 
  Erin C. Cowling is a former freelance lawyer, entrepreneur, business and career consultant, speaker, writer and CEO and Founder of Flex Legal Network Inc., a network of freelance lawyers.
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